I believe Cabarrus County, our Chamber, and EDC have done a wonderful job of connecting current businesses and new growth opportunities here in Cabarrus County. As we can see from the past, corporate and business economic growth has been a driving force for our county and community. If you look at Eli Lilly, for example, that parcel was previously earmarked for a possible 4,000-home development, but the water and sewer access was a problem. Thankfully, due to our forward-thinking economic development plan, we were able to incentivize Eli Lilly to come to Cabarrus County, bringing jobs and a brighter future for so many of our residents. Had that same parcel been developed as a residential area, we would have had to build elementary, middle, and high schools at the taxpayers’ expense. While Eli Lilly brought high-paying jobs, it increased our commercial tax base, reducing the burden on our residential taxpayers and reducing our long-term infrastructure burden. The tax dollars brought in from companies like Eli Lilly will help pay for schools and infrastructure, and help Cabarrus County lessen the burden on our residents’ tax bills. As a county commissioner, I would fully support continued efforts to bring jobs and economic prosperity to our residents. Our residents deserve to work, play, and stay in Cabarrus County without having to seek jobs elsewhere.

One of the things that I find crucial in life is remembering your past, so you aren’t bound to repeat it. When Pillowtex shut down in June of 2003, Kannapolis and Cabarrus County learned a very hard lesson that one would hope we would never experience again. Yet in July 2009, we were still there reeling from that when Philip Morris shut down. With the Pillowtex shutdown, 4,800 employees lost their jobs, and with the Philip Morris shutdown, 1,000 employees in Cabarrus County lost their jobs. In the span of six years, nearly 6,000 Cabarrus County employees lost their jobs. It was a ripple effect for many: when you can’t pay your bills, you lose your home and must start over. When 6,000 people become unemployed overnight, where do you go to work when there are no other businesses hiring in your skill set?

Thankfully, RCCC, county leadership, the municipalities, workforce agencies, and business leaders pivoted in a collaborative effort to help retrain these employees. This time showed the resilience of the people of Cabarrus County. The story for many of those impacted employees and their families changed their financial lives and trajectory forever. Witnessing my friends’ families go through that forever changed me.

I am a stronger business owner and community advocate, having witnessed that firsthand. I believe every resident of Cabarrus County should be able to earn a livable wage in Cabarrus County. I fully support the collaborative work initiated during those tough years, which has now expanded into workforce development within existing businesses and new corporations. A strong workforce enables families to provide for themselves, bringing generational change and a better future. I will support the work of the EDC, the business community, and our county partnership.

I am a strong proponent of smart growth in Cabarrus County for business recruitment and expansion. As a county commissioner, I would support continued funding of the EDC and collaborative efforts between county leadership and each municipality to ensure every resident of Cabarrus County has the opportunity to live, thrive, and work in the county they call home.

One of the most critical infrastructure needs in Cabarrus County is our water supply and wastewater treatment facilities. WSACC was established in 1992 by the county with the City of Kannapolis, Concord, Mt. Pleasant, and Harrisburg. Thirty-four years later, the collaborative work within those governmental bodies is extremely important to ensuring we have enough water capacity to meet the needs of our residents and taxpayers. As a county commissioner, I will support expanding the Rocky River Wastewater Treatment facility to ensure we have an adequate supply of clean water and wastewater treatment facilities that meet the needs of our current and future residents.

Strong schools are essential to a strong county. County government plays a central role in funding school facilities and long-term capital needs, and those decisions require long-range planning rather than reaction once overcrowding becomes a crisis. Students deserve safe, functional places to learn. Teachers deserve to feel supported enough to stay. Competitive teacher supplements matter because experience and stability matter in classrooms.

As a product of the Kannapolis City School system and the daughter of a 31-year educator in Cabarrus County Schools, I know the value of a quality education for every child. I have been studying our school systems’ capital needs for nearly 2 decades. We have seen many schools placed on the 10-year capital plan, only to be moved up a few years later as a priority due to growth in our county. As your county commissioner, I will work to ensure our students have a safe place to learn while working with RCCC, CCS, and KCS to prioritize and plan for the next 20 to 30 years to address deferred maintenance and all our capital needs.

Cabarrus County residents deserve a place where they can live, thrive, and grow. Cabarrus County is one of the fastest-growing communities because of our schools and amenities. At an early age, personal growth starts when mothers, fathers, and grandparents take their children to the library, as they are first learning to read. In later years, they will meet their friends to pick out books and have book clubs. Their lives are later enriched and expanded when schools take field trips to our parks: Veterans Park in Kannapolis, Frank Liske Park in Concord, and Rob Wallace Park in Midland. It is at our parks that children and adults leave the stresses of the world behind to relax and regroup mentally, whether it’s for a solitary walk, to meet up to play disc golf, or to have family reunions. In a world where the social fabric and mental health are fraying, our public services, like our senior centers, parks, and libraries, reunite and reconnect our residents to each other and, most importantly, to each individual.

I. Affordability
Every dollar the county spends belongs first to the people who earned it. Budget decisions should always reflect that reality.

I believe fiscal responsibility and caring for people are not opposing ideas. We can stretch dollars, negotiate better outcomes, and manage resources wisely without making short-term, short-sighted cuts that simply shift costs somewhere else. Cuts that burn out first responders, drive away long-time employees, delay infrastructure needs, or weaken essential services often create bigger, more expensive problems in the long run.

