A former Rowan County commissioner is looking to solicit 4,000 signatures from registered voters in the coming months to be placed on the November ballot as an unaffiliated candidate and potentially return to the board.
Raymond Coltrain, the former superintendent of the Piedmont Research Station, said he will focus on four key areas if elected commissioner: fostering open and informative government, cost-effective budgeting, quality education and work force development, as well as progressive land and resource management.
“In October, I changed my political registration from Democrat to unaffiliated in order to have the flexibility to support the strongest candidates in the primary elections — regardless of political affiliation,” Coltrain wrote in a prepared release.
In 2008, Coltrain was elected to the Rowan County Board of Commissioners after narrowly losing his first bid for commissioner in 2006.
Coltrain, 65, did not run for re-election in 2012.
“I would be honored to serve the people of Rowan County again as a commissioner, and to be a steward of the public trust. Throughout my entire career, I have worked to make a positive contribution to the lives of all people,” Coltrain said. “Rowan County deserves commissioners who will listen to people from all walks of life. We must strive to help our entire county work together in order to have a prospering and healthy community.”
Coltrain said the county needs commissioners who are willing to “put the work of the people before their personal politics.”
After working more than 30 years with the N.C. Department of Agriculture and N.C. State University, Coltrain retired as superintendent of the Piedmont Research Station in 2003.
Coltrain said many people are supporting him, including Democrats, Republicans and independents.
Coltrain needs 4,000 signatures from registered voters in Rowan County in order for his name to be placed on the November ballot.
Voters can visit Coltrain’s website at www.raymondcoltrain.com for more information and to download and print a voter petition.
The Rowan County Board of Elections only counts actual signatures, so the signed petition must be mailed to the address Coltrain listed.
Coltrain and his wife, Kay, live in Salisbury.