Thursday, October 1, 2026
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With forty positions on the ballot, Gaston County is bound to see some changes in the November 2025 Municipal elections. However, certain cities will see more change than others, with eighty-three applicants running this election cycle. Will Gaston County see a return of local politicians or have new faces filling the seats?
Ten local government officials are not seeking to return to their positions this November. Towns where only one council member is stepping down include: Belmont, Bessemer City, Cramerton, Dallas, High Shoals, Kings Mountain, and Lowell. These towns have successfully had enough new applicants to fill these outbound roles.
| Gastonia may be in for a more dynamic change due to two council seats being up for reelection in each. Gastonia is notable as the position for Ward 4, previously filled by Charles Odom, is an unexpired seat. An "unexpired" council seat means a member has stepped down early. Cheryl Littlejohn was appointed to the position by the Gastonia Council and is currently seeking to finish the remaining two years of this term by being properly elected this cycle. |
Those keeping count may have noticed that it only adds up to nine seats having stepped down. Gaston County's only mayor who has decided to step away from their chair for this election is Cherryville, NC's, Mayor H.L. Beam. After a lengthy hold on the office, he will be retiring from the position. Wade Stroupe, who was previously Cherryville's mayor, has already started campaign efforts, and newcomer David Whitesides has decided to run in opposition.
Cherryville will be the only city where there is no opposition for its council members. Natives can expect to see the return of two seasoned council members: Gary Freeman for Ward 1 and Jill Puett for Ward 3. This will leave Cherryville natives only needing to vote on their choice of mayor and whatever issues may appear on the ballot. For those unfamiliar with city wards, applicants must run for a specific seat on the board instead of having a blanket application.
However, these are not the only unopposed positions within Gaston County, with three more people running entirely unopposed on this year's ballot. Cramerton, High Shoals, and McAdenville will see the return of their mayors, Nelson Willis, P.J. Rathbone, and Reid Washam, respectively. While these mayoral candidates will appear on the ballot, they will win by default, so citizens in these cities can expect to see their current mayors for another full term. In High Shoals, this is a two-year term, with the other cities having four-year terms.
Citizens with fewer candidate voting options may wonder what purpose they have for attending the November polls. It is essential to understand that municipal ballots still hold other votes. These can include issues like county and city tax rates, local annexation, education funding, local government structure, etc. It is as vital as ever to still go to the polls even if the elected officials are predetermined due to a lack of opposition.
Out of the eighty-eight applicants, all fifty-seven new applicants will face opposition. Of the recurring applicants, twenty-five of the thirty-one will be running opposed, making it appear they are outnumbered roughly two to one by newcomers. Despite this, not every position is a face-off between the tenured politicians and the newcomers. Some of these positions will be a battle of only newcomers, leaving current local politicians with better odds of holding their seats.
The first notable one like this is the position for Belmont's Mayor. Belmont currently lacks a mayor, so the position will be a two-way race between Joe Jordan and Cory Miller. Belmont only has one returning council applicant and seven newcomers attempting to hold one of its two available council seats, although some have held appointed positions in the city. This means Belmont citizens can expect plenty of campaigning around the city.
Other cities that will see a race with only fresh faces are Bessemer City's Ward 6, Gastonia's Ward 2, and Kings Mountain's Ward 3. While Bessemer City and Gastonia will only have two candidates vying for their respective positions, Kings Mountain will have three competing in the race for Ward 3.
Outside of the battle of the newcomers, all other positions will see a race between old and new faces. Many of those who currently hold positions will find themselves in direct competition with only one other person, but certain areas will face worse odds for holding their chair. The largest race for a single position will be Kings Mountain's At-Large council member, which contains five competitors. This leaves Phil Dee attempting to retain their position against four newcomers.
Despite having positions divided between two counties, Kings Mountain will also see Gaston County's largest race in general, with eleven applicants. Closely following, Gastonia, the county's largest city, will have ten total applicants attempting to gain one of their four available seats. Belmont will also host ten applicants this cycle. Bessemer City, Lowell, McAdenville, and Mount Holly will also experience a hefty amount of competition with each hosting seven to nine candidates. All other cities have six or less options.
With roughly two to one odds on average, it seems like it may be a tricky cycle for those currently holding office. However, historically, those in local government are more likely to be re-elected than have a newcomer step in if the citizens aren't especially displeased with their current municipal government. Only time and the opinions of its citizens will be able to tell whether Gaston County will see a plethora of new faces or not to fix what isn't seen as broken.
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