{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nChe'Z L Adams \u2014 who also goes by \"Shea\" \u2014 is the Democratic candidate for the Gaston County Board of Education's Gastonia Township seat in the November 3, 2026 general election [1][2]. Her campaign priorities include teacher pay, school facilities, and instructional resources; she has said higher salaries are needed to keep teachers from leaving for higher-paying counties and has called for improved facilities to boost staff morale [3]. She has also emphasized support for low-income schools, preserving arts programming, student mental-health services, and safe sports facilities, and has opposed removing library materials from schools [2][3].\n\n## Background and education\n\nAdams is originally from Tallahassee, Florida, and moved to Gastonia in 1990 [2]. She holds a bachelor's degree in health care management from Florida A&M University [1][2].\n\n## Career\n\nAdams works as an exceptional-children's teacher specializing in children's mental health [1][3]. She has also worked as a foster care case manager, substitute teacher, and behavioral therapist, and one candidate profile lists prior work as a financial manager for political campaigns [1][2].\n\n## Office history\n\nThis is not Adams's first run for the seat. Candidate-guide profiles describe an earlier, unsuccessful candidacy around 2020 and a second unsuccessful run in the November 2024 general election, when she appeared on the ballot as a nonpartisan candidate for the same Gastonia Township seat [1][2]. For the 2026 cycle she entered the Democratic primary; one source lists Leroy \"Lee\" Dedmon as her primary opponent [4].\n\n## Family\n\nAdams is the mother of one son [2].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Che'z (Shea) Adams \u2014 Branch Vote candidate profile](https://www.branch.vote/races/2024-nc-general-election-nc-state-county-board-of-education-member-nc-county-gaston-3/candidates/che'z-(shea)-adams) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-19\n[2] [Che'z (Shea) Adams \u2014 The Election Hub candidate profile](https://www.theelectionhub.org/mecklenburg-county/che'z-(shea)-adams/2026-primary/gaston) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-19\n[3] [Gaston Board of Education Candidates Outline Priorities \u2014 Future Education Magazine](https://futureeducationmagazine.com/gaston-board-of-education/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-19\n[4] [Che'z Adams (Gaston County Schools, Gastonia Township, North Carolina, candidate 2026) \u2014 Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Che'z_Adams_(Gaston_County_Schools,_Gastonia_Township,_North_Carolina,_candidate_2026)) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-19 (last resort; only source found naming her primary opponent)","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_school_board_gastonia_twp","county":"gaston","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Gaston County Board Of Education Gastonia Twp"},{"contest":"county_school_board_gastonia_twp","county":"gaston","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Gaston County Board Of Education Gastonia Twp"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Che'Z","fullname":"Che'Z L Adams","lastname":"Adams","middlename":"L","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_school_board_gastonia_twp","contest_title":"Gaston County Board Of Education Gastonia Twp","county":"gaston","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":"gaston","office_key":"county_school_board","office_title":"County School Board Member","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},{"contest":"county_school_board_gastonia_twp","contest_title":"Gaston County Board Of Education Gastonia Twp","county":"gaston","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"gaston","office_key":"county_school_board","office_title":"County School Board Member","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":"gaston","cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_school_board_gastonia_twp","contest_title":"Gaston County Board Of Education Gastonia Twp","county":"gaston","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"gaston","office_key":"county_school_board","office_title":"County School Board Member","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"DEM","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_school_board","office_title":"County School Board Member","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"summary":"Che'Z L Adams is a Democratic candidate seeking a seat on the Gaston County Board of Education for Gastonia Township in 2026.","terms":[],"token":"74780c083eaf2721"}