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Quiet campaign, loud impact
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Published: October 30, 2009
Although the turnout for Tuesday's municipal elections in Mooresville is expected to be low, voters will play a crucial role in deciding the look of town government.
Only two of six government and school board races are contested, but those two races are high-profile ones -- for mayor and at-large commissioner.
Iredell County Board of Elections Director Becky Galliher said the lack of overall ballot excitement has hjer expecting a low number of voters.
Still, she stressed that voters need to make their voices ehard.
"It's as important as any other election because it affects their neighborhood," she said, noting that early voting is still available today and Saturday at the Board of Elections office in Statesville, located at 203 Stockton St. Early voting remains open today from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
On Tuesday, Galliher said voters will have to cast their ballots in their own precincts, from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. For more information on where your polling location is, visit the North Carolina State Board of Elections Web site, http://www.sboe.state.nc.us or call the Iredell County Board of Elections at 704-878-3140.
Six local races – Mooresville Mayor, At-Large Commissioner, Ward 3 Commissioner, Ward 4 Commissioner and two Mooresville Graded School District seats – are on Tuesday's ballot, though only two incumbents face challengers this election season. No state, county or Iredell-Statesville School seats are up for election this year.
The two contested races, the mayoral and at-large commissioner seats, pin experienced incumbent politicians against local political newcomers.
Mayor Bill Thunberg, who is seeking his third term as mayor, faces challenger Chris Montgomery for the town's highest position.
Thunberg, owner of a downtown jewelry store, says he has "honored my commitment to voters" during his two terms as Mooresville's mayor. He said he believes the general economy and jobs will be on the minds of voters as they head to the polls, and he notes he has worked "hard every day to identify opportunities to get new employment opportunities here."
Sometimes scrutinized for his tie-breaking decision to purchase MI-Connection along with the towns of Davidson and Cornelius, Thunberg acknowledges that he was apprehensive of the deal at first. However, he said he believes they "did the right thing" in purchasing the cable system.
Montgomery, a Mooresville native who works in magazine advertising sales, has said he wouldn't have made the same decision as Thunberg if he was mayor when the cable decision arose.
"I fundamentally believe government should not get involved in private business," he notes, acknowledging that MI-Connection as well as water rates will likely be two of the biggest issues swaying voters.
Montgomery told the Tribune that he doesn't think town residents are being heard, citing the cable system purchase as one example.
"I have a genuine love for Mooresville," he said. "I just want to be a regular guy who serves the community the best I can. I want to be the voice of the people."
Vying for Mooresville's at-large commissioner, the town's only other contested race, are incumbent Frank Rader and political newcomer Rhett Dusenbury.
Seeking his second term on the board of commissioners, Rader -- an investor of stocks and property -- said he's primarily focused on Mooresville's future rather than a day-to-day view of the town.
Whether it's explaining the benefits of MI-Connection as a long-term investment – Rader voted in favor of purchasing the cable system – or looking at long-term education benefits, the commissioner has said he hopes to have a hand in making Mooresville "an attractive place" for his young daughter when she graduates college in 2022.
For Dusenbury, a real estate agent and employee of the United States Postal Service, keeping town spending under control remains key.
Noting increases in water and sewer rates as well as "back breaker" purchase of MI-Connection, Dusenbury said, "I'm a limited government kind of guy, and I could not take a chance on another four more years of liberal spending policies."
As voters hit the polls Tuesday, the town board challenger said he believes spending will be at the forefront.
"Spending is a major issue I've heard people talking about," Dusenbury said. "They don't understand why the Town of Mooresville continues to spend while the average resident is budgeting."
Though only the mayoral and at-large commissioner seats are contested this year, Mooresville will see two other municipal races on Tuesday's ballot.
Unopposed for Ward 3 Commissioner, Ralph "Mac" Herring – a hospice nurse and director of professional elations (Outreach) for Palliative Care Center and Hospice of Catawba Valley – said growth is one of the biggest issues facing his constituency.
He said the town board needs to "seek opportunities to improve and lay groundwork for stronger infrastructure, as well as engaging the concerns and input of individual citizens for the betterment of municipal processes."
Chris Carney's ward 4 commissioner seat is also on this year's election ballot, though he, too, is unchallenged. Carney, a co-owner of Barrister's Title Services of the Carolinas, called transportation the biggest issue facing Mooresville and its residents.
"We have made some progress, but we still have a long way to go," he said. "Transportation is not only roads, but pedestrian, bike, train, bus, interstate - any manner by which we move people. It affects every aspect of our lives – our work, our children's schools, where we shop and where we play."
Two seats on the Mooresville Graded School District Board of Education are also being decided. However, incumbents Karen Hart – the board's chairperson – and Nancy Cross are uncontested on Tuesday's ballot.
More information on each candidate, including past articles and Q&A segments on the candidates, can be read at the "Your Vote" page of www.mooresvilletribune.com
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