Facing the voters: Wayne King files candidacy for county commissioner
- Chuck Thompson
- Dec 5, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: Dec 6, 2025
By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent
With candidate filing well underway, many Cleveland County residents, both current elected officials and new hopefuls have stepped forward to throw their hat into the ring for elected office.
Wayne King, a Cleveland County native and lifelong Kings Mountain resident, is no stranger to wheels of government, financial acumen, and what it takes to lead Cleveland County through the storms and calm seas of whatever the residents of Cleveland County may face in the future. He believes strong communities start with strong families, strong faith, and responsible stewardship, not higher taxes.
Wayne believes in fiscal responsibility and says he knows how to stretch a dollar and balance a budget because he’s done it in the real world. He has built and led several successful small businesses, including King Realty Partners, Right Way Solutions, and is also the founder of Old North Strategies, a North Carolina–based consulting firm and co-founder of Compliance Professionals.
“No new taxes” is King’s motto and he stands by that, as he told The Shelby Independent. King has seen firsthand the burden put on the community during the past half a decade of rapid inflation as families struggle to keep up with their utility bills, being able to buy groceries and pay for medications.
“I believe that we need better representation from a business point of view for the people of Cleveland County.” King is concerned about the reality that 80% of residents now have higher taxes due to property reevaluations, and could hinder our economic development – a weight that needs to be carried by the big business to give relief to the local taxpayers, - he said not under any circumstances - not under any means - will he vote for any new taxes. “We’ve got to make Cleveland County as appealing as possible.”
“We have to think responsibly and use common sense to keep the people here thriving economically, and retain our younger generation in Cleveland County and help them succeed,” King acknowledged.
He wants to see economic development on the forefront and says he has the best economic team to showcase Cleveland County and to help drive economic development on a continuous upward trend.
“I think our best days are ahead of us,” King believes good relationships with the towns and cities in Cleveland County are essential and there needs to be a better relationship with the county government across the community. He feels it is important to hold government accountable in all aspects from budgeting to clear communication – which is why communication with municipalities all across Cleveland County is something that King believes the county commissioners need to improve upon, as he noted the importance of everyone feeling connected and included.
“We need to make sure, no matter what city or town, that every municipality – and everyone – feels they are part of Cleveland County,” said King.
Having just filed earlier this week to run for county Commissioner, Wayne King already has been endorsed by several groups and people across the county. Dr. Tim Sims, Senior Pastor of Bethel Baptist Church, Shelby, led a group of King’s supporters in a moment of prayer before King went to the Board of Elections to file his candidacy for county commissioner Thursday morning. King’s family was there, too, offering their support.
(continued below...)
King also has been endorsed by County Commissioner Tony Berry.
“I think he will be good for the county,” Berry said via a phone conversation with The Shelby Independent. “He’s a businessperson and will be a great asset for the board.”
Berry also noted that he personally doesn’t have issues with anyone else on the board, adding, “I just think Wayne King has knowledge that it’ll be great for people of Cleveland County, and I just have to do what my heart thinks is proper to do, to best serve the county residents.”
One of those needed assets is leadership, according to people that have spoken with King.
King said there’s been a lack of leadership on the county commissioners board, “With more business savvy business leaders we can get back where we need to be – we’re a blue collar county and we need to get back to that,” stated King.
“Families sit around the kitchen table and have to figure out how to pay their bills, and right now their property taxes while also buying Christmas gifts. It saddens me that people are struggling to pay their property taxes – it’s sad to me with 80% of the county property owners receiving substantial increases in property taxes.”
(Wayne King feature continued below...)
Including Wayne King, there have already been six candidates filed to run for two county commissioner seats. Current County Commissioners Doug Bridges and Deb Hardin are running again, coming off a year where property owners experienced a substantial increase in property valuations, along with several newcomers vying for the two county commissioner seats: Josh Biddix, Denise Wright, Billy Scruggs and Wayne King.
After filing on Thursday, King told The Shelby Independent, “This is about the citizens of Cleveland County that fight hard and work hard to pay their bills, including their higher tax bills – and I simply believe we don’t need new taxes, no new taxes at all; there’s no reason we need new taxes. We need to cut our budget and curb our spending, just like families have to do with their own budgets.”
Fore more information about King's campaign for Cleveland County commissioner, visit https://www.waynekingforcleveland.com/ .
Follow The Shelby Independent on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. To contact Chuck about a story idea, send an email or visit the contact page.
Chuck Thompson is a reporter and columnist for The Shelby Independent.
Comments