By Karissa Minn
kminn@salisburypost.com
SALISBURY — Rowan County Commissioner Carl Ford filed Monday for N.C. House District 76, choosing not to run for a second term as commissioner.
Ford, 54, of 320 Ketchie Estate Road in China Grove, grew up on the Rowan-Cabarrus county line. He has owned Ford Broadcasting, which has operated two radio stations in Kannapolis and China Grove, for 20 years.
After last year’s redistricting, the 76th district now includes northeastern Cabarrus County as well as southeastern Rowan.
“I’ll try my best to serve the citizens of Cabarrus and Rowan counties if elected,” Ford said.
His official filing comes a week after Commissioner Raymond Coltrain, a Democrat, announced that he was not seeking re-election. This leaves both commissioner races without incumbents this year.
Ford said earlier this month that he wants to continue the work of the new Republican majority in the N.C. General Assembly.
“I want to keep things going, reduce the size of government and try our best to reduce burdens on businesses and individuals — especially overregulation,” Ford said.
He said some of his priorities are to get a voter identification bill passed if it doesn’t pass this year, to allow energy exploration for oil and natural gas off the coast of North Carolina, to work on tort reform and to regain local control of highway projects.
“We need to make sure we try to speed up the widening of Interstate 85 in southern Rowan and northern Cabarrus counties,” Ford said. “It’s starting, but it’s a slow process right now that won’t be finished, they’re saying, until 2025.”
The state filing period began at noon Feb. 13 and ends at noon Wednesday.
One other Republican, Eric Troyer, has filed to run for the wide-open 76th District seat. No Democratic candidates have filed so far.
Rep. Fred Steen, a Republican who currently holds the office, has chosen to run for North Carolina’s 8th District in the U.S. House.
Contact reporter Karissa Minn at 704-797-4222.
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Carl Ford
Office sought: N.C. House District 76
Age: 54
Address: 320 Ketchie Estate Road, China Grove
Phone number: 704-305-3541
Party: Republican
Occupation: Owner, Ford Broadcasting
Education: Graduate of A.L. Brown High School, attended Rowan-Cabarrus Community College and N.C. College of Textile Technology
Community involvement: Member, Rowan County Board of Social Services; Region ` Director, N.C. Association of Boards of Social Services; 2012 Chairman, Friends of Scouting for Boy Scouts of America in Rowan County.
Family: Wife, Angela; four children; four grandchildren.