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Incumbents file early as election season begins
Photo by James Nix
Elections Clerk Lynn Farrell assists Concord Mayor Scott Padgett as he files for re-election at the Cabarrus Board of Elections office Monday afternoon. Padgett has served as the city's mayor since 2001.
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Published: July 8, 2009
In the early days of filing for this year's municipal elections, it was the familiar names of incumbents and local politicians who made their way to the Cabarrus County Board of Elections to file.
Up for grabs in November's election are seats on the city and town councils of Concord, Kannapolis, Harrisburg, Mount Pleasant and Midland, as well as mayor's seats in Concord, Kannapolis, Harrisburg and Midland.
Filing opened Monday, and continues through July 17. As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, the following candidates filled out the necessary paperwork with the Board of Elections to run for their respective seats:
City of Concord Mayor (one seat)
The race for mayor of Concord already had two candidates. Mayor Scott Padgett filed for re-election Monday.
Padgett served on Concord City Council from 1995 to 2001, when he was elected mayor of Concord.
The retired elementary school principal has served as a member of Concord Rotary, Community Free Clinic Board of Directors, Cabarrus Workshop Board of Directors, among others.
Padgett earned his bachelor's degree from Appalachian State University and later earned a master's degree in education from UNC Charlotte. He also has an advanced degree from UNC-Chapel Hill. He is married and has one child and three grandchildren.
Padgett will be opposed by Johnny "Elvis" Almond, who also filed Monday.
Almond, 55, who owned and operated Concord/Kannapolis Drywall for 38 years, ran unsuccessfully against Padgett in 2005. Almond also is an Elvis impersonator and said he's Elvis' fourth cousin.
"I'm an impersonator and I am a singer," he said, adding that it's more of a hobby than a business.
Almond said he served in the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne from 1972 to 1976. He's married and has two daughters. He said he is running for mayor, because he wants give more people a voice in the city government.
"I'm for the people, not for the city," he said. "Running for mayor, that's who you are supposed to be for."
City of Concord Council member, Dist. 3 (one seat)
Incumbent Ella Mae Small filed for re-election on Monday. She is currently unopposed. Small has a bachelor of science in early childhood education and home economics from A&T University. She has a master's degree in early childhood education from UNC Charlotte. She also has certificates from the National Institute of Health and Barber-Scotia College.
Small taught in the Cabarrus County, Charlotte-Mecklenburg and Atlanta school systems, but is now retired. She also has taught at N.C. A&T University. Small has served as a member of the board of directors of the Logan Neighborhood Association, the Logan Community Day Care Board of Directors and several other organizations. She is the widow of former Councilman Allen Small and has one granddaughter.
City of Concord Council member, Dist. 4 (one seat)
Concord City Council member Alfred Brown Jr. also filed for re-election to the District 4 seat on Monday. Brown is currently unopposed.
Brown, a graduate of Concord High School who attended The Citadel, was elected to the city council in 2001. He works in the engineering department of Windstream. He is married to Sheila Penninger, a first-grade teacher at Rocky River Elementary, and has two children. Brown has served on the Concord Bicentennial Commission and the Concord Historic Preservation Commission.
City of Kannapolis Mayor (one seat)
Mayor Bob Misenheimer filed to run for re-election on Monday.
Misenheimer has served on the Kannapolis City Council since May 1989 when he was appointed to fill an unexpired term. He is a retired school administrator who worked in local schools for 36 years.
Misenheimer started as a junior high school teacher. He retired from his job as principal of Northwest Middle School in 1993. Misenheimer volunteers at CMC-NorthEast. He has a bachelor's degree from Catawba College and a master's degree from Appalachian State University. He also holds an advanced certificate in school administration from UNC-Chapel Hill. He is married to Bernie Hileman and has two daughters and three grandchildren.
Bill Nickolas Georgiou filed Monday to oppose Misenheimer in the race for mayor. Georgiou could not be reached for comment.
City of Kannapolis City Council (three seats)
Council member Milton Darrell Hinnant filed Monday for re-election to one of three at-large Kannapolis City Council seats. Hinnant was elected to the Kannapolis City Council in 2001. He is the principal consultant for Hinnant Business Solutions Inc., a management consultant firm. Hinnant has an bachelor's and a master's degree in chemistry from UNC-Chapel Hill.
