{"biography":"Brian Wood Helms is the Republican incumbent seeking re\u2011election to the Union County Board of Commissioners in North Carolina, with the November 3, 2026 election. The Board of Commissioners serves as the chief legislative and executive body for the county, responsible for setting policy, adopting the annual budget, overseeing public safety, infrastructure, land\u2011use planning, and other services that affect residents\u2019 daily lives.\n\nHelms was first elected to the Board in December 2022. The campaign website does not provide details about his education or prior professional experience, so those aspects of his background are not publicly documented in the sources provided.\n\nSince taking office, Helms has emphasized responsible growth and fiscal restraint. He notes that Union County approved only 159 new residential units after his election, contrasting with neighboring municipalities that approved thousands, and he helped pass a policy requiring a General Obligation Bond referendum for any new wastewater facility, which passed 3\u20111 [12]. He also supported reversing a planned large\u2011scale wastewater project (Site B) that would have accommodated about 28,000 homes, preventing a projected 50% utility rate increase, again passing 3\u20111 [12]. In 2025, Helms opposed state\u2011level legislation (HB765 and SB205) that would have mandated high\u2011density housing without local input, supporting a unanimous county resolution against it [12].\n\nOn public safety, Helms backed the expansion of the Sheriff\u2019s Office, including establishing the county\u2019s first on\u2011site crime lab, and advocated for a tiered EMS response system to improve response times. He voted for a 1\u2011to\u20111 ratio of School Resource Officers (SROs) in Union County Public Schools, achieving full funding for an SRO at each of the 53 schools by 2025 [12]. He also supported multiple salary increases for deputy sheriffs and related staff, with the most recent 2025 raises ranging from 3% to 6% depending on rank [12].\n\nHelms positions himself as a low\u2011tax advocate. Amid rising property values in 2025, he says the Board worked to keep the tax rate revenue\u2011neutral, reducing the overall tax rate from 58.8 to 43.4 cents per $100 of assessed value\u2014the largest reduction among local governments in the county. The Board also limited the additional tax burden from voter\u2011approved school bonds to 1.82 cents over revenue\u2011neutral, buying down $10\u202fmillion of bond debt and cutting expenses by about $18\u202fmillion [12].\n\nOverall, Helms\u2019 record as presented focuses on limiting residential over\u2011development, maintaining public safety resources, and lowering the property tax rate while funding essential services and school safety initiatives.\n\n## Sources\n- [11] [Brian Helms for Union County Commissioner](https://www.brianhelmsforbocc.com/)\n- [12] [On the Issues - Brian Helms for Union County Commissioner](https://www.brianhelmsforbocc.com/issues)","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission","county":"union","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Union County Board Of Commissioners"},{"contest":"county_commission","county":"union","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Union County Board Of Commissioners"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Brian","fullname":"Brian Wood Helms","lastname":"Helms","middlename":"Wood","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission","contest_title":"Union County Board Of Commissioners","county":"union","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":"union","office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},{"contest":"county_commission","contest_title":"Union County Board Of Commissioners","county":"union","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"union","office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":"union","cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_commission","contest_title":"Union County Board Of Commissioners","county":"union","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"union","office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"REP","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"summary":"Incumbent Commissioner Brian Wood Helms runs on limiting growth, boosting public safety, and cutting property taxes in Union County.","terms":[],"token":"886984676bc303ef"}