Check the Facts: Sandhills Citizens Alliance TV Ad

What does having Charles Taylor in charge mean for our community? A recent investigation found apparent illegal gambling on a property owned by Charles Taylor. Taylor helped write and voted for the rules that allow data centers to locate in Sanford, after he took a campaign contribution from a data center developer. And he's stood by quietly while Sanford police bought Flock cameras whose data can be searched without a warrant. When he proposed his own city budget, he left the cameras alone. He's made Sanford worse, and we can't afford to send him to Raleigh.

The gambling operation

Does Charles Taylor really own a building with gambling machines in it?

Yes. Lee County property records list Charles Taylor as the owner of 2101 Tramway Road in Sanford, a former women's clothing boutique less than half a mile from SanLee Middle School. When reporters from The Assembly visited, they found 22 video gambling machines operating inside.

"The room reeks of cigarette and cannabis smoke as an employee describes some of the 22 video lottery machines on site. … Customers simply need to deposit cash into the machines and inform staff once they’re ready to cash out."

Sources: The Assembly, Oct. 11, 2026; Lee County property record

Are those machines actually illegal?

According to The Assembly, the machines appeared to be luck-based slot games, with names like Piggy's Big Break, Top Shot Golf and College Rivals, that don't require any skill to win. Games like that are against the law in North Carolina.

"They appear to be luck-based slot games—Piggy's Big Break, Top Shot Golf, College Rivals—that don't require skill to win. In North Carolina, such games are against the law."

The Rant reached the same conclusion, reporting that the operation "appears to violate North Carolina law, which prohibits many types of electronic gambling machines, particularly those involving games of chance and cash payouts."

Sources: The Assembly, Oct. 11, 2026; The Rant, Oct. 12, 2026

Did Taylor tell voters he owns this property?

Eventually. State law requires candidates to file a statement of economic interest. Taylor's original statement left out the Tramway Road building. It also left out another property he owns in Sanford and two single-family homes in Snow Hill. After The Assembly reported the omissions, the State Ethics Commission advised Taylor to correct his filing. Its executive director told him the law requires disclosure of every property he owns and recommended he file an amended statement listing all of them. Taylor later told The Rant he had filed an amended disclosure. He also faces an ethics complaint over the undisclosed property.

"He failed to disclose the property on his economic statement of interest, as state law requires. … Taylor's disclosure lists his personal residence but says nothing about the property at 2101 Tramway Road."

"SEI reporting does require disclosure of all individual property ownership interests you have. … I recommend that you file an amended SEI to individually reflect all property interests you own." — Jameson Marks, Executive Director, N.C. State Ethics Commission, in an email to Taylor

Sources: The Assembly, Oct. 11, 2026; Taylor's Statement of Economic Interest; The Rant, Oct. 12, 2026; State Ethics Commission email to Taylor, published by The Rant

Is there really a sign with a gun pointed at customers?

Yes. The building has no business name out front. The sign reads "WARNING: THERE IS NOTHING HERE WORTH DYING FOR," with an image of a gun aimed at whoever is walking up. The rules posted on the door include no phones or photos inside.

"The sign in front of the nondescript gray building doesn't name the establishment inside. Instead, it says, 'WARNING: THERE IS NOTHING HERE WORTH DYING FOR.' An image of a gun points toward the approaching customer. Twenty-one rules are posted on the front door. Near the top: No phones or photos inside."

Source: The Assembly, Oct. 11, 2026

Data centers

Who is the data center developer that gave Taylor money?

Kirk Bradley. On December 31, 2025, Bradley gave Taylor's campaign $6,800, the maximum an individual can give. Bradley chairs Sanford-based Lee-Moore Capital and is the manager of Eco TIP West, the company trying to build a 750-megawatt data center for cryptocurrency mining in Moncure.

"Bradley is chairman of Sanford-based Lee-Moore Capital. The lawsuit identifies him as Eco Tip's manager."

Sources: Taylor campaign finance report, 2025 Year-End Semi-Annual (NC State Board of Elections); Business NC, Apr. 27, 2026

How big is Bradley's data center project?

Eco TIP West wants to build a 750-megawatt data center that would include cryptocurrency mining. For comparison, the data center recently withdrawn in Apex was planned at 300 megawatts. When Chatham County paused new data centers for 12 months, Eco TIP sued to overturn the moratorium, saying it had already spent more than $11 million on the project.

