Special to IFN
Statesville ABC Board General Manager Tip Nicholson has filed to run for the Ward 5 seat on the Statesville City Council in the November election.
Nicholson, who announced his candidacy in a news release on Tuesday, is a former member of the Troutman Town Board and Iredell-Statesville Schools Board of Education.
He decided to run for the Statesville council seat after Councilman Joe Hudson announced he would not run for re-election.
“I was disappointed to hear that Joe Hudson was not running for re-election in ward five,” Nicholson said. “He has been an effective council member and represented ward five very well. I want to continue providing strong leadership and service to the residents and businesses in our ward, as well as with city council and staff.”
Local government, he said, has the biggest impact on a community’s quality of life.
“How Statesville grows, how it follows its Land Development Plan, what it offers in the way of fire and police services — not to mention how it provides leaf collection, sidewalk maintenance and pothole repairs — these are what touch our citizens’ lives on a daily basis,” Nicholson explained.
Nicholson has served on numerous boards and committees, including the Greater Statesville Chamber of Commerce, Iredell Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees and the Downtown Statesville Development Commission, where he also served as board chairman.
“These experiences showed me the importance of partnerships,” he explained. “The city needs the input of diverse organizations, business leaders and residents to make improvements and help plan for the city’s future.”
Although the City of Statesville no longer provides funding for the local school system, Nicholson is interested in finding ways to support the schools inside the city limits, especially the schools tagged as underperforming.
“A poor performing school impacts the city in many ways,” he said. “I believe the city needs to be a part of identifying and reducing the barriers that are limiting our students’ academic success. We want our businesses to be successful. We want our citizens to be secure and comfortable. We should want this for our students as well.”
Born and raised in Statesville, Nicholson graduated from Statesville High School and has an undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte and a masters degree from East Carolina University.
After teaching for several years, Nicholson served as the executive director of the YMCA of Iredell County for 25 years. Since 2009, he has been the general manager of the Statesville ABC Board, which is a separate legal entity from the City.
Nicholson has served on the North Carolina School Board Association Board of Directors and North Carolina Association of ABC Boards. He currently serves on Downtown Statesville Economic Vitality Committee and Iredell Health System Patient Family Council.
He and his wife, Nancy Davis, have two daughters and six grandchildren.