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Hagler in, Hart out in Harrisburg
Photo by James Nix
Harrisburg Mayor Tim Hagler was re-elected Tuesday.
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Published: November 3, 2009
Harrisburg mayoral candidates Phil Cowherd and incumbent Tim Hagler spent much of Election Day campaigning and making last-minute pitches to voters.
In the end, Hagler emerged the winner by a tally of 847-670.
Hagler, who served on the town council for 13 years before beginning a nine-year stint as mayor, watched as the results came in to the Cabarrus County Board of Elections office.
"It was a tough battle," he said shortly after the final precinct reported. "I've never had a race like this in my life. The people of Harrisburg proved to me that they are pleased with the leadership of the mayor."
Hagler admitted during his discussions with voters at the polls that he wasn't sure how the vote would turn out.
"You didn't really know the way the vote was going to go," he said. "It was a mixed bag — you really didn't know until all the precincts were in."
Cowherd, who has served on the Harrisburg Town Council for nearly a decade, including two terms as mayor pro-tem, said in a prepared statement that he was thankful for the support he has received in his bid for the mayoral seat.
"I am disappointed with the results, but I am fortunate to have served on the council for 10 years," he said. "I appreciate the hard work of my friends and neighbors in my election bid. Harrisburg's favorite son, Tim Hagler, has his work cut out for him."
Among the things Hagler said he wants to work on is building consensus on the town council.
"That's been a goal of mine for the past nine years as mayor, and will be four the next four," he said.
The face of the board he'll be working with in his upcoming terms includes two newcomers.
Jeffrey Phillips and Chad Baucom earned 967 and 860 votes, respectively, and join incumbent Steve Sciascia as the three candidates winning town council seats. Incumbent Michael Hart finished fourth with 765 votes, while the final candidate, Bill Withrow, had 479.
Phillips said he was shocked to learn he earned the most votes.
"I thought maybe my hard work and years of volunteering and helping finally came about," he said. "I worked really hard this last month getting my name out there."
Phillips currently serves on the town's Planning & Zoning Board, and as chairman for the town's Conservation District Committee.
Baucom is a small business owner with a bachelor's degree in political science from UNC Charlotte. As part of his campaign, Baucom said he wanted to focus on economic development within the town and improving public services offered through the town.
Sciascia, who won his second term on the council, touted his efforts to help build a parks and recreation department for the town and improve communication between town officials and residents. He served for more than seven years as the president of the Harrisburg Youth Association and more than three years on the Cabarrus County Parks and Recreation Commission.
Lower than expected turnout
After last year's historic elections, with nearly 72 percent of registered voters casting ballots in Cabarrus County, elections officials were realistic about this year's turnout.
Traditionally, presidential elections draw bigger crowds, and with no divisive referendums on any local ballots, turnout was expected to be closer to 10-15 percent.
"It's been very quiet, which is always disappointing for us because we want a big turnout," Cabarrus County Board of Elections director Linda Grist mid-afternoon on Tuesday.
At the end of the day, less than 7,000 ballots were cast, representing about 9 percent of the county's eligible voters.
In 2005, the last election during which Concord, Harrisburg and Kannapolis voted for mayor and council races, the three municipalities averaged 15.3 percent voter turnout. Midland and Mount Pleasant had 29 and 33 percent turnout respectively, but those ballots included votes on alcoholic beverage control, which Grist said likely increased voter turnout in those areas.
Editor's note: Commenting has been disabled for this story because comments have strayed off topic.
• Contact Jonathan E. Coleman: 704-789-9105.
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