ADVOCACY@Work
ADVOCACY@WORK
Advocating on behalf of our Shareholders and Investors is critical to our ability to help our community grow and it is one of the most important reasons to partner with The Chamber of Catawba County. We have committed to understanding the issues that are most important to the business community and advocate for or against those issues in order to protect business interests. We strive to serve as a go-to source for well-considered public policy, and to have a thoughtful impact on policy-making at the local and state level.
Every strong community in the nation has a strong chamber of commerce supporting it. Advocacy plays a vital role in that support, and we will continue to advocate for issues that will grow jobs and make our community stronger.
Review our Legislative Agenda linked below that was composed by our Advocacy Taskforce made up of appointed business and community leaders, and was officially adopted by The
Chamber’s Board of Directors in December 2022.
For more information about our Advocacy Taskforce or to discuss our advocacy efforts on behalf of your business, please contact Lindsay Keisler, Chamber President/CEO at lkeisler@catawbachamber.org or Brian Francis, Advocacy Director at bfrancis@luminstrat.com.
Click here to see our Advocacy Menu and become an Advocacy@Work Partner.
Read President/CEO Lindsay Keisler’s blog post here, which summarizes our 2024 Legislative Priorities.
LAND USE DEVELOPMENT BOARD
This powerful board is composed of representatives from the Chamber, the Realtors Association and the Homebuilders Association who review and lobby for local land-use policies which affect how Catawba County will grow positively in the future.
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS & OFFICES
Being politically engaged requires you to know both our elected officials and key government officials. Below is a chart with contact information for local and state officials as well as important government offices.
County Government
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Chair
Randy Isenhower
(828) 464-0101
Vice Chair
Austin Allran
(828) 381-9395
Robert C. Abernethy, Jr.
(828) 302-3643
Barbara Beatty
(828) 320-0370
Cole Setzer
(828) 705-6514
COUNTY MANAGER’S OFFICE
County Clerk
Dale Stiles
(828) 465-8990
COUNTY ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES
County Manager
Mary Furtado
(828) 465-8201
Assistant County Manager
Paul Murray
Justin Merritt
CATAWBA COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS
Board of Elections Director
Amanda H. Duncan
(828) 464-2424
Sheriff
Don Brown
(828) 464-5241
Register of Deeds
Donna Spencer
(828) 465-1573
CATAWBA CONSERVATION DISTRICT
District Administrator
Randy Willis
(828) 465-8950
Education Coordinator
Leia Hamlyn
(828) 465-8950
SOIL & WATER CONSERVATION
District Supervisors
David H. Caldwell
(828) 478-4429
Julia Elmore
(828) 302-4954
Bill Shillito
(828) 322-1505
Brandon Bowman
(828) 217-3120
Steve Killian
(828) 256-9142
Local Education
NEWTON-CONOVER CITY SCHOOLS
Superintendent
Dr. Aron Gabriel
(828) 464-3191
Newton District
Tim Hayes – Vice Chair
(828) 850-9504
Phillip Heath
(828) 291-8506
Jim Stockner
(828) 302-0174
Conover District
Robbie Gonzales – Chairman
(828) 465-7269
Jeanne Jarrett
(828) 446-6309
Mark W. Pennell
(828) 466-2046
HICKORY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Superintendent
Dr. Jennifer Griffin
(828) 322-2855
Ward 1
Amanda McGuire
(828) 855-0458
Ward 2
Sarah Ferrell Temple
(828) 261-0824
Ward 3
Ittiely Carson – Vice Chair
(828) 228-5144
Ward 4
Mike B. Heard
(828) 962-6474
Ward 5
Lakeyhisa Hannah
(828) 850-5937
Ward 6
Amy C. Monroe
(828) 381-9498
Member at Large
Bryan D. Graham
(828) 303-0083
CATAWBA COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD
Superintendent
Dr. Matthew Stover
(828) 464-8333
Ronn Abernathy
(828) 464-8333
Leslie Barnette
(828) 446-0134
Michelle Teague
(828) 441-9652
Tim Settlemyre
(704) 249-5592
Don Sigmon
(828) 428-3722
Jeff Taylor
(828) 464-8333
Annette Young Richards
(828) 464-9766
City & Town Government
CITY OF HICKORY
