KM council candidate stepping away from event in hopes of winning seat

Pullen

KINGS MOUNTAIN — A Kings Mountain city council candidate hopeful announced Thursday that he was stepping down from a veterans event which will hold their third annual event this September.

Chris Pullen, a Kings Mountain resident who is running for the Ward 3 council seat, announced in a social media post his departure from Veterans Walk and Roll.

“As of today I will be stepping back from all responsibilities as the director of the event called Veterans Walk and Roll,” his statement said. “I strongly support this event put on by so many different nonprofits and volunteers. This event has helped so many including myself and this is a hard decision but is the right decision.”

Pullen explained the reason was a concern of biased decision making, if elected.

“As I do not want any conflict of interest to ever come up as I seek my what some would call a political position. As of now, Mike Brown is the point of contact moving forward.”

In a conversation with The Shelby Independent, Pullen explained in further detail why Mike Brown was hand-picked by Pullen to be in charge of Veterans Walk and Roll.

“I chose Mike (Brown) earlier this year, but was trying to finish what I started,” he said. “It is only right to step back, early, as I keep gaining support for my position. It is also only right to give the citizens of Kings Mountain what they deserve, without giving them anything to question.”

Pullen said Brown has been involved with the event from day one.

“He has been a huge behind the scenes guy. He is retired, has the time and has the heart.”

Pullen said Brown is not involved in any other organization, "He's just a veteran," said Pullen. "That’s what we wanted, just a veteran." 

A veteran himself, Pullen went into the military in 1999, and out of active service into the reserves in 2011, until Jan. 2012, when he was placed him on inactive reserve when his wife passed away. 

He feels confidently encouraged that he will be elected to the city council, and verified to The Shelby Independent the main reason he's stepping down is because he does not want the perception of any unethical behavior or anything that could be misconstrued to seem to be anything inappropriate. 

He said it was brought to his attention that it could potentially seem appropriate if he stayed on with Veterans Walk and Roll, noting, “I saw their point of view, agreed with it, and made the difficult decision to move on.”

He added that he believes in leading by example, and setting a better standard than what is allegedly going on in current Kings Mountain politics.

"I don't want to be seen as what a lot of Kings Mountain residents believe is happening in the city,” he added. “There has to be a change. I believe doing the right thing, whether anyone is looking or not.”

The Veterans Walk and Roll event is schedule for September 27, at the park in Kings Mountain.

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 for The Shelby Independent.