Macon, who announced in February that he’d forego the May 6 Democratic primary and run as an unaffiliated candidate in November’s general election, received his status letter last week from the Halifax County Board of Elections office that verified 1,498 of the approximately 3,000 signatures he submitted to be placed on the ballot.
“I want to thank all of the people who worked so diligently to get these signatures,” said Macon in a statement. “That was a collaborative effort throughout the county.”
(Macon’s Campaign Kickoff will be held at 6 p.m. on July 17 at Mystique Multi-Venue Complex on Highway 125 in Roanoke Rapids)
To run as an unaffiliated or independent, a candidate must submit a petition of signatures of at least 4 percent of the number of registered voters in the county of the office sought.
Macon campaign flyer.
According to Board of Elections Director Kristin Scott, Halifax County had 37,411 registered voters as of January 1.. A lifelong registered Democrat, Macon is running as an unaffiliated candidate because he believes “enforcement of the law, as well as the other duties of a sheriff, should not be contingent on political party affiliation.”
The signatures must then be verified by that county’s Board of Elections office. Macon submitted his signatures on May 28 and received his letter on June 20.
The submission deadline was today.
Following his U.S. Army tour of active duty in Operation Desert Storm in Iraq, Macon started his law enforcement career in 1991 as a narcotics agent with the Aulander Police Department.
In 1992, he joined the Northampton County Sheriff’s Office under Sheriff John C. Wood as a patrol deputy.
One year later, he was hired as a patrol deputy by the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office under Sheriff M. L. Stallings and was later promoted by Sheriff Jeff P. Frazier to detective sergeant in 1997 and lieutenant investigator in 2001.
He achieved the rank of patrol lieutenant in 2006 – the same year he was named Weldon police chief. Macon, who also served in the N.C. National Guard from 1989-1995, has an undergraduate degree in criminal justice from Western Carolina University. He has a masters in public administration from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.
The Enfield native was educated in Halifax County Schools and also holds an associate of criminal justice degree from Halifax Community College.
Additionally, he has completed a number of professional certification and continuing education courses, including municipal and county administration at the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Government in 2013.
Macon will continue to run on his platform of F.A.C.T.S — Fairness to All, Accountability to All, Serving the Entire Community, Being Trustworthy, and Providing Service to All..
“I look forward to running a clean and successful campaign,” he said.
According to Scott, Macon is the first candidate to run by petition for a major county seat in her seven years with the Board of Elections office, including five as director.
He will face Republican James Warren and Democratic primary winner Wes Tripp in November.
