{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Angelia James","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"UNA","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nAngelia Nikole James is a former Monroe City Council member seeking to return to the council as an unaffiliated candidate in the November 3, 2026 general election [8][9]. She qualified for the ballot by petition, gathering signatures from at least 1.5% of Monroe's registered voters (roughly 330 signatures) \u2014 one of two unaffiliated candidates running in 2026, alongside Abigail Pepper [8].\n\n## Background and education\nJames has lived in Monroe for 28 years and works as an accountant, having opened her own accounting firm in 2010 [8].\n\n## Career\nJames first won a Monroe City Council seat in the November 2019 general election, receiving 1,241 votes (16.3% of the total) and securing one of three available seats [9]. She also worked for two seasons as head coach of the Porter Ridge High School varsity women's basketball team; Union County Public Schools confirmed she was no longer in that role following the September 2021 incident described below [1].\n\n## Office history\nJames served on the Monroe City Council from December 2019 until her removal from office on April 7, 2022 (detailed below) [1][5].\n\n## Documented disputes and controversies\nOn September 9, 2021, Monroe police responded to a \"disturbing the peace\" call at the Fairfield Inn, where James was reported to have claimed felons were staying at the hotel and needed to be arrested; when asked how she knew this, she said \"God spoke to her and told her.\" Police determined the individuals she identified were not felons. The situation continued at her home, where she told responding officers they were \"demoted, fired, promoted or would be fired\" and said Police Chief Bryan Gilliard had been terminated; she was later taken by EMS to Atrium Health Union Hospital, where she again told officers they were fired, removed an officer's face mask, and declared \"COVID-19 was over\" [2]. She was not charged with a crime in connection with this incident [1].\n\nOn September 28, 2021, the Monroe City Council voted 5-2 to censure James over the incident (James and council member Franco McGee voted no); she apologized, calling her actions \"inappropriate\" and \"unprofessional\" [3]. The council subsequently pursued her removal from office through the common-law amotion process, citing the hotel/home/hospital incidents along with allegations that she refused to isolate after testing positive for COVID-19 and held press conferences that \"disparaged\" city employees and the council [4]. A hearing officer's report was presented to the council in March 2022, and on April 7, 2022 the council voted 6-0 to remove James from office [5].\n\nJames sued the city in federal court over her removal, raising retaliation and equal-protection/free-speech claims [7]. On August 10, 2022, U.S. District Judge Robert J. Conrad denied her motion for a preliminary injunction, upholding the amotion proceedings, the hearing officer's report, and the council's removal decision [6]. She filed an appeal in 2023; the outcome of that appeal was not identified in the sources reviewed for this bio.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Monroe City Council member Angelia James loses coaching job | wcnc.com](https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/monroe/monroe-city-council-member-coaching-job/275-c75dfa5e-1519-46eb-9fbe-a8e0f3d69446)\n- [2] [Bodycam video released involving Monroe city councilwoman's alleged hotel disturbance | wbtv.com](https://www.wbtv.com/2021/09/16/bodycam-video-released-incidents-involving-monroe-city-councilwomans-alleged-hotel-disturbance-confrontation-with-police/)\n- [3] [Monroe City Council votes to censure Angelia James | wcnc.com](https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/angelia-james-monroe-nc-city-council/275-9279a8ea-42be-4054-ac82-34108d1172b8)\n- [4] [Monroe City Council votes to remove councilwoman over actions in body camera video | wbtv.com](https://www.wbtv.com/2022/04/05/monroe-city-councilwoman-may-lose-job-after-incidents-body-camera-video/)\n- [5] [Monroe City Council votes councilmember Angelia James out of office | wcnc.com](https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/monroe/monroe-city-council-angelia-james/275-e94cead2-cdad-46f2-8de0-70e6c2cff13c)\n- [6] [News Flash: District Court Upholds Council Decision | monroenc.org](https://www.monroenc.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=94)\n- [7] [Former Monroe City Councilwoman files lawsuit over removal from office | wbtv.com](https://www.wbtv.com/2022/04/26/former-monroe-city-councilwoman-files-lawsuit-over-removal-office/)\n- [8] [A look at unaffiliated candidates for Monroe City Council | Enquirer Journal](https://enquirerjournal.com/enquirer_journal/a-look-at-unaffiliated-candidates-for-monroe-city-council/article_dbff61e4-6118-54dd-8449-6d1b1571bcf3.html)\n- [9] [Angelia James - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Angelia_James) (used only for the 2019 election vote count, not found in local news coverage)","firstname":"Angelia","lastname":"James","middlename":"Nikole","suffix":null,"token":"52d4f029fe73f8e2"},"token":"MKprNLjQxidJRYtF"},{"candidatename":"Michelle Ball","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"According to the North Carolina voter file, Michelle Marie Ball is a registered voter in Union County, North Carolina, registered since 2023 (3 years), with party affiliation listed as Republican [1].