Results for Mount Pleasant: Mayor, Town Comissioners

MAYOR MTP MT PLEASANT
Troy W. Barnhardt. . . . . . . . 99 81.15
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 23 18.85

Town Commissioner
Maura Eberhardt . . . . . . . . 75 27.88
W. Del Eudy. . . . . . . . . . 86 31.97
Mike Metcalf . . . . . . . . . 108 40.15
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 0

Town Commissioner
Richard D. (Rick) Burleyson . . . . 114 97.44
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 3 2.56

Mount Pleasant candidates talk growth, lack thereof

For the last couple decades, the town of Mount Pleasant has remained untouched by commercial, industrial and residential development while Cabarrus’ other jurisdictions saw remarkable growth in each of those areas.

The town has not had a major housing development - though one is in the works - or landed a project from the Cabarrus Economic Development Corp.

Town commissioners say the town isn’t purposefully keeping development out, but merely waiting on the right time and the right projects. Before growth can come, the town will need better highways, expanded infrastructure and freed-up land for developers.

“I don’t think you have to promote the residential growth,” said commissioner Del Eudy, who is one of three candidates seeking two seats on the board in the upcoming election. “It will happen on its own. Now, with all the growth in Concord and Kannapolis, developers are seeing us as an untapped resource.”

Commissioner Maura Eberhardt and resident Mike Metcalf are the other two candidates vying for the seats.

Newcomer to the commission Rick Burleyson is up for a two-year term on the board and running unopposed. Also unopposed and up for re-election is Mayor Troy Barnhart.

Eberhardt said the town is developing a detailed “overlay plan” that can be given to residential and commercial developers that explains the kind of growth the town wants.

“It just hasn’t materialized yet,” Eberhardt said. “(Commercial) development will come when N.C. 49 is widened. It’s getting ready. It’s on the launch pad.”

Barnhart echoed Eberhardt’s sentiments, but added he thinks commercial developers will hold off until they feel Mount Pleasant has the people to support their businesses.

“I think along N.C. 49, when it’s four lanes, we’ll see some business,” said Barnhart.

“But if we got rooftops, I believe it would be before then.”

Burleyson said he would like to see commercial and industrial growth come to the city before any residential growth.

“It’s kind of like the chicken and the egg,” Burleyson said. “We can’t get rooftops to support business growth. And we can’t justify residential without tax base to support it. I would like to see business and industrial before we get rooftops. There are (commercial) businesses that don’t rely on walk-in retail. I would like to see some of those kind of businesses come through the area.”

Metcalf said he thinks the town should focus on infrastructure before it moves forward with any residential growth - school space, water, sewer and roads.

“Really, there needs to be a good, hard look at schools,” he said.

Metcalf added that holding developers to standards, such as the thickness of asphalt, could ensure that roads remain adequate for years to come.

“I want to know what (residential) developments are going to be when they’re built out in seven years,” he said, adding that holding the line on developers up front will ensure quality later on for the town.

Right now, a 790-unit housing development is in the works for a site just outside of downtown Mount Pleasant. The project, however, has not been formerly submitted to the town.

Because of a lawsuit involving a development at the same site that ended this year, the town’s attorney has advised commissioners not to look at the new developer’s plan until it is officially presented.

“We haven’t had a meeting with (developers) yet, so we have no clue,” Eberhardt said.

Metcalf, as a resident, has been able to attend some of the developer’s public information sessions.

“I think the developer wants to do their due diligence and do right by the community, because their getting pressure to do it (from residents),” Metcalf said.

In the last year, Barnhart said, 2,000 acres of the immediate area surrounding Mount Pleasant have been sold - with only one tract going to developers.

To reel in industrial development, all the candidates said a certified site would be needed. And even then, the town doesn’t have any rail or a certified site.

“It would have to be light industrial,” Eberhardt said.

Eudy said the costs to create a certified site for industrial development would be enormous for the city.

“For industrial, you need a certified site,” Eudy said.

John Cox, president and CEO of the Cabarrus Economic Development Corp., said he believes the Town Commission is very pro-industrial growth and has met with them several times about establishing a certified site.

Cox said it could be done by the town or by a private developer.

“Without a site, we can’t take (new business) prospects out there,” he said.

Eric Deines

Mount Pleasant Town Council: Mike Metcalf- Democrat

While Mike Metcalf never does quite “rough it” on camping trips with his family, a trip not long nearly got very rough.

Metcalf, 35, and his family were camping with friends on an island at Lake Lure when torrential rain began to fall and flood conditions set it.

“We checked out the bridge, and it was up to the bottom,” Metcalf said, adding that if he didn’t act quick the bridge would be underwater and the family stuck on the island.

