Taylor Rae Drake for Stallings Council, District 3

Steven has my vote!

Steven Ayers filed today as a candidate for Stallings Council District 5.

K9 Lily needs your help!, organized by Joshua Smith K9 Lily is a canine officer for the Stallings Police Department located in North Carolina. K9 L… Joshua Smith needs your support for K9 Lily needs your help!

The Town of Stallings welcomes its newest Council Members Graham Hall and Taylor-Rae Drake! Mr. Hall and Ms. Drake took their Oaths of Office at last night’s Council Meeting.

Thank you to the Stallings voters! I am grateful for those who elected me to serve our town on Stallings Town Council. What an incredible responsibility you’ve given me!

A heartfelt thank you to Lynda Paxton, Terri Dunn, Heather Grooms, Steve Barr, Roxanne Hoots and Justin Drake for working long hours at the polls on my behalf.

Today is ELECTION DAY!!! I hope you make it out today and greatly appreciate your support.

Happy Halloween! Remember to get out and vote on November 2nd! We’re only two days away!

Stallings Fest was a success! Thank you to everyone who came out. I hope to have your support on November 2nd. Your vote matters!

Early voting is open! Every vote counts! I appreciate your support! ❤️❤️

This is a critical election for the Town of Stallings, as the decisions made during this next term will greatly impact the future development and thus growth of our town. For this reason, it is important that we elect qualified individuals to provide principled and ethical leadership. I am confident that I will bring a fresh, future-forward perspective and voice to the town council, while also helping preserve the small-town charm that makes Stallings such a desirable place to live. Every single action of the board should be evaluated in terms of how it will affect Stallings' future. Many of the issues I hope to address if elected to serve in district 3 are interconnected and further described below.



1) Responsible Growth & Development

I am opposed to high-density, multi-family housing in the Town of Stallings. As it relates to Stinson Farms specifically, I share the concerns that the high density could affect neighboring home values, existing stormwater issues, disruption of natural vegetation, and school capacity. The project is not truly a mixed use space as required by town plans, but presents more like other strip commercial off interstate exits with fast food drive through restaurants.

Growth is inevitable, however, it's important that we hold developers accountable to adopted small area plans and standards to better control the growth of the expanding Charlotte-Metro area into Stallings. Other concerns are tree preservation (or lack thereof), as well as water treatment, which is already at 94% capacity.



2) Road Conditions & Transportation Options

Poor road conditions and congestion is the number one complaint I hear from Stallings residents. With the increased traffic in our already congested area, it is imperative that the town work more closely with the NCDOT to amend and repair roads and intersections throughout Stallings. Some of the most pressing include the intersection at Potter Road and Pleasant Plains, as well as the intersection at Idlewild Road and Stevens Mill. While highway construction and widening projects continue to be extremely important for our region, we also need to support additional transportation options. I will advocate and support extending the LYNX Silver Line into Union County for the nearly 40,000 residents who commute into Charlotte to work every day.



3) Ethical & Transparent Leadership

As a lifelong resident of Union County, I have a personal investment in the place I’ve always called home. Decisions should be guided by a thorough understanding of citizen goals and desires for our town. The mass rezoning that took place in 2018 allowing multifamily development was without the knowledge of most residents and even many affected property owners. I support working with HOA and neighborhood leaders to insure communications about town matters and events reach the majority of our citizens.



4) Preserving a Sense of Community

Community is key! Stallings was named one of the best places to live in the US by Areavibes.com in 2018 due to its exceptional livability score, low crime rate and family friendly character. In 2020 the downtown park was voted one of the best parks in the region by Charlotte Moms Community Guide. I think it's important to sustain our small town character and continue emphasis on creating more community-based activities for all of Stallings. The Farmers Market has been very successful and I’m excited about the opening of the new Atrium Hospital late this year. I hope that we can create a strong partnership between the town and the hospital to enhance the health and well-being of our residents. I want to see further development of the Blair Mill Park to provide play spaces and activities for the North side of town. I support more fall and spring festivals, community gardens, volunteer opportunities, music in the park, family-friendly frisbee golf tournaments and seasonal Food Truck Friday's.

Thank you for your support and please vote for me on November 2nd!

Edit 10/16/21

Now that my signs are posted and my page active, I’ve had several voters ask if I’m related to other Drakes’s in Stallings. Drake is my married name and although I’m a native of the area, I am not related to anyone who has been in municipal or county government with the last name Drake. Thank you!