\n\nThe voter file shows Michelle Marie Ball's year of birth as 1968; 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 5 elections voted in since 2023, 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 Michelle Marie Ball 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/)","firstname":"Michelle","lastname":"Ball","middlename":"Marie","suffix":null,"token":"ddab2cc840e8a845"},"token":"BJg9G3-zfffHUGuC"},{"candidatename":"Abigail Pepper","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"UNA","person":{"biography":"Abigail Rose Pepper is a unaffiliated (UNA) candidate for the Monroe City Council in Union County, North Carolina, seeking a seat in the November 2026 municipal election. The council is responsible for setting local policy, approving the city budget, and overseeing development and public services that affect residents\u2019 daily lives. Pepper will appear on the general\u2011election ballot after gathering the required signatures, as unaffiliated candidates cannot run in the primary under North Carolina law [12].\n\nPepper grew up in Charlotte and moved to Monroe with her husband two years ago, drawn by the town\u2019s close\u2011knit community and the belief that local leadership can shape everyday life. She currently works in communications, and her professional background includes health\u2011policy and advocacy work where she trained patient advocates to speak with lawmakers. Earlier in her career she volunteered with an after\u2011school program for at\u2011risk teens and advocated for Type\u202f1 diabetes awareness, experiences she says taught her how to listen, synthesize diverse viewpoints, and translate community concerns into action [12].\n\nBeyond her paid work, Pepper has been active in community organizing. She volunteered with Indivisible Charlotte, helping expand its social\u2011media presence and connecting residents to activism opportunities, and participated in the group\u2019s \u201cNo Kings\u201d protests. During a Border Patrol operation in Charlotte, she worked with the Carolina Migrant Network to inform the public about immigration\u2011agent activity and spoke to media about perceived intimidation tactics. These advocacy roles reflect a consistent thread of civic engagement throughout her life [12].\n\nIf elected, Pepper says she will prioritize cost\u2011of\u2011living and housing\u2011affordability for residents of all ages, promote \u201csmart growth and responsible development\u201d that preserves Monroe\u2019s character, and ensure resident voices are heard on infrastructure projects. She also aims to improve walkability and expand community spaces\u2014such as safer streets, parks, and public areas that foster neighborly interaction. Pepper emphasizes that Monroe\u2019s rapid growth requires decisions that protect the long\u2011term health of the city and give younger and working\u2011class residents a meaningful voice in shaping its future [12].\n\n## Sources\n- [12] [A look at unaffiliated candidates for Monroe City Council | Enquirer Journal | enquirerjournal.com](https://enquirerjournal.com/enquirer_journal/a-look-at-unaffiliated-candidates-for-monroe-city-council/article_dbff61e4-6118-54dd-8449-6d1b1571bcf3.html)","firstname":"Abigail","lastname":"Pepper","middlename":"Rose","suffix":null,"token":"0219714558dd771f"},"token":"1JwwNrFLW0p0bB4t"},{"candidatename":"Parker Mills","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"According to the North Carolina voter file, Arnold Parker Mills JR is a registered voter in Union County, North Carolina, registered since 1995 (31 years), with party affiliation listed as Republican [1].\n\nThe voter file shows Arnold Parker Mills JR's year of birth as 1961; 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 18 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 Arnold Parker Mills JR 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/)","firstname":"Arnold","lastname":"Mills","middlename":"Parker","suffix":"JR","token":"03122ebdc0d79eeb"},"token":"zuNHx_IAIoc3RTa8"},{"candidatename":"Heidi Petterson","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"According to the North Carolina voter file, Heidi Sue Petterson is a registered voter in Union County, North Carolina, registered since 2014 (12 years), with party affiliation listed as Republican [1].\n\nThe voter file shows Heidi Sue Petterson's year of birth as 1977; 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 11 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 Heidi Sue Petterson 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/)","firstname":"Heidi","lastname":"Petterson","middlename":"Sue","suffix":null,"token":"e3a84b541c1ce816"},"token":"zG2Jl9HNfN1-6YAx"},{"candidatename":"Kensley McCoy","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"According to the North Carolina voter file, Kensley Nicole Mccoy is a registered voter in Union County, North Carolina, registered since 2016 (10 years), with party affiliation listed as Democratic [1].\n\nThe voter file shows Kensley Nicole Mccoy's year of birth as 1997; 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 1 election voted in since 2024, most recently the 2024-11-05 general 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 Kensley Nicole Mccoy 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/)","firstname":"Kensley","lastname":"Mccoy","middlename":"Nicole","suffix":null,"token":"6d2987f99ced59a7"},"token":"JSv804g-pdfi7SM1"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"city_council","o.office":"city_council","office":"city_council","officedescription":"A city council member (alderman in some towns) serves on the municipality's legislative body, approving the city budget, setting the tax rate, and passing ordinances and resolutions. Members represent a district or the city at large.","officequalities":"- Policy judgment on city matters \u2014 ordinances, services, and land use.\n- Budget literacy: the council approves the city budget and sets the city property-tax rate.\n- Legislative process: drafting, amending, and voting on ordinances and resolutions; committee work.\n- Constituent relations within the district or city.\n- Familiarity with the city charter and municipal issues such as utilities, transit, development, and blight.","officeterm":4,"officetitle":"City Council Member","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":3,"referendum":null,"source":null,"title":"City Of Monroe Council"}