Metcalf is one of three candidates vying for two open seats on the Mount Pleasant Town Commission.

Metcalf and crew made it off the island, but were forced to stay at a nearby inn when all the roads out of the area were flooded.

“When there’s a drought, people always ask us to come camping, because we always bring the rain with us,” Metcalf joked.

For this very reason, Metcalf’s wife Tracey saw to the purchase of a camper to replace their tent.

“The tent will only take so much,” he said.

Metcalf, former paramedic crew chief for Cabarrus County Emergency Medical Service, also said he enjoys other outdoor activities like hunting and fishing.

He said staying active, through outdoor adventure or coaching youth sports teams, is part of practicing what he prescribes at his job as a cardiovascular technologist.

“I like helping people and seeing the results,” he said. “You’re really helping with their quality of life. But it’s a big responsibility for me to adhere to that lifestyle — eat right, work out.”

Metcalf, who moved Mount Pleasant from Kannapolis about eight years ago, said the best thing people can do to keep healthy hearts is activities that keep the heart rate up and steady, like biking or running. He also said it helps to eat lighter meats such as chicken or pork.

Harry Turner, president of Cabarrus Senior Democrats, met Metcalf several years ago through Metcalf’s volunteer work with the party and became friends with him.

“I think he’s just a great guy, and would do a great service to the town of Mount Pleasant,” Turner said.
— Eric Deines

Mount Pleasant Town Council: Del Eudy- Republican

Del Eudy said he is still feels a little like the small town kid who made good.

“It doesn’t seem that long ago I was just a little riding my bike on Main Street, hanging out on the sidewalk. It means a lot to be on the board,” said the Mount Pleasant Town Commissioner, one of three candidates vying for two open seats on the board in the coming election.

Eudy, 45, mayor pro-tem of Mount Pleasant, said he was urged to join council by Scott Barringer, the former mayor of Moutn Pleasant.

“I think people just responded to my positive stance,” he said.

Eudy said he’s easy to please as far as his free time goes.

“Just anything outside,” he said, adding he is a big fan of hunting, fishing and the great American pasttime of “grilling out.”

“It’s not about the kill for me,” said Eudy of deer hunting. “I let everything go.”
It’s the quiet times in the tree stand that Eudy said he relishes most, and the quiet moments in life.

“I’m the kind of person who doesn’t always have to have something to do.”

A lot Eudy’s free time is dedicated to activities with family — his four-year-old daughter Faith and his younger brother’s family.

“She’s just wide open,” Eudy said of Faith. “She into everything. She loves being outside too, going to the beach.”

Eudy also works out and lifts weights three times a week. He’s kept up physical activity since he wrestled in high school.

“My freshman year was the first year of the wrestling program in Cabarrus County,” he said. “It was something different. And I’m a very competitive person.”
Joe Wilson, Concord’s director of Transportation, has known Eudy for eight years — six through the city.

The two developed into friends who often attended races together. He also noted Eudy’s love for spending time with his daughter and family.

“He’s a very conscientious guy,” Wilson said. “And he takes his job very seriously. I think he takes the lessons he learns here in Concord and applies them to what he does in Mount Pleasant.”
-Eric Deines

Mount Pleasant Town Council: Rick Burleyson- Republican

After a lifetime spent as a huge music fan, Rick Burleyson is taking matters into his own hands — literally.

For the last year, Burleyson — a fan and collector of everything from Led Zeppelin to Concord’s own Avett Brothers — has been taking banjo lessons.

Burleyson, 49, is the sole candidate for a two-year term on Mount Pleasant Town Commission. Burleyson was selection by the board this year to fill an empty seat on the board until the election.

“There is some very tough fingering,” Burleyson said of his banjo lessons. “This is the first instrument I’ve attempted to learn.”

If he does happen to development some chops on the banjo, Burleyson said he’s not interested in any sort of performance — just playing with other people in the community.

“I’m looking to try to find local jam sessions with people who want to play and share,” said Burleyson, who notes Neil Young as his favorite artist. “But I’ll not be performing in front of other people anytime soon.”

His children also have the music-lover gene — all of them are or were formerly involved in high school marching band. Burleyson is involved with the Mount Pleasant Marching Band and accompanies the group on their many road trips.

His youngest son in the drum major for the Mount Pleasant High School marching band.
And Burleyson said his varied taste in music has also rubbed off on his three children.

“My oldest son definitely has,” he said. “And I think all of them are more willing to listen to other music, like bluegrass.”
Burleyson is a former mill worker, who got the bug to complete his education around 2000.

“I kind of figured out that I need to do something different,” said Burleyson, who is now a systems programmer for Duke Energy.

