CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Northern Mecklenburg County will have new representation following this year's election, as the race for House District 98 features two candidates running for state office.
Former Huntersville Mayor Melinda Bales will meet former teacher Beth Helfrich to represent northern Mecklenburg County in Raleigh. District 98 includes Cornelius, Davidson and Huntersville. The district is currently represented by Republican John Bradford, who chose not to seek reelection in an attempt to run for Congress.
Republican Melinda Bales is no stranger to Mecklenburg County politics, serving multiple roles with the town of Huntersville for 12 years. She was first elected as a town commissioner in 2011, eventually working her way up to mayor before announcing a run for the North Carolina House.
Bales believes her strong relationship with state lawmakers makes her an ideal candidate for the House. Bales and her husband have lived in Huntersville for 24 years. Both of their sons are Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools graduates.
She currently serves on the Metropolitan Transit Committee and the Lake Norman Board Economic Development Board of Directors.
Running against Bales is Democrat Beth Helfrich. A Davidson native, Helfrich spent nearly 20 years in public schools as a teacher and administrator. She left the classroom in 2020 to launch a creative writing company. Since that time, she's also served as the PTO president of her kids' school.
Helfrich grew up in northern Mecklenburg County and still calls the area home. She graduated from North Mecklenburg High School before attending Davidson College. She and her husband, Tim, live in Davidson with their five children. Tim Helfrich is a co-owner of Davidson-based Summit Cofee.
WCNC Charlotte will have live election coverage of all the local and statewide elections starting at 7 p.m. on Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 5, and all election results can be found by texting the word ELECTION to 704-329-3600 or going to WCNC Charlotte's election page.
