Jeremy Golden is the LGBTQ+ Democrats of Mecklenburg County Chair. He’s also currently serving as Chair of Precinct 74 and as the Treasurer of the Young Democrats of Mecklenburg County.
A native of Mecklenburg County, he actively supports Democratic causes at all times and is emphatic about the importance of Charlotte’s upcoming municipal elections.
Voters across Mecklenburg County will fill mayoral and city/town council seats for each of its municipalities. The general election is scheduled for Nov. 4, 2025, and some municipalities, including Charlotte, have scheduled primary elections for Sept. 9, 2025.
Charlotte’s election is on a partisan basis, with a primary on Sept. 9 and the general election on Nov. 4.
Cornelius, Davidson, Huntersville, Matthews and Mint Hill town offices are nonpartisan and will be on the ballot for the Nov. 4 general election. They include offices for mayor, board of commissioner and town council.
We’ve all done it at some point or another in our lifetime: we’ve skipped out on mid-term elections and our local municipal elections, paying attention to the presidential elections. It’s an easy mistake to make and even understandable in many ways. Especially when you’re looking at something like a presidential election, which has massive financing from national and international sources. City, county and town candidates simply don’t have the resources to put their plans in your face with every break in programming on television, radio or social media.
For those of us residing in the aforementioned city and towns, it doesn’t mean the elections are any less important. Especially in our community and other minority communities.
“So many of the protections that we have in Mecklenburg County, for LGBTQ folks, do come from the municipal government,” Golden explains. “The NDO that was signed by Mayor Lyles and supported by the city council just a few years ago. Obviously they’ve not come from the federal government, and really came once the state took their foot off our throat with regard to NDOs (non discrimination ordinances) and that wouldn’t have happened if we didn’t have municipal leaders who were willing to take that step.
“So many of the rights we have in general and some of the services we have in general as queer people come from municipal elections and come from municipal leaders, so it’s imperative that we always keep our eye on who gets elected locally.”
It’s easy to dismiss local elections with the old adage “what difference will my one vote matter?” It does matter. Take that and multiply it several times over with other apathetic voters and you’ll see just how much all of our votes matter.
David Aaron Moore: What are some of the races voters in our community really need to pay attention to?
Jeremy Golden: “I’ve got my eye on so many different races going on this year. I mean, if we don’t keep our eye on the ball, and we don’t show up, we could lose a school board seat to a raging homophobe in North Meck, named Bill Fountain. The incumbent running is Melissa Easley, and it’s quite the juxtaposition, given that Melissa is one of our excellent Board of Ed candidates, and is also, you know, for full disclosure on our board, and I am also managing her campaign, for which is why neither one of us were involved In in her vote. So you’ve got someone like Melissa, who’s always been a staunch supporter of the LGBTQ+ community and a member of it. And then you’ve got Bill Fountain, who goes to town board meetings and says that all gay people are mentally ill. North Meck has a real choice there, and I hope that queer people show up and we can keep [candidates like Fountain] out of the Board of Ed.
DAM: What about some of the Metro area towns?
JG: We’ve got a race for town commission in Matthews, where you have a terrific ally running for town commission named Brian Hacker, who never misses an opportunity to let the queer community know he supports us and that he wants to see a welcoming and inclusive Matthews. Also in Matthews itself, you’ve got Mayor John Higdon, who is a pragmatic, good mayor, running against another raging homophobe in Leon Threatt.
DAM: And in Charlotte, which is a pretty strong supporter for Democratic ideals, tell us your thoughts.
JG: We’ve got a city council at large race for LaWana Mayfield, running for re-election. She was the first out [elected] member of the city council, and she spearheads a lot of movement on social rights when it comes to the city of Charlotte. She’s always been out there, supporting the community, and it’s critical that we send her back, so that we can continue to have that kind of support. Luckily, in the city of Charlotte, there aren’t a lot of opportunities for government power to change hands, because Republicans do not have a lot of power in the city of Charlotte.
DAM: Why is the LGBTQ+ Democratic Scorecard important?
JG: I think that what we do with our scorecard is remind people that not all Democrats are alike when it comes to LGBTQ rights, and that’s why we highlight the ones that we feel are genuinely the strongest advocates. And so across the board, in every municipality, we have an opportunity to elect those advocates and elect them at a time when the LGBTQ community is seen as “on the chopping block” as part of the Democratic coalition, and this [is] an amazing opportunity to prove that we’re not; and that we can elect leaders who don’t support that view.
DAM: Can you share a few thoughts about specific candidates from our community?
JG: Of course. There’s LaWana Mayfield running. We’ve got Scott Cornet running to be on the Huntersville town commission. He’s an openly gay man. He’s running to be one of the new members, and he’s a terrific candidate. I’ve gotten the opportunity to spend time with him, and he’s been a supporter of the NDO in Huntersville. Hopefully, if he’s elected, that may help us with our chances of getting a non discrimination ordinance passed in the next term. Patrick O’Brien is an LGBTQ candidate running down in Mint Hill, and he has been involved in the community here for a long time as part of the Charlotte Gay Men’s Chorus [and] the Democratic Party as well. And he’s very concerned with the attacks on marginalized communities throughout the country. He wants to represent the people in Mint Hill who need to have a voice.” So he’s a terrific candidate running in Mint Hill. Our scorecard highlighted JD Mazuera Arias who – would be the first Hispanic member of the Charlotte City Council, if elected. He’s a member of the LGBTQ community and would be a great advocate. So would Marjorie Molina – she’s an exceptional ally.
Author’s Note: Molina prevented an attempt to overturn Charlotte’s non-discrimination ordinance (NDO).
Check out the LGBTQ+ Mecklenbur County Democrats Scorecard here: https://qnotescarolinas.com/lgbtq-democrats-mecklenburg-2025-election-scorecard/
