Tip Nicholson
♦ Age: 71
♦ Address: 610 Glendale Drive, Statesville
♦ Education: BS in Criminal Justice University of North Carolina Charlotte; Masters of Education in Counseling East Carolina University
♦ Professional Background: Teacher, Coach, Administrator for Statesville City Schools; CEO of the YMCA of Iredell County; General Manager of the Statesville ABC Board
♦ Elected experience: Troutman Town Board; Iredell-Statesville Board of Education
♦ Volunteer/community service experience: Grace Baptist Church; Fifth Street Ministries; Habitat for Humanity; Crime Stoppers; Greater Statesville Chamber of Commerce; Iredell Health Systems Trustee; Iredell Memorial Family & Patient Council; Downtown Statesville Development Corporation (past chairman).
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?
NICHOLSON: I am running because I love Statesville and have been involved in my community for over 45 years. I was not recruited by a political party to run for this non-partisan election. I am running because I believe I have the vision and leadership to continue my community service on the City Council.
My top three priorities are:
- Smart, balanced growth that will enable our city to have the resources to provide all the amenities that our citizens deserve.
- Strengthening our schools in Statesville by working with the school system and other community agencies to reduce the barriers that our children face.
- Building a community where every resident feels secure, valued, and proud to call Statesville home.
The Council can move the needle for balanced growth by:
♦ Evaluating new developments based on both their immediate tax revenue and the long-term cost of maintaining infrastructure.
♦ Requiring developers to contribute to infrastructure, green space, and connectivity so that growth doesn’t become an unfunded liability for taxpayers.
♦ Expanding city services strategically, ensuring that growth pays for itself instead of placing the burden on current residents.
♦ Attracting industries and higher-wage jobs that increase tax revenue and reduce pressure on residential property taxes.
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.
NICHOLSON: I come from a long line of public servants and know the importance of being a part of making our community better. My grandfather and grandmother were physicians. My father, also a physician, took time to serve on various community organizations. My great uncle served on City Council and, after a long career as a dentist, became Iredell County’s first health director. My father, myself, my five brothers and sisters and my two daughters are all graduates of Statesville High School. My spouse, Nancy Davis, and I have together served the community in a multitude of ways and know firsthand that it takes more than the United Way or the faith community or even government to make sure everyone has a good quality of life. It takes us all working together. While some neighborhoods are thriving, others are declining. There is not one solution, but I have seen that we are at our best when we come together, set aside differences and work as one community.
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?
NICHOLSON: This is exactly the kind of smart growth I am proposing. The tax revenue that will be created will reduce the dependency of the residential property owner to fund essential city services. We have many infrastructure needs in the city, and this will certainly help to fund these. I believe that we will be able to fund more city amenities, which will in turn help attract more desirable industry to our city. As our industrial base increases, a reduction in the tax rate will certainly look favorable.
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?
NICHOLSON: We need workforce housing in our community. Statesville could consider and possibly expand the following policies and programs that have been implemented in other cities:
♦ Community Land Trust or Shared-Equity Homeownership: Acquire land, build modest homes, sell to qualified buyers with resale restrictions so affordability is preserved. This helps keep housing costs low over the long term and avoids speculation.
♦ Down Payment Assistance / Deferred Second Mortgages: For first-time homebuyers who can afford monthly mortgage payments but struggle with upfront costs, using programs like CPLP could help.
♦ Mixed-Income Development: Partner with private developers to include affordable units in new housing developments; or refurbish existing housing to mixed use / mixed income.
♦ Supportive/Transitional Housing: Especially for vulnerable populations (homeless, disabilities), having programs that combine housing plus services is helpful.
♦ Local Incentive Policies: For example, tax breaks, fee waivers, zoning incentives for developers who include affordable units, density bonuses, etc.
♦ Public-private / Nonprofit partnerships: Entities like Habitat for Humanity, or local nonprofits, could play roles in construction, land acquisition, or homebuyer education.
♦ Rehabilitation of Existing Housing: Instead of always building new, also invest in rehabbing older homes, addressing blight, transforming vacant properties.
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.
NICHOLSON: I believe that helping to establish a pre-K program for low-income children is one of the best steps to take to improve student achievement as these children move through the school system. I totally support the initiative and would look to find ways, such as public-private partnerships, to make this happen.
IFN: If you are running for a Ward seat, what is the No. 1 issue in your community and what are your ideas for addressing it? How will you ensure the council is laser focused on this issue?
The issue that seems to come up most often regards city services: Not just street lights and leaf pick-up, but also, our citizens want good roads and sidewalks, excellent police and fire departments, reliable and economical electric and water/sewer systems. The main way to stay focused on these issues is for the city government to provide constant communication to its citizens using a variety of avenues of communication. These avenues need to be available in multi-languages. We need to promote the “help lines” and customer service options that the city provides for citizens to report issues and problems. I’ll also be listening to what concerns are being raised and how the city staff is responding. The city manager’s updates during Council meetings will be a great opportunity to let Council and our citizens know what is being done about an issue and keep us focused on finding solutions.