Dan Boone

The Election Hub Questionnaire

Please share demographic information to help voters (your age, education, and where you live in NC now).

As a 25-year resident of Huntersville, I have a degree from the University of Tampa in economics with a minor in American History. Also, I was on the varsity crew team there.

Why are you running for this role, and why should voters pick you? Please tell us about any previous experience in elected office that you have.

I still have it in me. There is much more to do and residents need someone to hear and consider them. I am running to be a voice for all Huntersville residents, not a party. In the last two years, I have experienced the lack of transparency a resident can experience when the Board chooses to make decisions behind closed doors. It is unacceptable. Also, I have the experience and temperament to lead this great town.

I am known for my dedication to service, history, and preservation of the values that make Huntersville a great place to live. I have served four terms as Huntersville Commissioner; served as Planning Board & Ordinances Advisory Board vice chairs; and am currently co-president of Rotary Club LKN-Huntersville and serve on the Board of Hugh Torrance House & North Meck Crimestoppers.

What is one thing you would like to accomplish in the first six months if elected?

Any new job that I start has a “first 100 day plan.” One of my main goals is to hire from within a downtown development/affordable housing manager. Instead of talking about development let’s task that responsibility to a town employee. If the present Town Board is not talking with the property owners then let’s do something different.

Tell us about a few of your professional achievements voters may find relevant.

In the eight years I served previously, we did not raise taxes at all, and we could still balance our budget without dipping into our savings account. During my last term, we spent the last year pursuing a municipal fire department, including studies and putting a plan to paper.

In 2019, I voted to sell Town-owned property to a residential developer to spur residential development in downtown. I voted to build the new Town Hall, a fiscally responsible decision to put all our staff in one building and also house community resources under the same roof for the next 50+ years. One example was to have a permanent Veterans Service Officer office here.

I voted to create the Downtown Steering Committee, a citizen advisory board, to study the downtown needs, and I voted to approve the Downtown Master Plan, as a result. I voted to sell Town-owned property to 760 Craft Work to spur downtown commercial growth, and I voted for the Golden Cow Creamery project, which would be the first self-built commercial business in downtown in more than 20 years.

I voted to create Huntersville’s Affordable Housing Commission that operated under former Mayor Bales, and I was a participant on every tree committee from 2013 to 2022. I suggested the decrease from 24-inch diameter to 18 inches when it came to measuring the tree save circumference (meaning we should save even smaller trees). And I am the one who suggested that developers had to plant trees and shrubs that were native to North Carolina and not just plant what was on sale at Lowe’s.

What is your position on the proposed sales tax for transit benefits?

I believe there is a lot of legalese in the PAVE Act, and I believe that people who are completely for it are not reading that Act for themselves. Currently there is a $3-million budget for the pro-sales tax campaign and unfortunately their message is strong. For example, the first $70M made goes back to the city of Charlotte for the purchase of the railroad. So essentially they are saying that they’re going to make $70 PLUS the $12.4 they are promising Huntersville in the first year? Because they’ve promised us 12.4 million that first year.

I am not for increasing Huntersville residents’ taxes 13 to 14%, especially when the current Board raised property taxes 29.6%. The train of which the PAVE Act speaks, the red line, is a commuter rail, not a light rail and there is no promise that it will make it through North Mecklenburg. There is language that allows them to abandon this decision.

Currently, in Huntersville, we are already seeing development projects coming in asking for variances, or modifications, based on this potential red line coming in. And such variances are causing more density, more traffic on our infrastructure, and we’re nowhere near the red line. The PAVE Act lacks accountability and results.

For the last 25 years, we have been paying an extra half-cent tax for this red line, and Charlotte has told us that they spent the money on something else. I think with so many nearby surrounding counties that our being the largest sales-tax county in the state by far with the passing of this increase will encourage our shoppers to go to nearby counties for their appliances, their bulk-item groceries, and anything else they can to save money on, thus, also hurting our businesses.

What endorsements from any notable NC organizations or individuals have you received?

This election season I have been very focused on the residents of Huntersville, and I do have the endorsement of Meck GOP.

Please tell us something unexpected about you that voters may be interested in knowing.

When I retired from Kraft Foods/Oscar Mayer many years ago, people continued to call me for a couple of months, asking advice about the new boss and what they should do, almost on a daily basis. While I really missed the job and, more importantly, the people, I knew I had to move on.

So I made the decision to buy some camping equipment, even though I had not really done a lot of camping, along with a soft-top Wrangler Jeep. I packed it up and set out on a 13-week adventure, driving from Huntersville, North Carolina, all the way to the Arctic Circle. What an adventure it was! If I wanted to drive five miles or 500 that day, that’s exactly what I did. Along the way, I saw things I’ll never forget and made many lifelong friends. It was truly the trip of a lifetime!