Mayor Pro-Tem Randy Cauthen filed for re-election on Tuesday. Cauthen was first elected to the Kannapolis City Council in 1999. Cauthen served 27 years in the Kannapolis Police Department. He is now retired and owns a bonding company and private investigation firm.
Cauthen is a graduate of Northwest Cabarrus High School and has a criminal justice degree from Central Piedmont Community College. Cauthen serves on the Concord-Kannapolis Transit Commission and the Cabarrus County Parks and Recreation Board.
Newcomer Michael Mishkin also filed Tuesday to run for one of the open Kannapolis City Council seats. Mishkin works for AT&T in Salisbury.
He and his wife lived in Israel for four years before moving to Kannapolis two years ago. They have three sons.
Mishkin is originally from Queens, N.Y. He has an associate's degree from Nassau Community College in Long Island, N.Y.
Mishkin said taxes and government overspending are the reasons he decided to run for office.
"I feel like city government is getting a little out of control and taking advantage of taxes and property taxes," he said. "I'd like to be able to oversee, if not help correct some of the things that are going on so people here are not living with such a great burden."
Town of Harrisburg Mayor (one seat)
Phil Cowherd, a 10-year veteran of the Harrisburg Town Council, filed Monday for the mayoral race.
"I sense that there is frustration on council, and we need to move forward," he said of his decision to run. "I think it's time for change at the leadership position. I want to make sure there is good continuity and good management."
During his 10 years on the council, Cowherd said he's only voted once to raise taxes, and in that instance, the increase was to be used to build the town's library.
Cowherd said, in addition to his service on the council, his 30 years working in the City of Charlotte's budget office have prepared him for a greater leadership role.
"The town has got a lot of challenges (ahead), and we need to make sure we are headed in the right direction."
Town of Harrisburg Town Council (three seats)
Incumbent candidate Michael Hart, who is completing his first term on the board, said he's proud of what the council has accomplished in the last four years, including bringing the fire department and Harrisburg Youth Association under the scope of the town and hiring a new finance director.
If elected to a second term, Hart said he would like to continue to work to improve the town, and rebuild some of the trust that he said some residents believe is lacking between the council and its constituency.
"There are a lot of good things that we've done, but there are a few things left to do," he said.
Steve Sciascia is also seeking re-election to a second term.
Sciascia, who previously served as president of the Harrisburg Youth Association, was instrumental in bringing that organization under the scope of the town's newly-created Parks & Recreation department.
In his first term, Sciascia also worked on the town's communication committee and helped improve the town's communication with residents through its Web site and Connect-CYT phone messaging system.
Town of Mount Pleasant Town Council, two-year unexpired term (one seat)
Warren Chapman is running to finish his term as a Mount Pleasant town commissioner.
The board appointed Chapman to replace Mike Metcalf. Now, Chapman is running to complete Metcalf's term, which expires in 2011.
As a member of the planning and zoning board, he said he was interested in the future of his small town.
"We want to remain a small town," he said, "yet we know we have to plan for growth."
Infrastructure is a key element Mount Pleasant needs, Chapman said, to plan for that growth.
"Without the railroad and natural gas, how can we attract businesses?" he said. "We need to plan for things like that."
Town of Midland Mayor (one seat)
Midland mayor Pro Tem, Kathy Kitts, filed, but could not be reached for comment.
Town of Midland Town Council (two seats)
Richard Wise got involved with politics in Midland almost as soon as he arrived.
A native New Yorker, Wise, 56, a mechanic with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, sits on the town's planning and zoning commission and utility commission.
He said he would like to see Midland step it up a notch.
"I think we're moving at a little slower pace," he said. "I definitely would like to see more commercial business."
Wise vacationed in North Carolina for 18 years before moving down. He said he scouted out other places in the state before deciding on Midland.
"It's central to a lot of areas," he said. "You can go 20 miles in any direction and be at a different area."
Rowan County Kannapolis City Council
Gene McCombs announced Monday his plans to seek re-election to the Kannapolis City Council.
"I am committed to continue the transformation of Kannapolis to a world-class biotechnical center, increase employment opportunities and maintain our quality of life," said McCombs, who lives on the Rowan County side of Kannapolis.
McCombs said his platform for re-election is built on support for a strong program of economic development and efficient delivery of governmental services without increasing taxes.
• Independent Tribune reporters Karen Cimino Wilson and Ben McNeely and managing editor Jonathan E. Coleman contributed to this story.
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