II. Respect for Taxpayers and County Employees
County government only works because people show up every day to do the work.

From paramedics and detention officers to social workers, public works staff, and county employees behind the scenes, these are the people we rely on every single day, often without ever seeing their names.

Respecting taxpayers and respecting employees should go hand in hand. Budgets should be built with creativity and discipline, with every dollar stretched, negotiated, and accounted for, while also recognizing that retaining good employees matters for strong county services.

Those kinds of sustainable decisions protect both taxpayers and the people who keep Cabarrus County running.

III. Strong Schools and Support for Teachers
Strong schools are essential to a strong community and local economy. County government plays a central role in funding school facilities and long-term capital needs, which means we cannot afford to wait until overcrowding becomes a crisis to act.

Students deserve safe, functional, well-maintained places to learn. Teachers deserve to feel supported and valued enough to build their careers here and stay here.

Thoughtful, long-range planning matters if we want Cabarrus County to remain a place where families want to live, work, and raise their children.

I’m running for Cabarrus County Commission because I believe this county is the best place in North Carolina to call home, and I want to make sure it stays that way.

While I don’t care for politics, I can’t ignore that we’ve had too many candidates run for office who are more concerned with their agendas than with watching out for the best interests of our residents.

We deserve great leadership, and I believe that starts with remembering who government is supposed to serve: the people. Not partisanship. Not talking points. People.

We need leaders who listen well, spend taxpayer dollars wisely, and make decisions with the future in mind. I am excited about what this county can be when we treat each other well and build things that last.

My business experience, education, and years of community involvement have prepared me to serve this county with a collaborative mindset and deep respect for all people who call it home. I’m running because I know Cabarrus County’s best days are still ahead, and I’d be honored to help shape that future.

Cabarrus County has always been an agricultural community with vast farmland, but over time, we have lost much of it. My grandfather was a farmer in Cabarrus County for many decades, which he used to help subsidize his life as a truck driver. He grew vegetables and even processed some meat. It was enough to feed his family, and he was able to sell produce to support them over the years. Years ago, this was how many local families supported themselves, but over the years, families haven’t farmed as they used to, and much of that farmland has been developed into residential homes.

Cabarrus County is growing and evolving. It has been important to me to make sure all residents’ voices are heard. Over the last few months, I have spent time with our Cooperative Extension Office, 4-Hers, local farmers, and our agricultural neighbors. For many Cabarrus County families, farming has been their generational family livelihood. One thing is for certain: we must protect our agricultural community to the best of our ability. In 2025, we had over 64,000 acres dedicated to farming efforts. Our local farming families help produce and process our vegetables, fruits, beef, poultry, and so much more. They are an integral part of our life cycle, providing a food supply to our county and the surrounding areas. We can’t grow more land, so it is imperative that we help protect and support our rural and agricultural identity to the best of our ability by supporting Ag in Cabarrus County.

One of the most inspiring things about Cabarrus County has been the uniqueness that we hold and embrace. As a five-municipality county with five very diverse communities, it is important to have a deep conversation and collaborate to understand each community’s unique needs and understand how we can support their growth and opportunities.

As a county commissioner, I will work collaboratively to support each municipality and community in ways that best meet their needs. All residents and communities in Cabarrus County need equal representation and a voice. What works well in Concord may not work the best in Midland. Concord has easy access to I-85, while Midland has easy access to the railroad. We need to examine the benefits of each community and assess how they envision their growth, as well as how we can best serve them while preserving our rich history and agricultural community.

What has always guided me, in public service and in life, is the belief that every person deserves to be seen and valued.

Cabarrus County has over 244,000 residents. We come from different backgrounds, experiences, and political beliefs, but a county commissioner must be an advocate for all residents, regardless of their party affiliation, socioeconomic status, or where they come from.

The values that shaped me as a volunteer and community advocate are the same values shaping this campaign.

Through Rotary, serving as a 1Can blessing box keeper, and leading an all-female women build team for Habitat for Humanity, I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside people who make this community stronger every day. I’ve also spent years partnering with organizations like my children’s schools PTO’s, the Cabarrus Arts Council, Cooperative Christian Ministry, Meals on Wheels, the American Red Cross, and many other non-profits doing life-changing work across Cabarrus County.

One of the biggest strengths of this community is our spirit of service. Volunteers, churches, nonprofits, neighbors who step up to help others, often without recognition. When we invest in each other, when we step up and offer a hand, we are made better.

Over the last year, our commissioners have been more focused on political theatre than the business of running the county. Their political shenanigans led to two lawsuits that cost Cabarrus County taxpayers over $512,000.

When our commissioners fired our county manager out of political spite and then tried to illegally seat an incoming county commissioner, it impacted the reputation of our county government and the morale of our county employees.

Our residents need to know their leaders are leading, and our employees need to know they are valued. As a county commissioner, I will make every decision based on what is right, fair, and unbiased for all taxpayers and county employees, so that we can restore dignity and overall well-being to our local government.

The Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners is a 5-member board. Those 5 members need to work together in the best interests of all Cabarrus County residents. I will go in with an open mind and heart, to work with all of our commissioners to serve the needs of our residents, taxpayers, local business owners, county employees, and staff to the best of my ability.

My approach to leadership and my priorities are simple:
Remember who you serve.
Work together to solve problems.
Negotiate for better outcomes.
Plan ahead with people in mind.
I am ready to serve with collaboration, care, accountability, and steady leadership.