"Eco TIP seeks to build a 750-megawatt data center, the lawsuit stated, which would include cryptocurrency mining. For comparison, the recently withdrawn data center project in the nearby Wake County town of Apex was slated to be only 300 megawatts."

Sources: News & Observer, Apr. 27, 2026; Business NC, Apr. 27, 2026

What did Taylor do to make way for data centers in Sanford?

In April 2026, Taylor voted with the Sanford City Council majority, 6–1, to approve zoning rules for data centers. Taylor, who also sat on the joint planning commission that worked on the rules, said he was proud of them and called them "90 to 95 percent" of the way there.

"Taylor, who sat on the city-county joint planning commission, along with Salmon, said he is proud of the data center regulations. He added that the document is not perfect, but 'we're probably close to 90 to 95 percent.'"

Source: Sanford Herald, Apr. 23, 2026

Flock cameras

What are Flock cameras, and does Sanford have them?

Flock Safety makes automated license plate readers, cameras that photograph and log the plates of passing cars. Sanford has them. Records obtained by The Rant show the Sanford Police Department signed a $53,900 agreement with Flock in 2025 for six fixed readers and two portable "Falcon Flex" units.

Source: The Rant, Oct. 2, 2026

Where are the cameras?

The city won't say. When The Rant asked for the locations, the city confirmed the police department has a deployment plan but declined to release it, citing a public records exemption for security information.

"Where those cameras are located, however, the city won't say. … The city ultimately confirmed the Sanford Police Department maintains a deployment plan, but declined to provide it or information showing camera locations."

Source: The Rant, Oct. 2, 2026

Do police need a warrant to use the camera data?

No. North Carolina's license plate reader law does not require police to get a warrant before searching stored plate records, as long as the search is for a law enforcement purpose. The law does require each agency to adopt a written policy covering who can access the data, supervisory oversight, operator training and regular audits.

Source: N.C. General Statutes, Chapter 20, Article 3D (G.S. 20-183.30 to 20-183.32)

What has Taylor done to stop the cameras or ensure privacy is protected?

Nothing on the record. Sanford police signed the Flock agreement on Sept. 24, 2025, under purchasing rules that didn't require a City Council vote. As a council member, Taylor votes on the police department's budget, but council minutes since 2025 contain no mention of Flock or license plate cameras. There's no record of Taylor raising the cameras' purchase, or concerns about privacy and data use policies, at a council meeting.

Moreover, when Taylor offered his own substitute city budget in June 2026, he proposed several changes, including cutting city funding for private policing downtown, but he left the Flock cameras alone. His substitute failed, 3–4.

Sources: The Rant, Oct. 2, 2026; Sanford City Council minutes, June 25, 2026

His record

How long has Charles Taylor been in office?

Taylor has been on the Sanford City Council since 2007 and is now midway through his fifth term.

Source: Taylor's candidate questionnaire, The Rant, Feb. 9, 2026

What office is he running for?

Taylor is the Republican candidate for the N.C. House in District 51, which covers Lee and Moore counties. Election Day is November 3.

Read the sources

• The Assembly — Charles Taylor's undisclosed property and video gambling (Oct. 11, 2026)
• Lee County property record, 2101 Tramway Road
• Charles Taylor Statement of Economic Interest
• The Rant — Taylor faces ethics complaint over undisclosed property (Oct. 12, 2026)
• N.C. State Ethics Commission email to Charles Taylor (published by The Rant)
• NC State Board of Elections — Taylor 2025 Year-End campaign finance report
• Business NC — Bradley-led firm sues over Chatham data center moratorium (Apr. 27, 2026)
• News & Observer — Eco TIP lawsuit over Chatham data center moratorium (Apr. 27, 2026)
• Sanford Herald — Sanford approves data center regulations (Apr. 23, 2026)
• The Rant — Flock cameras show up in Sanford (Oct. 2, 2026)
• N.C. General Statutes, Article 3D — Automatic License Plate Reader Systems
• Sanford City Council minutes, special-called meeting (June 25, 2026)
• The Rant — Lee County primaries candidate Q&A (Feb. 9, 2026)

Paid for by Sandhills Citizens Alliance (www.sandhillscitizens.org). Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.