Padgett wins despite late write-in campaign (Independent Tribune)
Scott Padgett, who has been mayor of Concord since 2001, won his third term Tuesday, receiving about 72 percent of the vote percent against opponents Johnny “Elvis” Almond, who received about 19 percent, and write-in candidate Alex Porter.
Write-in votes accounted for about 9 percent, or 298 votes, in the race for Concord mayor.
Padgett said this year’s election lacked any major issues to divide candidates, adding that the economy has many people more concerned about their personal situations.
“Citizens are concerned with their own economic well-being,” he said. “Why there’s not a lot of excitement around this – there’s no burning issue, and they’re more concerned about their own financial well-being.”
While there was no burning issue, the race did have its ups and downs. Padgett began his campaign with two opponents on the ballot. Almond, a local retired business owner and part-time Elvis impersonator, and Mike Helms, a school board member, both filed to run for mayor. Helms was disqualified because he does not live in Concord.
Almond, who served in the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne from 1972 to 1976, said he decided to run because he wanted to give more people a voice in city government. He received 603 votes to Padgett’s 2,284.
The campaign ended Tuesday with a twist as Porter, a well-known local business owner, launched a last-minute write-in campaign for mayor. Porter and about 80 volunteers canvassed Concord’s 25 precincts Tuesday, seeking write-in votes to elect him mayor.
Porter said he decided about a week ago to enter the race, after considering the idea for several months.
“I don’t really have a yearning to be mayor,” Porter said Tuesday, taking a break from talking to voters. “I have a yearning for the system to work, and for the system to work right, you’ve got to participate. Sometimes that means more than just voting.”
Porter said he had considered running for mayor of Concord last spring or summer, but was encouraged by friends to wait to run for county commissioner. Three candidates filed to run for mayor of Concord so Porter did not file to run for the office. But he started thinking about it again after Helms was disqualified.
“I thought, ‘There’s got to be a better choice,’ ” he said.
Padgett’s wife, Teresa, and Jim Rothwell, a Porter supporter, each stood outside the polling site at the Cabarrus County Senior Center on Corban Avenue Tuesday, politely chatting until a voter came along.
“This has been one of the busiest polling places today. It’s been a steady flow of people,” Teresa Padgett said.
“Vote for my husband Scott Padgett for mayor,” she said to a voter.
Rothwell passed out papers with Porter’s credentials.
“(Porter) began hearing that people were looking for an alternative,” Rothwell said. “The only other person on the ballot is a bit of a character. We just wanted to give the people a reasonable alternative.”
Voters like Susan Carpenter, a realtor with Allen Tate, said she was excited to learn Porter was running when she arrived at the polling site to vote Tuesday.
“I think he’s very smart and capable and can take us to the next level,” she said.
Carpenter said she knew many of the candidates on the ballot including Porter.
“I’ve known these people forever and trust them,” she said, adding that she went to Concord High School with Porter.
But others remained steadfast Padgett supports.
“I think he’s done a good job. He seems to be a pretty nice man. I think he would continue to do a nice job as mayor,” said Bill Covington, 61, who works for UNC Charlotte.
Moving forward, Padgett said his number one priority is for economic development and for more jobs because ” a lot of the people here are hurting.”
“It’s not just Philip Morris,” he said. “A lot of companies are laying off.”
Padgett also said he’s grateful to all those who voted this year.
Voter turnout, which reached record levels in 2008, slumped this year to 9.14 percent, or about 6,954 of the 75,098 eligible voters in Cabarrus County.
Voters also re-elected Concord City Council members Ella Mae Small, W. Lamar Barrier and Alfred Brown Jr., who each ran unopposed this year.
By Karen Cimino Wilson | Independent Tribune
Published: November 3, 2009
• Contact Karen Cimino Wilson: 704-789-9141
