{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"George Dunlap","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"George R. Dunlap is the incumbent Democratic commissioner for District 3 on the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners and is seeking re-election in the November 3, 2026 general election. The Board serves as the governing body for Mecklenburg County, responsible for setting policy, approving the county budget, and overseeing a wide range of county services [1][7].\n\nDunlap grew up in Pineville, North Carolina, and graduated from South Mecklenburg High School in 1974 [1][11]. He earned two associate degrees -- one in law enforcement and another in correctional science -- from Central Piedmont Community College [1][11]. He later completed a Bachelor of Science in criminal justice (1991) and a Master's in public administration (2003) at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte [1][11][7].\n\nAfter high school, Dunlap served in the United States Marine Corps from 1974 to 1976, attaining the rank of Sergeant, and subsequently joined the North Carolina Air National Guard and Marine Reserves for an additional eleven years [11]. He then began a 27-year career with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, working as a D.A.R.E. officer and directing youth programs through the Police Athletic League [11][7].\n\nDunlap entered elected office in 2005 when he was elected to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Board, representing District 3 for fourteen years. On the school board he chaired the Safety Committee and served on the Policy, Finance, and Capital and Budgeting Committees, as well as the Education Foundation's Audit Committee [11][7].\n\nIn October 2008 Dunlap was appointed to the Mecklenburg County Board of County Commissioners, and he has been re-elected continuously, now serving his 17th consecutive year [7][1]. He has held six terms as board chairman, the most recent six consecutive terms, making him the first district-elected commissioner to serve as chairman [7][11]. He also serves as vice-president of the National Association of County Commissioners (NACO) and chairs its Justice and Public Safety Committee, sits on the board of the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) and its Health and Human Services Committee, and participates on several local boards including the Arts and Science Council, Center City Partners, and University City Partners [7][11].\n\nDunlap won the 2024 general election with 100% of the vote (72,191 votes) after defeating primary challenger Felicia Thompkins in March 2024, and he again secured the Democratic nomination in March 2026 with 80.9% of the primary vote (14,603 votes) over Phil Carey [1]. He is on the ballot for the 2026 general election seeking another term [1].\n\nHis campaign platform emphasizes affordable housing, economic development, community safety, and workforce preparation for students, reflecting the priorities he has highlighted on his campaign website [12]. Dunlap's long-standing involvement in faith communities, civic organizations, and public safety initiatives underscores his broader commitment to the residents of District 3 and Mecklenburg County at large [7][11].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [George Dunlap (North Carolina) - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/George_Dunlap_(North_Carolina))\n- [7] [George Dunlap | Board of County Commissioners](https://bocc.mecknc.gov/George-Dunlap)\n- [11] [About George](https://vote4dunlap.com/about-george/)\n- [12] [George Dunlap for Mecklenburg County Commission \u2013 Education :: Economic Development :: Community Safety](https://vote4dunlap.com/)\n","firstname":"George","lastname":"Dunlap","middlename":"R","suffix":null,"token":"911e2b0dcea8c534"},"token":"XoI9wbLXeDC3q6mZ"},{"candidatename":"Phil Carey","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"**Philip Darwin Carey lost the March 3, 2026 Democratic primary for Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners District 3 to George Dunlap and will not appear on the November 3, 2026 general-election ballot.**[3]\n\nAccording to the North Carolina voter file, Philip Darwin Carey is a registered voter in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, registered since 1998 (28 years), with party affiliation listed as Democratic [1].\n\nThe voter file shows Philip Darwin Carey's year of birth as 1969; NC publishes only the year of birth in its bulk voter export, so day and month are not part of the public record [1].\n\nThe voter history file shows 19 elections voted in since 2016, most recently the 2026-03-03 primary election [2].\n\nThis summary draws only from the public North Carolina voter registration and history records. No additional published biographical information was located. Voters with personal knowledge of Philip Darwin Carey can reach ballotproject.org with corrections or additions.\n\n## Sources\n[1] [North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 Voter Search](https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/)\n\n[2] North Carolina State Board of Elections voter history file (`ncvhis_Statewide`), published at [dl.ncsbe.gov](https://dl.ncsbe.gov/)\n\n[3] North Carolina State Board of Elections official 2026 primary election precinct-level results (`results_pct_20260303`), published at [dl.ncsbe.gov](https://dl.ncsbe.gov/)","firstname":"Philip","lastname":"Carey","middlename":"Darwin","suffix":null,"token":"7c4def81126777b5"},"token":"MehLMzak7xWLR3Ih"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"county_commissioner","o.office":"county_commission","office":"county_commission","officedescription":"A county commissioner is a member of the county's legislative body. The commission approves the county budget, sets the property-tax rate, authorizes borrowing, and passes county resolutions and ordinances. Commissioners are elected from districts (or at-large seats) to represent constituents on countywide policy.","officequalities":"- Policy judgment on countywide matters \u2014 budget, taxes, land use, services, and intergovernmental issues \u2014 within Tennessee county-government law.\n- Budget literacy: the commission approves the county budget, sets the property-tax rate, and authorizes multi-year bond issues.\n- Legislative process: drafting, amending, and voting on resolutions and ordinances; committee work that pre-screens items.\n- Constituent relations in the district \u2014 case-work and community issues flow through the commissioner's office.\n- Willingness to complete the state-required annual continuing education through UT CTAS.","officeterm":4,"officetitle":"County Commissioner","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":1,"referendum":null,"source":null,"title":"Mecklenburg County Board Of Commissioners District 03"}