Meet Tracy
My name is Tracy Story, and I am proud to say that I was born and raised right here in Halifax County. I am an Unaffiliated candidate for the office of Sheriff. Since registering to vote, I have always been an Unaffiliated voter. I was taught that if you want to impact change in every election and primary that Unaffiliated allowed you the opportunity to do that.
I have friends that are Democrat, and I have friends that are Republican. While sometimes we don’t agree, I pride myself in being able to be respectful of others' opinions.
I don’t believe in party lines. I believe that we need to do what's best for the people, NOT what is best for politics. True progress takes great communication and understanding. Point of views can be disagreed with in a respectful manner. My goal is to work alongside everyone regardless of party or politics.
It is my opinion that the position of Sheriff is one that should not be of a party. That position should represent all people neutrally and impartially.
I am also proud to say that I am self funded and refuse to accept any campaign contributions. We live in a very low income county. I have experienced living paycheck to paycheck in my lifetime and refuse to ask citizens to pay for signs and other campaign costs. The average per capita income here is less than $30k. Feeding your family and being able to cover the ever growing cost of living is way more important than paying for someone’s campaign expenses.
Being self funded is also a way to avoid the “you owe me favors” scenario. Any assistance I am able to help one citizen with will extend to all citizens no matter age, race, religion, sex, political affiliation or financial status and will never be attributed to funding any campaign for me.
Educational Accomplishments
High School Equivalency GED Halifax Community College 1995
Leadership and Management Training Seminars 98-2008
Criminal Justice Certificate Nash Community College 2024
Notable Awards
Roanoke Valley Chamber New Business Owner of the Year 2010
Roanoke Valley Community Champion Finalist 2016
Optimist Club Jay Harris Friend of Youth Award 2023-2024
Haliwa-Saponi Indian Tribe Rev. C.H. Richardson Friend of the Haliwa-Saponi Award 2024
Halifax Community College Community Bridge Builder Award 2024
WITN Eastern North Carolina Hometown Hero Award 2025
Roanoke Valley Chamber Hometown Hero Award 2025
The American Legion Department of North Carolina Children and Youth Service Award 2025
Physical Accomplishments/ Hobbies
Bo Dan Black Belt Tae Kwon Do 2016
Spartan Race Ultra World Championship Iceland 2017
Firearms/ Marksmanship
Crossfit Training/ Spartan Training
Golf
Martial Arts
Why am I running?
Last election, I supported a friend who ran for Sheriff. I had the pleasure of being sworn in as a deputy by him and worked part time for our citizens. After his loss, I was driven to run for Sheriff. I reached out to him and others during this time, including the current Sheriff, to inform them that I planned to run. One of the commitments I made was that I would run on my platform of beliefs and abilities. That I would speak of changes that my team and I would make and that I would run a positive campaign. I believe that I have done that so far and that I will continue to do so. That doesn’t mean that I won’t address the issues, it means I will avoid unprofessional politically driven personal attacks, and I will stay focused on the needs of the people.
I am someone that believes I have more than enough positives of my own and that my drive, abilities and compassion are enough for me to compete for the position without any public negativity against my opponent. Fear and weakness drive negativity, and I have none of those negative qualities in me. I want folks to vote for me because of my positives and abilities, not for slander campaigns and being disrespectful to my opponent. That is not who I am or who I need to be.
As this journey has been ongoing now for several years, my drive and reasons for running have grown expeditiously. I have seen the rise in crime. I have experienced this first hand as, only a few months ago, a young man shot a gun into my place of business during the work day. I truly never thought that would happen in our community. I have paid attention to the rise in drug abuse and the decrease in mental health. I've seen arguments turn to murder. I know of families who lost loved ones to drugs and violence. Those with family members missing are left with unanswered questions. Many families feeling as though their loved ones have been forgotten. We CAN and MUST do better!
How am I qualified?
I think its important to discuss this question.