Whit Moose Jr. got to know Burleyson and his family over the years as patrons of his business Moose Drug Store. Later, their children played sports together.

“He’s a good person and very straight up with everything,” Moose said. “(Mount Pleasant) needs people like Rick, who are young and forward-thinking. He’s not one who likes to hear himself talk.”
-Eric Deines

Mount Pleasant Town Council: Maura Eberhardt-Republican

When Maura Eberhardt says he enjoys travel, he means it.
It’s his livelihood.
As a travel agent since the 1970s, Eberhardt has also used his occupation to visit 68 different countries.

Eberhardt, 64, is one of three candidates vying for two open seats on the Mount Pleasant Town Commission in the upcoming municipal elections.
Eberhardt just returned from trip to Mexico, in which he traveled by train through Copper Canyon.

“It’s four-times the size of the Grand Canyon,” Eberhardt said. “At the bottom of the canyon, it would be 105 degrees at night. And at the top, you would need a blanket.”

His favorite destinations have been Denmark and other Scandinavian countries. And he’s ventured to all those different countries with no fluency in any foreign language.

Sometimes, Eberhardt said, not knowing a language can add to the adventure of traveling.

“You will be in a restaurant and don’t even know what you’re ordering, just point at the menu,” he said. “Or point to the next table — ‘That looks good. I’ll have that.’”

Even after all the traveling he has done, there are still several trips on Eberhardt’s list of things to do.

“I want to go to Egypt and see the Sphinx and the Pyramids,” he said. “But I just want a taxi to pick me up at the airport, take me to the Sphinx, take to the Pyramids and then back to the airport. That’s all the interest I have in Egypt.”

On one vacation to a South American island, Eberhardt was the victim of an attempted robbery and was stabbed in the process. But when officials asked for information to reach his family in the U.S., Eberhardt faked amnesia.

“I didn’t want them to call my family and worry anyone,” Eberhardt said.

When he’s not having global adventures, Eberhardt said he enjoys tending to his garden, in which he grows a plethora of vegetables.

“Green beans are the toughest to grow and pick,” Eberhardt said. “With one hand, it takes twice as long to pick green beans.”

Donna Blackwelder, who has worked with Eberhardt at David Walter Travel Agency for 27 years, said he’s known for his humor and care for others.

“He does have a very witty personality,” Blackwelder said. “But he would really do anything for anybody. My daughter adores him.”
-Eric Deines

Mount Pleasant Mayor:Troy Barnhardt- Democrat

For over 50 years, Mount Pleasant Mayor Troy Barnhardt has been training the future leaders of the community.

He’s offered his time to the Boy Scout of America on the district level, as well as helping Life Scouts reach the Eagle Scout level.

Barnhardt is running unopposed in Mount Pleasant’s mayoral race in the 2007 municipal elections.

“I think it teaches young men morals,” said Barnhardt, 64, of the Scouts. “I think, in today’s environment, we teach them how be self-sufficient — how to cook for themselves.”

Barnhardt, who’s been mayor for six years, helps Boy Scouts make the step into Eagle Scout by guiding through their final service project.

“It’s got be something big,” he said.

Recently, he helped a scout remodel the facade of an American Legion.

“He made it look very nice,” Barnhardt said.

Barnhardt had led Boy Scout troops on camping expeditions in New Mexico and Maine.
And recently, he traveled with a group of scouts to an international scouting conference in London, called the World Jamboree.

As part of the trip, they visited Brownsea Island, where scouting was founded by Lieutenant-General Baden-Powell, Barnhardt said.

The camping trips he’s taken with the scouts only consisted of “what you can carry on your back,” Barnhardt said.

Aside from the Scouts and roughing it while camping, Barnhardt also enjoys spending time with his grandchildren.

“We just like to have fun with the grandchildren,” he said.

He’s taken the average family trips to locations like Disney World, which he noted as a different kind of “roughing it.”

“It’s just rough on your pocketbook,” he said.

Barhardts also enjoys volunteering around the community. He’s rang the bell for the Red Cross of America and helped with projects for C-VAN.

Lillard Long has been a fried of Barnhart for 40 years, beginning when the two worked at CT Communications together.

