IFN Staff
Trey Robertson, a veteran, small business owner, and farmer, has announced his plan to run for an at-large seat on the Statesville City Council in the November election.
Robertson is the second candidate to publicly announce his candidacy for one of the two at-large seats that will be on the November 4 ballot. The top vote-getter will receive a four-year term and the second-place finisher will get a two-year term.
An Iredell County native, Robertson graduated from Iredell-Statesville Schools in 2008, earned a degree in civil engineering from the U.S. Military Academy (West Point) in 2012, and served 10 years as an active-duty Army officer with assignments in Korea, Afghanistan, and the 101st Airborne Division.
After leaving the Army in 2022, he returned to Statesville. He works as an engineer for a metal 3D-printing and machining company that makes parts for the space industry.
Robertson has served on the Iredell County Board of Adjustment and the Statesville Planning Board. He was recently elected vice chairman of Downtown Statesville Development Corporation Board, the non-profit that administers Statesville’s Main Street program.
In his campaign announcement, Robertson said his campaign would focus on encouraging industry, controlling sprawl and improving infrastructure.
If elected, he plans to help develop a business-friendly environment where existing businesses can afford to expand and Statesville will become an attractive location for businesses looking to relocate. Businesses that provide high-paying jobs for Statesville’s skilled workforce will increase the tax base and keep the city’s tax rates low, he said.
Controlling sprawl means saying no to some proposed developments, Robertson said.
“The last few years have seen unprecedented levels of sprawl in Statesville and the existing council is unwilling or unable to see that the citizens of the city and county do not approve,” he said. “Under my leadership, I will vote for development that makes Statesville a better place to live, work, worship, and play, not developments that make Statesville more crowded and poorer.”
The City Council should make improving infrastructure a priority, according to Robertson.
“Cities do best when they focus on high quality services at reasonable rates,” he explained. “Statesville’s core neighborhoods have been paying taxes for generations and will get the streets, sidewalks, and emergency services they have paid for if the Council prioritizes them over costly developments on the outskirts of the city that overcrowd schools and force tax rates up.”
Industry and agriculture have been vital to the distinct history and culture of Statesville, he added.
If elected, Robertson said he will vote and work to maintain the city’s distinct identity and prevent Statesville from becoming another anonymous region of Charlotte’s sprawl.
Robertson would be the first millennial elected to the city council. He believes that his military, business, and government experience makes him the right choice to help lead Statesville into the future.