The Register of Deeds position is generally not a competitive race, but this one is as the incumbent is leaving her position. Whoever is elected often stays in the role for years. The previous incumbent was paid a salary of approximately $136,000.Democrat Kristen Moyer
Moyer is an attorney and the former senior in-house counsel and corporate secretary for Sunkist Growers in California. She and her family moved to North Carolina in 2008. When asked why she is running, she wrote to The Ledger, “The current Register of Deeds is a Republican, and she's hired my opponent as her assistant, presumably with the intent to ensure his election as her successor. There hasn't been a Democrat in this position in Gaston County since 1984. I decided to run to give voters a choice.” She also says that her qualifications are appropriate for the role which manages a staff of 20 because “the work of this office requires a great deal of familiarity with the law and public policy, and the ROD's office has to constantly adapt to changing and evolving laws. I have been an attorney for three decades and I have a great deal of training in statutory interpretation and applications.” She has a bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University and a JD from Villanova. She is a passionate animal welfare advocate who founded the non-profit North Carolina Voters for Animal Welfare. She is the mother of two boys and five rescue animals and lives in Belmont. (Age 53)
Republican Jonathan L. Fletcher
Fletcher is an assistant Register of Deeds to the current seatholder Susan Lockridge. He was the former chairman of the Gaston County GOP and is on the board of Gaston College. He says that if elected, he will streamline processes and enhance efficiency through the use of new technology, preserve everyday history, and excel in customer service. He was raised in Gaston County and is a graduate of UNC Charlotte. (Age 32)
This candidate information was produced by the Charlotte Ledger and is reprinted here with permission.