Newcomer Ryan G. Dayvault, 25, will join incumbents Roger Haas, 62, and Tom Kincaid, 59, for four-year terms on the Kannapolis City Council after Tuesday’s election.
Kenneth “Ken” B. Geathers, 67, was not re-elected after serving on the council since being elected in 1984. He was not able to be reached for comment on Tuesday night.
Dayvault received 1,306 votes, the most among the six candidates, which included three incumbents, running for city council.
“I feel great,” Dayvault said. “I am thankful the people of Kannapolis came out to support me in a big way.”
Dayvault is the business services and facilities coordinator for the UNC Chapel Hill Nutrition Research Institute at the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis. He previously applied for the Kannapolis City Council seat vacated by Richard Anderson, who died in 2010.
Dayvault said he thought his youthfulness contributed to his success in the campaign. His campaign slogan was “Honoring the Past, Embracing the Future.”
Dayvault said he is pushing for Kannapolis to revive itself.
“People want to see downtown Kannapolis the way it once was,” Dayvault said. “You have the ability to change things and adapt…We’ve got to create a marketing plan for the City of Kannapolis to move it forward.”
He said that, with the downtown blossoming like it should, that is the best way to build a bridge between the North Carolina Research Campus and the rest of the area.
Haas also mentioned revitalizing the downtown area as one of the new council’s first orders of business, in addition to economic development.
“I think it’s a continuation of what we’ve been working on,” Haas said. “I feel privileged and honored (the voters have) given me the opportunity to continue to work on them.”
He served on the city council from 1997 to 2001, and has served since he was appointed to fill a vacant seat in 2006. Haas is the president and founder of Adventures in Motorsports, a Kannapolis-based travel and tour company.
Haas said that he and Dayvault have been friends for a long time, and the council welcomes him.
He also said that Geathers not winning his re-election bid will be a loss for the council.
“Ken has been on the council since incorporation, so he had that knowledge a lot of us don’t have,” Haas said. “I think that part will be a loss, that historical perspective.”
Kincaid, who won his first election for city council, said he will also miss Geathers but said Dayvault will bring new ideas to the board.
He said the new council will have to set strategies, get Dayvault acclimated and keep moving forward.
“I’m just very excited to be back on the council,” Kincaid said.
Kincaid, the owner and operator of Caremoor Retirement Center, was appointed to the council in 2010, when Anderson died, and has served since.
“I hope I can put those four years to good use to help Kannapolis grow and change,” Kincaid said. “I have four years to get more of it done.”
Amos L. McClorey, 61, and Michael Jacob Mishkin, 36, who ran for a seat on the council in 2009, also ran for the three open seats on city council but were not successful.
Contact reporter Jessica Groover: 704-789-9152
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