When it comes to choosing candidates in local elections, I always think, “Is this someone who, when in office, would do what my neighbors and I would do?”
I don’t have a litmus test or expect complete agreement, but I do expect to be thoughtfully represented and properly informed. That means I look for candidates willing to do their homework, go above and beyond for the long-term care of the community, and not serve their own short-term interests.
How, then, can candidates like Leon Threatt, Mark Tofano and Gina Hoover, who speak one way and act another, expect my neighbors and me to give them our votes?
- All three have questionable financial reports that don’t properly identify campaign receipts and expenses. Tofano’s Protect Matthews PAC, for which he’s both founder and treasurer, sent out a negative mailing Oct. 29 and purchased signs using money that’s unaccounted for in his financial reports. It raises the question of who did pay for it?
- Tofano’s campaign reports also show no income and no expenses since 2023, despite the fact that he’s clearly spent money on signs and the like this year to get reelected. The Protect Matthews PAC also shows no receipts or expenses since 2020. His campaign transactions are anything but transparent.
- Financial reports show Threatt accounting for about $6,000 as in-kind contributions and expenses to and from Tofano, a reporting muddle that speaks to a lack of financial transparency and acumen.
- Hoover claims campaign expenses of less than $1,000 and files no financial reports. That’s okay under the law, but it’s certainly not transparent.
- Threatt’s financial reports show payments from his campaign funds to his brother and son totaling $4,500, including $1,000 to Hope Vibes Inc., which employs his son. Payments to companies with family members violate N.C. campaign law § 163‑278.16B.
At the same time, since 2022, Tofano has voted No on all town budgets, including those funding Matthews’ new Fire Station #3, staff and public safety pay-increases aimed at stemming attrition, and money spent to expand and improve town parks. Despite their No votes on the 2025 budget, Hoover, Threatt and Tofano offered no sound financial ideas to address taxes.
Such election-year No votes are not uncommon, and provide a sense of political cover, particularly when those voting No recognize that funding of public safety, transportation, staff and other town expenses will continue despite their objections.
By contrast, incumbent Mayor John Higdon and incumbent commissioner John Urban (and newcomers Susan Chambers, Jennefer Garrity and Brian Hacker) run on positive platforms that highlight their experience and achievements.
Higdon and Urban fought hard to get light rail to Matthews, pushed back on NCDOT’s plans to turn John Street into a four-lane menace, helped add 54 acres to Matthews parks, advocated and voted for Fire Station #3 to improve emergency response, said no to more developers than they approved, and embraced sound financial practices that resulted in Matthews’ AAA bond rating, which lowers the costs of borrowing and saves the town money.
If you check your mailbox, you’ll see negative mailings that aim to bloody opponents’ noses. That’s far easier than outlining real solutions, but it’s not what my neighbors and I would do. Honest dealing and a real commitment to solving problems are the qualities that get our votes.