SPENCER — Sharon Hovis, 49, is a newcomer in the race for the seats on the Spencer Board of Aldermen.

The Spencer native is the police chief  in East Spencer, but she said that Spencer is home.

“This is my town; this is where I grew up,” she said.

Hovis said she’s running because she feels the current board members have a lack of vision and leadership and that people’s voices are not being heard.

“Our political culture needs to change,” she said.

She said she knows the people of Spencer and they know her. She feels the relationships she’s built over her life could be used to ensure everyone has a voice.

“I’d like to do a better outreach to the people of Spencer and be that person they can speak to as far as being a conduit,” she said.

If elected, Hovis said she would advocate for the people of Spencer, as well as work to improve business for tax revenue, invest in town transit and green initiatives, and increase staffing and pay for the police and fire departments.

“But we can’t do it with more of the same. We need new solutions to old problems, and in some cases that means completely new candidates like myself who are passionate about their neighborhoods, communities and their city,” she said.

Hovis is an Army veteran who has worked in law enforcement for 27 years. She graduated from North Rowan High School and earned degrees from Rowan-Cabarrus Community College and Livingstone College.

She is a member of Alpha Phi Sigma Zeta Mu chapter and works with RCCC and other colleges as a part-time instructor. She is a member of the local chapter of the NAACP.