Nick Gibietis

Nick Gibietis, a 35-year-old River Run resident and Apple computer account rep, has entered the race for Davidson Town Board. A Michigan native and Auburn University graduate, Mr. Gibietis moved to Davidson in 2008. He said downtown Davidson is “the reason I live here” and he hopes to help make it “more than what it is today.”

Filing for local offices in the Nov. 3 election closed at noon today (Friday). With Mr. Gibietis’s filing, the field now is officially crowded: Nine candidates are vying for the five board seats.

Three incumbents are on the ballot again this year: Margo Williams (the mayor pro-tem), Laurie Venzon and Brian Jenest. Two other current commissioners – Bill Johnson and Evan Webster – aren’t running again.

Also in the race is Fountain Walker, the Davidson College police chief who narrowly missed election in 2007; and first-time candidates Connie Wessner, Mickey Pettus, Tim Dreffer and Drew Crawford.

Mayor John Woods will be running unopposed this fall.  The mayor and commissioners are elected every two years.

This fall’s election may be the first since the construction of River Run to have three candidates from the neighborhood. (Besides Mr. Gibietis, both Laurie Venzon and Mr. Pettus live in the two-decade-old development, which is east of downtown off Davidson-Concord Road.)

GETTING INVOLVED, BRINGING YOUNGER OUTLOOK

Although a newcomer, Mr. Gibietis (pronounced “gi-BEET-us”) said Friday he hopes to get involved in town affairs early in what he hopes will be a long residence here. He said he has lived all over the country as a child and during his working career, but feels Davidson is the place he wants to settle.

“I really want to get involved in the town right away. It’s always been part of my mindset wherever I am,” he said.

As one of the youngest candidates in the field, he said, “I’ve got a younger perspective on the town.”

He thinks Davidson seems to be weathering the economy fairly well, despite the tough economic times. “It’s in a good spot, ready to launch itself into a great future, and I want to be part of that,” he said.

In particular, he thinks the town can do more to promote and develop downtown Davidson. “The town struggles with overly trying to maintain an identity downtown, with the businesses, which is sometimes kind of onerous for a business,” Mr. Gibietis said.

If elected, he said, downtown and business would be a major focus for him. “I think it could be a lot more than what it is today.”

He also described himself as a big supporter of public education. And although the Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools govern public education here, he would like to do what he can to focus on education while on the Town Board.

LINKS

Campaign website for Nick Gibietis, NickforDavidson.com

See a full list of candidates and contact information on the Mecklenburg Board of Elections website, www.meckboe.org

Read previous 2009 Election filing stories at category “Election 2009.”