Special to Iredell Free News

Miles Atkins, former mayor of Mooresville, was recently named Downtown Mooresville’s 2023 Main Street Champion by the North Carolina Main Street Program during the annual conference in Goldsboro.

The Mooresville Downtown Commission (MDC) is an active member of the program, which works to stimulate economic development within the context of historic preservation across the state. The Champion award is presented annually to individuals who have demonstrated an ongoing commitment to downtown improvements and the betterment of their communities.

Atkins has been a committed public servant in Mooresville for over 16 years, elected as an at-large commissioner in 2007 before serving as mayor from 2011 to 2023. During his tenure, he made the revitalization of Downtown Mooresville a priority, worked to implement innovative strategies for housing, proposed infrastructure and parking solutions, and focused on economic development.

Atkins’ advocacy resulted in the allocation of over $16.5 million in town funding to create public spaces, parks, and an outdoor music venue in Downtown that support the betterment and patronage of locally owned businesses. 

The MDC will be hosting the 2025 North Carolina Main Street Conference in Downtown. The three-day conference, held annually in March, is organized by the N.C. Department of Commerce and its NC Main Street and Rural Planning Center and is the largest statewide downtown revitalization conference in the country.