March 3 primary for Mecklenburg Sheriff

Jan. 13, 2026

Antwain Nance is a union rep. Ricky Robbins has been on Charlotte’s police force for decades. Rodney Collins worked his way up through the Sheriff’s Department to retire as chief deputy. And Garry McFadden, the tough, coy, occasionally gruff, out-and-about and outspoken incumbent who is seeking a third term, well, he hasn’t mellowed much since he became Mecklenburg’s first African-American sheriff two years before the pandemic.

Veteran broadcaster Dedrick Russell summarized the session this way:

“Standing room only for Sarah Stevenson Tuesday Morning Forum. Candidates running for Mecklenburg County Sheriff answering questions from what is the Sheriff’s Office currently missing – some say leadership – the incumbent says resources and mental health services for his deputies. Also questions regarding youth and treatment of immigrants inside the jail. So many questions they have extended the time. Early voting starts Feb. 12.

Topics:

Juvenile detention. McFadden opened the Juvenile Detention Center, then closed it during a staffing slump – much to the chagrin of parents who have their children incarcerated far from home. And while candidates empathize, the incumbent notes that Mecklenburg spends a bit more than $3 million to support Mecklenburg youth in adjoining county facilities, but it was take 95 officers (after training) and something around $14 million to reopen Mecklenburg’s juvenile center.

Staff safety: All candidates supported making the jail safer as a work environment. But the discussion did not probe what that would take. This and many other issues may be impacted by staff cuts that have reduced a 1,500-employee department to something over 700 today, according to Collins.

Medical care: Again, candidates did not offer details about avoiding mistakes made by a medical services provider under a contract.

Mental health: This topic is top-of-mind in the public, both about people on the street and those in the jail. McFadden also made a plea for better support of his staff. Again, details were lacking, but Ricky Robbins noted that incarceration takes a toll, and if you’re not mentally ill when incarcerated you might become so because of the confinement.

Bottom line: Candidates were asked who they would vote for if they were barred from voting for themselves. Facilitators barred the question, but Robbins said he was the best candidate and would vote for himself anyway. But McFadden offered a sobering note about a key issue that was never otherwise discussed: “Poverty and crime go hand in hand. And if we don’t do anything about poverty, we will have the crime and they will be incarcerated.”

 

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