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Waxhaw mayor-elect unseats Ronald Pappas

Mayor-elect Robert Murray hopes to stabilize town's growth.

WAXHAW, N.C. — Robert Murray attributed much of his ascension to Waxhaw mayor-elect to the frustration town residents have for the current administration.

The relatively new town resident told WCNC Charlotte's Jane Monreal on Flashpoint, the push toward higher density housing angered many people. He said that anger fueled voters to hit the polls, with a 66% increase in turnout since the town's last election.

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"This idea of sort of urban centers, where you have, literally, apartment buildings and townhouses and mixed-use right by the downtown, which is an area that's already stricken with excessive amounts of traffic," Murray said. "We're talking gridlock both morning and evening commute through very small roads and a very charming downtown. And then, to just pack higher density into that same region. It's just a lot of folks have been frustrated by it, so, I think in all honesty, I think it's that frustration that really drove our victory."

He explained developers, which were formerly allowed to build only a house or two houses per acre, are now trying to get anywhere from five to six units per acre.

However, there is room to grow the region within reason, he said.

"That growth needs to fit within the confines of the town as it exists, which is a small road going in and a small road going out," Murray said.

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"We have a fixed number of schools. We have a fixed amount of support we get from the county, both from the sewer capacity and from the school capacity, and we need to develop within those confines and not just overshoot, where we're at today, when it comes to our resources and our infrastructure," he said, "And a lot of people are feeling that we've done that. We're overshooting things."

Murray was part of a group of candidates that helped unseat several incumbents in the fast growing town in Union County.

While admitting the town is in good shape, he said their message of stable growth, stable taxes and residents first resonated among people living in Waxhaw.

"I do give credit to the current administration for putting us in a very solid position financially, with the town management and the actual employees within the town," Murray said. "But I think we need to tap the brakes on some of these developments. There are several developments that are already in the pipeline."

 Contact Jane Monreal at jmonreal@wcnc.com and follow her on FacebookX and Instagram.

Flashpoint is a weekly in-depth look at politics in Charlotte, North Carolina, South Carolina, and beyond with host Ben Thompson. Listen to the podcast weekly. 
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