BY MIKE FUHRMAN

At this critical time in the city’s history, Statesville needs a mayor who can work effectively with city employees, other elected officials and business leaders from diverse backgrounds, including military veterans. We need a bridge builder and consensus maker, someone who represents everyone, who has the ability to lead during what promises to be a period of unprecedented growth, and, perhaps most importantly, someone who will serve with honor and integrity.

Several of the candidates on Tuesday’s ballot possess these qualities and the experience necessary to lead the city. Among the frontrunners, William Morgan has eight years of experience on the city council, Kim Wasson is currently on the council, and Doug Hendrix has an impressive record of community engagement.

Brian Summers is not suited for this role. He has a record of questionable conduct that should disqualify him from serious consideration by voters who genuinely care about the future of our city. We have documented his troubling actions over the past few years — and we will continue to do so anytime his name appears on a ballot in Iredell County.

For new voters and long-time residents who may have forgotten, Summers, as a young man, was convicted of stealing from a respected downtown merchant. 

More recently, according to a former local Republican Party leader and the Statesville Branch NAACP president, Summers turned Black voters away from the polls on more than one occasion.

Also, during his earlier run for mayor, Summers misled voters by falsely claiming to have earned the endorsement of the NAACP, according to the civil rights organization’s president. “The NAACP does not endorse candidates,” he explained, “but if we did we would not endorse Brian Summers because of his record of voter suppression.”

If those incidents do not convince you that Summers is the poorest possible choice in this mayoral race, consider his conduct during the last election cycle, when he supported N.C. Rep. Jeff McNeely in his race against combat-wounded veteran and Purple Heart Homes co-founder John Gallina.

Summers, in a social media post, referred to Gallina as “Taliban Johnny” and implied that current Mayor Costi Kutteh was tied to Islamic extremists.

That’s repugnant, and if it doesn’t turn your stomach, you should take a minute and rethink your core values.

John Gallina is a living, breathing military hero who nearly lost his life in service to his country. And Mayor Kutteh has served this city honorably for 36 years as a council member and mayor.

Statesville deserves so much better than the gutter politics that Summers has employed in his efforts to get elected and curry favor with a few extremists in the local GOP. If Summers is elected, we will all be the worse for it. Imagine being a veteran or a current member of the National Guard who works for the city and having to interact with someone who holds our service members in such low regard that he would impugn the character of a war hero for the sole purpose of helping a political ally.

Based on early voting numbers, turnout is expected to be low in the Statesville election. With five candidates on the ballot, the mayor’s race could be decided by a handful of votes. There will not be a run-off election.

If you haven’t voted yet, do your homework. The Greater Statesville Chamber of Commerce has posted videos of their candidate videos online, and we’ve published Q&As with most of the candidates on this website.

Please make the effort to cast your ballot on Tuesday. Polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Remember to take a photo ID. 

Nothing less than the city’s future hangs in the balance.

Mike Fuhrman is the publisher of Iredell Free News.