Hickory City Hall
(828) 323-7400
Mayor
Hank Guess
(828) 294-7757
City Council
Ward 1
Tony Wood
(828) 267-0799
Ward 2
Charlotte WIlliams
(828) 302-3205
Ward 3
Danny Seaver
(828) 322-5155
Ward 4
Rev. Dr. Anthony Freeman
(828) 323-7412
Ward 5
David Zagaroli
(828) 217-7228
Ward 6
Jill Patton
(828) 781-1155
City Manager
Warren Wood
(828) 323-7412
City Clerk
Debbie Miller
(828) 323-7409
City Attorney
Timothy Swanson
CITY OF NEWTON
Newton City Hall
(828) 695-4300
Mayor
Jerry Hodge
(828) 464-0881
City Council
Beverly Danner
(828) 465-2364
Jody Dixon
(828) 310-1763
John McClure
(828) 308-1114
Roy Johnson
(828) 638-3396
Ed T. Sain
(828) 381-7006
John Stiver
(828) 612-0989
City Manager
Sean Hovis
(828) 695-4259
City Clerk
Amy Falowski
(828) 695-4265
City Attorney
John Cilley, IV
(828) 464-2371
CITY OF CLAREMONT
Claremont City Hall
(828) 466-7255
Mayor
Shawn R. Brown
(828) 459-1649
City Council
Les Morrow
(828) 217-0811
Dayne L. Miller
(828) 459-0094
Brittany Brown
(828) 270-5982
Gary Sigmon
(828) 234-9991
M. Dale Sherrill
(828) 459-2192
City Manager
Jason Brown
(828) 466-7255
City Clerk
Wendy Helms
(828) 466-7255
City Attorney
Robert M. Grant
(828) 464-2391
TOWN OF CATAWBA
Catawba Town Hall
(828) 241-2215
Mayor
Donald Robinson
(828) 241-2563
Town Council
Donald (Donnie) Allen
(828) 241-3856
Duane McCombs
(828) 241-3058
Patrick H. Laney
(828) 241-3546
Carroll Yount
(828) 241-2151
Town Manager
Danny Hipps
(828) 241-2215
Town Clerk
Kathy Johnson
(828) 241-2215
Town Attorney
Robert M. Grant
(828) 464-2391
CITY OF CONOVER
Conover City Hall
(828) 464-1191
Mayor
Kyle Hayman
(828) 466-1306
City Council
Jim Green
(828) 291-6490
Mark Canrobert
(828) 302-0606
Bruce Eckard
(828) 466-2411
Joie Fulbright
(828) 464-4957
Brenda Powell
(828) 308-4175
City Manager
Tom Hart
(828) 464-1191
City Clerk
Stephanie Watson
(828) 464-1191
City Attorney
Susan Williams Matthews
(828) 353-2560
TOWN OF BROOKFORD
Brookford Town Hall
(828) 322-4903
Mayor
Thomas Schronce, Sr.
(828) 851-6332
Aldermen
Charles Bargsley
(828) 639-4614
Sue Noblitt
(828) 327-4502
Kelvin Gregory
(828) 238-3657
James Weaver
(828) 612-0076
Town Manager & Clerk
Marshall Eckard
(828) 322-4903
Town Attorney
Jared T. Amos
(828) 433-6700
TOWN OF MAIDEN
Maiden Town Hall
(828) 438-5000
Mayor
Max Bumgarner, Jr.
(828) 428-8789
Town Council
Holly Crofton-Lay
(828) 612-1999
Cameron Ramseur
(828) 234-8060
Beth Poovey Rudisill
(828) 310-7422
Fore Rembert
(828) 381-1798
Ronnie Williams
(828) 302-6221
Town Clerk
Anna Hughey
(828) 428-5010
Town Attorney
Wesley Deaton
(828) 466-3858
TOWN OF LONG VIEW
Long View Town Hall
(828) 322-3921
Mayor
Marla Thompson
(828) 327-6987
Ward 1
Genita Hill
(828) 244-1572
Ward 2
Gary Lingerfelt
(828) 238-4209
Ward 3
Allen Bumgarner
Ward 4
Tim Hertzel
(828) 291-2277
Ward 5
Phyllis Pennington
(828) 327-2422
Town Manager
James Cozart
(929) 322-3921
Town Clerk
Heather Minor
(828) 322-3921
Town Attorney
Jimmy R. Summerlin, Jr
(828) 322-4663
State Government
Governor
Roy A. Cooper
(919) 814-2000
COUNCIL OF STATE
Lieutenant Governor
Mark Robinson
(919) 733-7350
State Treasurer
Dale R. Folwell
(919) 814-4000
State Auditor
Beth Wood
(919) 807-7500
Commissioner of Labor
Josh Dobson
(800) 625-2267
Attorney General
Josh Stein
(919) 716-6400
Secretary of State
Elaine F. Marshall
(919) 807-2005
Commissioner of Insurance
Mike Causey
(919) 733-3058
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Catherine Truitt
(919) 807-3300
Commissioner of Agriculture
Steve Troxler
(919) 733-7125
Legal Counsel
(919) 733-9080
Committee for Education
(919) 715-3535
Press Office
(800) 662-7005
NC SENATOR
45th District
H. Dean Proctor
(919) 733-5876
dean.proctor@ncleg.net
NC HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
89th District
Mitchell S. Setzer
(919) 733-4948
Mitchell.Setzer@ncleg.net
96th District
Jay Adams
(919) 733-4111
Jay.Adams@ncleg.net
National Government
UNITED STATES SENATORS
Ted Budd
Republican
(202) 224-3154
Thom Tillis
Republican
(202) 224-6342
UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVES
Patrick McHenry
10th District
(828) 327-6100
www.house.gov/mchenry