Public invited to Bill Brawley swearing-in
Republican Bill Brawley will be sworn into his post as representative for the N.C. House District 103 seat at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 5, at Matthews Town Hall in the commissioners’ meeting room.
Brawley nabbed the hotly contested local race for Matthews and Mint Hill by carrying about 56 percent of the vote, defeating Democrat Ann Newman by 2,964 votes. Brawley and Newman were first-time candidates for the N.C. General Assembly.
Republican Jim Gulley held the seat for seven terms but chose not to seek re-election.
Brawley, 61, of Matthews, is a self-employed commercial Realtor and property manager. He has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte and served as a Matthews town commissioner from 1989 to 1993. He also served on the Mecklenburg Park and Recreation Commission from 1992 to 1999 and 2002 to 2007.
He is married to Lila and has four children. Q
Matthews mayor takes ‘hydration challenge’
In January, Matthews Mayor Jim Taylor has vowed to abandon his beloved Diet Coke in favor of healthier drinks, including water.
Taylor is among more than 300 mayors in the Carolinas who are taking the Mayor’s Hydration Challenge sponsored by local nonprofit NoFizz Charlotte Inc. The group promotes healthy hydration in the Carolinas through community outreach events and student health education.
During the month-long challenge, Taylor must drink at least 60 ounces of water every day while steering clear of soda, including diet versions.
Taylor, who doesn’t like coffee, typically drinks about five cans of Diet Coke a day.
“I love a challenge. If there’s a challenge for me to do something and it’s beneficial for me to do than I’m all for it,” he said. “It’s something I’ve been needing to do for a while anyway and my wife has actually been encouraging me to (stop drinking soda). Our kids actually prefer water to soda. It’s going to be nice now where all of us going out to eat will have water as opposed to soda.”
“At least for a month,” he added.
The challenge is open to non-politicos, too. Find more information and fill out a registration form online at www.nofizzclt.org. q
Holiday closings
The New Year’s holiday means that town buildings in Matthews and Mint Hill will operate on limited schedules.
Town halls in Matthews and Mint Hill will close Friday, Dec. 31.
Crews Recreation Center in Matthews will close Friday and Saturday, Jan. 1. The Matthews Community Center will open from noon to 11 p.m. Dec. 31 for the Matthews Playhouse event Opening Night Matthews. The center will then close Jan. 1 and 2.
There is no change to the trash pick-up schedule in either town. Crews won’t pick up Christmas trees until after New Year’s Day. q
Christmas Eve fire in Matthews
The cause of a house fire at 921 Matthews School Road Dec. 24 is still under investigation.
No one was home when the fire broke out about 5 p.m., causing significant damage, Annette Privette Keller, town spokeswoman, said.
Firefighters from Idlewild and Stallings departments assisted Matthews Fire & EMS at the scene, she said. No injuries were reported.
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