{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Susan Rodriguez-McDowell","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"Susan Rodriguez\u2011McDowell is the incumbent Democratic commissioner for District\u202f6 on the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners, a body that sets county policy, adopts the annual budget, and oversees a wide range of local services. She is seeking a fifth term in the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 general election, and the Democratic primary for the seat was cancelled, allowing her to advance automatically to the ballot [1].\n\nRodriguez\u2011McDowell first won election to the board in 2018 (her first elected office) and began serving in 2019; her current term is scheduled to end on December\u202f2,\u202f2026 [1][4]. She was re\u2011elected in 2022 with 52.5\u202f% of the vote (38,873 votes) over Republican Jeremy\u202fBrasch, and again in 2024 with 53\u202f% (57,087 votes) against Republican Jim\u202fMarascio [1].\n\nBorn in New York and raised in Albuquerque, New\u202fMexico, she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a master\u2019s degree in counseling from Colorado Christian University in Morrison, Colorado [4]. Before entering public office, she worked as an operations manager for the Charlotte branch of a national graphic\u2011arts supply dealer, served as director of counseling services for Colorado Christian University, and ran two small businesses as principal [4]. She is married to Gavin and they have three adult children [4].\n\nDuring her tenure on the board, Commissioner Rodriguez\u2011McDowell has been appointed chair of the Economic Development Committee, where she has led efforts to attract high\u2011paying jobs, support small\u2011business growth, and keep property taxes stable for residents [4][11]. Her campaign platform highlights several accomplishments: the establishment of universal pre\u2011K, expansion of parks, greenways and nature preserves, a robust environmental action plan, full funding for students and educators, initiatives to reduce crime and violence, and the passage of a countywide non\u2011discrimination ordinance. She also advocates for reproductive rights, immigrant inclusion, and fair immigration reform [11].\n\nAs a commissioner, Rodriguez\u2011McDowell\u2019s responsibilities include voting on the county budget, shaping land\u2011use and zoning policies, overseeing public safety and health services, and representing the interests of District\u202f6 residents in board deliberations. Her ongoing re\u2011election campaign emphasizes continued affordable\u2011housing initiatives, economic development, and protecting the county\u2019s air and water quality [11].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Susan Rodriguez McDowell - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Susan_Rodriguez_McDowell)\n- [4] [Susan Rodriguez-McDowell | Board of County Commissioners](https://bocc.mecknc.gov/susan-rodriguez-mcdowell)\n- [7] [Vote Smart | Facts For All](https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/187138/susan-rodriguez-mcdowell)\n- [11] [RE-ELECT SUSAN RODRIGUEZ-MCDOWELL MECKLENBURG COUNTY COMMISSIONER, DISTRICT 6 - Home](https://www.mcdowell4meck.com/)","firstname":"Susan","lastname":"Rodriguez-Mcdowell","middlename":"Marie","suffix":null,"token":"81f8e40519d567c9"},"token":"L-lKC5bSnt-fvVpD"}],"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 06"}