Chad Leon Hutchens

Chad Leon Hutchens is the incumbent North Ward commissioner on the Mount Airy City Council and is seeking re‑election for a second four‑year term in the November 2026 municipal election. The North Ward seat is a nonpartisan position on the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners that carries a four‑year term and requires the officeholder to reside in the ward and to be a qualified voter in Surry County[8].

Hutchens earned an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Surry Community College, a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice administration from Columbia Southern University, and a master’s degree in public administration from Liberty University[11]. He has spent his career in law‑enforcement and public safety, currently serving as a lieutenant who leads the School Resource Officer Division of the Surry County Sheriff’s Office. Prior to this role he worked for the Mount Airy Police Department, the Surry County Sheriff’s Office, the Mount Airy Rescue Squad, and Surry County Emergency Services[11][8]. Public‑salary records show he has been employed as a deputy sheriff for Surry County since 2015, earning $70,945 in 2023, a figure well above the county average for the position[9].

Hutchens first entered elected office in 2022, when he ran for the North Ward seat on the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners and was elected in the November general election[1][8]. He described his first term as a learning experience and highlighted the progress the city has made on projects such as the Granstone conference center and the renovated library, saying, “the biggest thing that motivates me is the progress that we’ve seen”[8].

In his 2026 campaign, Hutchens emphasizes continued investment in essential workers, proposing salary raises and retention incentives for firefighters and other public‑safety staff. He supports economic‑development incentives tied to job creation, expansion of industrial parks, and zoning reforms to foster small‑business growth. Hutchens also advocates using existing capital‑investment funds for infrastructure and safety projects rather than incurring new debt[11].

The filing period for the 2026 municipal race opened on a Monday at noon at the Surry County Board of Elections headquarters in Dobson and will close on December 19, with a filing fee of $121.17 for commissioner seats[8]. Hutchens can be contacted by email at hutchens336@gmail.com, as listed on his Ballotpedia profile[1].

Sources

• [1] Chad Hutchens (Mount Airy Board of Commissioners North Ward, North Carolina, candidate 2022) - Ballotpedia
• [8] City councilmen to seek new terms | News | mtairynews.com
• [9] Chad Hutchens L | GovSalaries
• [11] Chad Hutchens platform & website | Mount Airy City Council Member