July 11. By Dave Yochum. Two more candidates—one a previous commissioner who lost in 2023 and the other a political newcomer—will run for a seat on the five-person Cornelius Town Board.

—Colin Furcht, the former commissioner, was part of a wave of new commissioners who swept to office in 2021, with all four challengers defeating all but one incumbent on the five-person Town Board. Commissioner Denis Bilodeau survived, and ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2023, losing by five votes.

Furcht

Furcht lost in 2023, then served on the Planning Board. He says he wants to serve again on the non-partisan Town Board.

Quotable

“My priorities remain clear: Promoting reasonable, manageable growth; advancing critical road projects; keeping taxes low; and preserving the livability and appeal that make Cornelius one of North Carolina’s most desirable towns,” Furcht said.

First-time candidate

John Caldwell, a resident of Peninsula Cove Lane, is running for public office for the first time.

Caldwell

If elected, Caldwell said he would focus on:

—Infrastructure to manage our previous growth, let alone future growth. We need another exit off I-77. The lights on Catawba need to be synced. And we need to expand to two lanes each way.

—We passed the $20m parks and rec bond – let’s put it to good use.

—Business friendly decision making – balancing development with or peaceful “small town feel.”

6 candidates

As of 9 am Friday, there are six declared candidates for the five-member board. Incumbents Robert Carney, Susan Johnson, Michael Osborne and Todd Sansbury filed earlier this week.

Candidate filing for the municipal elections opened  July 7 and will run through Friday, July 18 at noon.