“I think he’s a very honest guy and very sincere guy,” Long said. “Through the years, you rarely find somebody that’s consistent for that long. I find him the same person today that I did 40 years ago.”
-Eric Deines

Polling Places: Cabarrus

Precinct: 01-02
Flowe Store Volunteer Fire Station
8623 Flowes Store Rd
Concord , NC 28025

Precinct: 01-04
Harrisburg Fire Station #2
9045 Rocky River Rd
Harrisburg , NC 28075

Precinct: 01-06
Harrisburg Library
201 Sims Pkwy
Harrisburg , NC 28075

Precinct: 01-07
Harrisburg Elementary School
3900 Stallings Rd
Harrisburg , NC 28075

Precinct: 01-08
Rocky River Elementary School
5454 Rocky River Rd
Concord , NC 28025

Precinct: 01-09
Harrisburg Lions Club
507 Patricia Ave
Harrisburg , NC 28075

Precinct: 01-10
Harrisburg Town Hall
4100 Main St
Harrisburg , NC 28075

Precinct: 02-01
Poplar Grove Baptist Church
3476 Poplar Tent Rd
Concord , NC 28027

Precinct: 02-02
Furr Elementary School
2725 Clover Rd Nw
Concord , NC 28027

Precinct: 02-03
Jay M Robinson High School
300 Pitts School Rd Sw
Concord , NC 28027

Precinct: 02-05
Weddington Hills Elementary School
4401 Weddington Rd
Concord , NC 28027

Precinct: 02-06
Winecoff Elementary School
375 Winecoff School Rd
Concord , NC 28027

Precinct: 02-07
Cannon School
5801 Poplar Tent Rd
Concord , NC 28027

Precinct: 02-08
New Odell Elementary School
1215 Moss Farm Rd Nw
Concord , NC 28027

Precinct: 02-09
Cox Mill Elementary School
1450 Cox Mill Rd
Concord , NC 28027

Precinct: 03-00
Gilwood Presbyterian Church
2993 Odell School Rd
Concord , NC 28027

Precinct: 04-01
Royal Oaks Elementary School
608 Dakota St
Kannapolis , NC 28083

Precinct: 04-02
Second Presbyterian Church
1578 Dale Earnhardt Blvd
Kannapolis , NC 28083

Precinct: 04-03
New Hope Lutheran Church
1615 Brantley Rd
Kannapolis , NC 28083

Precinct: 04-04
Trinity United Methodist Church
416 E 1st St
Kannapolis , NC 28083

Precinct: 04-05
Murdock Senior Center
115 Ymca Dr
Kannapolis , NC 28081

Precinct: 04-06
Midway Methodist Church
708 S Main St
Kannapolis , NC 28081

Precinct: 04-07
Cabarrus Shrine Club
1460 Oakwood Ave
Kannapolis , NC 28081

Precinct: 04-08
Northwest High School
5130 Northwest Cabarrus Dr
Concord , NC 28027

Precinct: 04-09
Covenant Presbyterian Church
5835 Charlie Walker Rd
Kannapolis , NC 28081

Precinct: 04-10
Kannapolis Middle School
1445 Oakwood Ave
Kannapolis , NC 28081

Precinct: 05-00
Concord Middle School
1500 Gold Rush Dr
Concord , NC 28025


Precinct: 06-00
Rimer Fire Station
4306 Rimer Rd
Concord , NC 28025

Precinct: 07-00
Northeast Fire Station
1500 Lentz Harness Shop Rd N
Mt Pleasant , NC 28124

Precinct: 08-00
Mt Pleasant High School
700 Walker Rd
Mt Pleasant , NC 28124

Precinct: 09-00
Georgeville Fire Station
6916 Nc Hwy 200 S
Concord , NC 28025

Precinct: 10-00
New Bethel Elementary School
2425 Midland Rd
Midland , NC 28107

Precinct: 11-01
Kerr Memorial Baptist Church
25 Nc Hwy 49 S
Concord , NC 28025

Precinct: 11-02
A T Allen Elementary School
3801 Us Hwy 601 S
Concord , NC 28025

Precinct: 12-01
Coltrane-webb Elementary School
61 Spring St Nw
Concord , NC 28025

Precinct: 12-02
Ann St Methodist Church
335 Ann St Nw
Concord , NC 28025

Precinct: 12-03
All Saints Episcopal Church
525 Lake Concord Rd
Concord , NC 28025

Precinct: 12-04
Concord High School
481 Burrage Rd Ne
Concord , NC 28025

Precinct: 12-05
Senior Citizens Center
331 Corban Ave Se
Concord , NC 28025

Precinct: 12-06
American Legion Post #51
165 Wilshire Dr Sw
Concord , NC 28025

Precinct: 12-07
First Baptist Church - Mp Building
57 Chestnut St Sw
Concord , NC 28025

Precinct: 12-08
Hartsell Recreation Center
60 Hartsell School Rd Nw
Concord , NC 28027

Precinct: 12-09
Wolf Meadow Elementary School
150 Wolf Meadow Dr
Concord , NC 28027

Precinct: 12-10
St James Catholic Church
139 Manor Ave Sw
Concord , NC 28025