Denis Bilodeau, right

Dec. 2. By Dave Vieser. When the polls closed after the election two years ago, mayoral candidate Denis Bilodeau watched anxiously as results came in from the Board of Elections. At the end of the night, the differential was only 13 votes, and after an official recount, he lost the race to Mayor Woody Washam by a mere five votes.

Fast-forward to this year’s election. Bilodeau once again ran for mayor against Washam and newcomer Kenny Campbell. But this year, as the early results came in, Bilodeau jumped out to a sizable lead that he never relinquished. The final official margin of victory was 510 votes.

Bilodeau said he was concerned early in the campaign because the slate of popular commissioners — including four incumbents — aligned closely with Washam. Also Campbell, an outside candidate, would still carry some portion of the vote.

“I thought the obstacles might be too difficult to overcome,” Bilodeau said. “However, as my campaign moved forward, I received an incredible amount of positive feedback, encouragement and grassroots support for change. By the time we reached Election Day, I was actually feeling confident.”

What’s next?

Now armed with a vote of confidence, Bilodeau has his sights set on delivering on his campaign promises, including improving traffic flow.

“It is time to move ideas to action,” he said. “I will immediately bring more visibility and support to our citizen-led Transportation Advisory Board, which has a significant list of improvement ideas that are affordable and actionable in the near term.”

He also pointed to improving public safety and preserving green space, such as the recent acquisition of acreage on Bailey Road.

“We have a limited opportunity to preserve green space within our town’s 13 square miles,” he said. “I applaud the current board’s recent successful land purchase. I will ask our town staff and board to pursue additional opportunities.”

Return of Furcht

Commissioner-elect Colin Furcht, who previously ran as part of the Washam slate when he lost his bid for re-election in 2023, will occupy the board seat vacated by Commissioner Scott Higgins, who chose not to run again.

Susan Johnson, left and Colin Furcht, right / Jason Benavides photo

“It’s humbling to be back,” Furcht said. “I loved being part of this town as a commissioner before, and I’m so grateful to have the community’s trust again.”

Like Bilodeau and all the candidates, Furcht said traffic was the top issue he heard about from residents during his campaign.

“I don’t think there is any question this is our top challenge,” he said. “We will continue to drive the existing road projects to completion by staying close to DOT and potentially using the new sales-tax revenues for ancillary road enhancements, like we did at Statesville Road and Westmoreland Avenue.”

Key issues facing the town

Outgoing elected officials were recognized during last night’s town board meeting and the new board was sworn in.

There are many long-term issues leaders will tackle during the next two years, but here are some they are facing on day one:

Transportation sales-tax referendum: With the sales-tax increase approved, it will be up to the board and mayor to ensure the town is well-represented as project planning unfolds. Many voters who opposed the measure did so with lingering frustration over the last sales-tax increase, feeling that the North Mecklenburg towns did not get their fair share of funds or projects.

Nantz Avenue/Sunset Cove project: This proposal, paused during the summer, is back on the town’s proposed development list. It includes an event venue on a residential waterside section of Nantz Avenue. Neighborhood opposition has been strong for the past six months, and all eyes will be on how the new mayor and board handle it. Bilodeau strongly opposed it during his campaign.

Westmoreland medical facility: Also on the horizon are recently submitted proposasl for an urgent care medical facility on Westmoreland Road and an emergency room on Exit 28.