Braden Zittle
♦ Address: 103 Brookmeade Drive, Statesville
♦ Professional Background: Service-industry and operations leader with extensive experience in business development, financial management, and logistics. Over the past decade, I have led operations across multiple companies, both national and international, managing teams of hundreds of people, coordinated multiple 100-plus million-dollar acquisitions, and helped launch several successful business ventures. My background includes leadership roles in transportation, construction manufacturing, and finance, where I have driven efficiency, growth, and culture through hands-on, intentional leadership and a refusal to be outworked.
♦ Volunteer/community service experience: Active in local civic and faith-based outreach, mentoring young professionals, and participating in local economic discussions focused on sustainable growth and opportunity for working families. I believe in service over status and in strengthening communities through direct involvement and transparency.
Q&A
IFN: What motivated you to run for this office? If you are elected, what will your top three priorities be? What can the council do to move the needle in these areas?
ZITTLE: I was motivated by a desire to restore trust and accountability in our government and build a future that is bright for all citizens. Too many residents feel unheard or left behind by decisions made without transparency or foresight. My top priorities are:
- Responsible growth management that ensures infrastructure and public services keep pace with development.
- Fiscal reform that cuts waste and lowers property taxes where feasible.
- Community engagement that establishes quarterly town halls to give residents a voice in all matters.
To move the needle, City Council must lead from the front, not the back. That means asking hard questions, setting measurable goals, and prioritizing long-term sustainability over politics. We must also be qualified to make these decisions, capable of making the correct decisions for the good of our people and not our own interests, and we must be competent to properly review the immediate and long-term implications of the decisions we will make.
IFN: Voters want their elected officials to understand their lived experiences as they consider policy/budget decisions. Tell us about your family (spouse/partner; children/children; parents/grandparents) and how your family’s experiences in Statesville have shaped your views on major issues where the city council can make a difference.
ZITTLE: My wife Gabrielle and I are raising our three children, ages 8, 3, and 2, here in Statesville. Like many local families, we balance work, faith, and family while navigating rising costs and limited options for young parents. My family’s experience keeps me grounded and reminds me that decisions made in City Hall affect real households, not just line items on a budget.
It is important to recognize that the rising cost of living, unmatched by growth in our median wage, is forcing long-term residents to leave our city. At the same time, our younger generations are being driven elsewhere in search of higher-paying jobs. This trend not only weakens our local economy but also risks breaking the generational connections that make Statesville home. As older residents move away to be near their children and grandchildren, we lose more than population; we lose identity, tradition, and community strength.
If we fail to address our increasing tax rates and don’t focus intentionally on growing our median wage, we risk the decline of the Statesville we all know and love. I am running for my children and for all of yours to protect the character of our city, restore balance, and build a future where every generation can stay, grow, and thrive together.
IFN: The City Council has or will soon approve the rezoning and annexation for the massive Compass Data Center project. This project will add an estimated $1 billion or more to the city’s tax base and generate millions of new tax dollars for the city. What will your priorities be for spending this money? As part of your plan, will you support a reduction in the property tax rate to give homeowners some relief?
ZITTLE: The Compass project represents a generational opportunity to strengthen our city’s financial foundation if it is managed wisely. My priority is to direct the new revenue toward infrastructure improvements, emergency services, and debt reduction before approving any new or discretionary spending.
At the same time, I will advocate for lowering the property tax rate by approximately $0.10 per $100 of assessed value to $0.4176 per $100. To balance this change responsibly, I support implementing an industrial surcharge of $0.08 per $100, applied only to industrial properties, for a tax rate of $0.4976. After accounting for the projected revenue from the data center, this plan would conservatively generate an annual increase of more than $15 million while also saving residents ten percent of their appraised home value each year.
This approach delivers both fiscal growth and fairness. It aligns our tax structure with cities of comparable size across North Carolina and ensures that industry contributes its fair share without overburdening working families. The result is a more sustainable, balanced, and competitive tax policy that secures long-term stability for our city and its residents.
IFN: The cost of housing, including monthly rent and purchase prices for starter homes, has increased dramatically in the last five years. As a council member, would you support the use of taxpayer dollars to help first-time homebuyers? If so, what is your vision for such a program? If not, do you have any ideas for helping residents struggling to pay rent or buy their first home?
ZITTLE: The term affordable housing is often misunderstood or misrepresented. Too often, it is framed as if the government must provide housing directly or lower the bar of responsibility for families. That approach is not consistent with who we are as a community. Statesville was built by people who valued freedom, hard work, and opportunity. Generations carved out lives for themselves and their families, and the people of Statesville remain self-sufficient. We do not want handouts. We want opportunity!
Affordability in housing generally means that a family does not spend more than 30 percent of its income on housing costs. With Statesville’s median household income around $55,000. This means families should be able to afford homes in the $180,000 to $220,000, or rent in the range of about $1,200 per month. The problem is not a lack of willingness from our people. The problem is that wages and opportunities have not kept pace with rising costs driven by reckless growth and poor development.
My focus is not on creating programs that encourage dependency. My focus is on building opportunity. That means attracting and supporting businesses that create good jobs, aligning growth with income levels, and ensuring that families can provide for themselves. Affordable housing should be the natural result of a thriving local economy where people are empowered to earn and succeed, not the outcome of dependency on external programs.
IFN: Iredell-Statesville Schools previously asked the City Council to help fund a pre-K classroom for low-income children to ensure that they are ready to begin kindergarten. The cost was in the neighborhood of $200,000. The council declined to provide funding. If elected, would you support such an initiative? Explain your decision.
ZITTLE: Early childhood education is vital, but the city must remain disciplined in defining its role. I would support partnerships that leverage state or private grants to meet those needs without placing the full burden on local taxpayers. If we can align with I-SS and nonprofit partners to co-fund such initiatives responsibly, I would support it.
We can champion education while maintaining fiscal responsibility. Both are essential to a thriving community.
IFN: There are six candidates running for two seats in this race. What makes you the best candidate to represent the interests of ALL Statesville residents during the next four years?
ZITTLE: I am not a career politician. I am a working citizen who believes in servant leadership, accountability, and results. My background in business operations and finance allows me to cut through bureaucracy and focus on measurable outcomes that make a real difference.
Throughout my career, I have built a reputation for strong work ethic, resolve, and the relentless pursuit of excellence. The people who have worked for me would all say they were taken care of, regardless of their background or circumstances. Our city needs qualified leaders who are already equipped to make decisions that carry massive and lasting impact. I have worked and led both blue-collar and white-collar teams, and I have managed both small and large businesses. I know what it takes to unite people and to serve in their best interest.
Leadership is not about standing above others; it is about standing beside them. We must lift our brothers and sisters and bring them forward with us. Together, we will succeed. We must succeed. The future of our city and her people depend on it.