Candidate Biography (submitted by candidate):

Harold is a native of Kinston, NC. He attended North Carolina A & T State University and UNC-Greensboro where he earned a B.S. in Business Management from in 1991. Harold moved to Charlotte in 1991 and worked as a Probation Officer until he entered law school at North Carolina Central University in 1993.

While in law school he was elected class president, worked as law clerk with the United States Attorney's Office and with the Wake County District Attorney's Office.

Upon graduation Harold accepted a position as an Assistant District Attorney with the Mecklenburg County District Attorney's Office. In 1998, Harold founded the Law Offices of Harold Cogdell, Jr., P.C. concentrating in the areas of small business and contract matters, corporate compliance and white-collar criminal offenses.

Commissioner Cogdell currently serves as the Vice-Chairman of the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners and Chairman of the Economic Development Committee. He has previously served on the Charlotte City Council.

Harold is a member of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, former member of the Board of Advisors for the Charlotte Chamber, Stratford-Richardson YMCA and former First Vice-President of N.C. Association of Black Lawyerss. In 2008, Harold was received the UNCG Legacy Alumni Award for Outstanding Leadership.

Candidate Statement:

As the Vice-Chairman of the Mecklenburg County Commission, I have focused on solution oriented initiatives necessary to address the challenging issues that are impacting our community in an evolving global economy. I have offered strong leadership that promotes collaboration and emphasizes long-term sustainability balanced with short-term survivability.

Irresponsible leadership can be in the form of doing nothing as easily as it can come in the form of doing too much. Finding the proper balance is rarely an easy endeavor, but an essential one nonetheless.