Why do I believe I am the best candidate to be your Sheriff.? I am bringing 30+ years of executive leadership, personnel and business management and a community first mindset to this position. I have a lifetime of love and respect for law enforcement and served as a part-time deputy under a previous administration. With over 100 combined years, my team of Bruce Temple, Jay Burch and Karl Clark more than cover what law enforcement experience some may think I lack. The Sheriff’s job is not writing tickets, it's not arresting burglars. The Sheriff’s job is to manage that office and to make sure the best people are in the best positions to serve our citizens. It's to manage a budget and other executive responsibilities. The head of counter terrorism doesn’t know how to disarm a bomb, what he does know is how to recruit and hire the best men and women for that position that can!
It's building a team of professionals and leading them! Making sure every deputy, detention officer, administrator and specialized units are working to their full potential and setting positive examples for others. Working within budgets while performing to the highest expectations. Developing tomorrow's leaders today is essential.
A strong business leader is also experienced in identifying inefficiencies, restructuring operations, improving workflow and focusing on real results! Results that are not only noticeable to the team but most importantly, are impacting our citizens in a way that promotes safety and quality of life!
When you have a strong background in management, leadership, community engagement and a strong understanding of the law, it more than qualifies you for the office of Sheriff. North Carolina and the majority of other states understand the importance of not creating a shallow pond of potential candidates; they know it takes more than a law enforcement background to do the job.
Think about this, one of our previous representatives came from a background of a small business owner and then a town commissioner before running for his position. We have had another representative that came from a teaching and education background before being elected. We've seen town mayors that were business owners with no prior experience, take that role and excel.
For reference, here's a list of offices that require no experience.....
Mayor
City Council Member
County Commissioner
School Board Member
Sanitation Board
County Clerk
Sheriff
District Attorney (only requirement is license)
Lieutenant Governor
Governor
Attorney General (in most states, only requirement is license)
Secretary of State (state level)
State Treasurer
United States Senate
Vice President of the United States
President of the United States
Why do you think this is? It's called DEMOCRACY. It's what our system is founded on. Voters decide whose qualified. This system prevents power monopolies and allows for grassroot and reform-minded candidates to impact change. It allows for professionals from different backgrounds to take part and to improve the system. America was founded on the belief that government should be of the people, by the people and for the people, not government should only be ran by the certified elites of society.
My commitment to you is this…
WE WILL HAVE SAFER STREETS AND NEIGHBORHOODS! You will see attention to every single neighborhood in Halifax County like you have never seen before! We will have a noticeable presence in every high crime area! We will saturate these areas with a coordinated effort that encompasses police, sheriff and others to drive criminals out and bring the days of peace back! THIS WILL BEGIN DAY 1!
WE WILL RUN DRUG DEALERS AND GANGS OUT OF OUR COMMUNITIES! We have allowed these criminals to get comfortable! Those days will be over! You will see a group of men and women with a new found urgency! I am extremely proud of the deputies in our multi-agency task force, but where are the days of our own gang/drug unit kicking ass? I want to see not only the task force working on long term investigations and big busts in and around Halifax County, but I also want to see our own gang/drug unit working daily and driving fear into these criminals right here! We need weekly arrests and results! We can do both! THIS WILL BEGIN DAY 1!
WE WILL BRING HOPE BACK TO FAMILIES WHOM HAVE LOST LOVED ONES! We will bring in any agency or person that's willing to help bring these families closure. We have become a society of worrying too much about who gets the credit for this and that. I don’t care who gets the credit! The families deserve answers! I’ve listened to the family members' stories. I’ve met the babies growing up without moms and dads. I've seen parents burying their children. I've talked with families who lost their elderly loved ones to heinous crimes. These cases have to be worked more astutely and dillegently! Consistency matters! To do that, it requires a higher expectation and level of care! I will expect regular updates on cases! I will expect progress and care! I will hold our men and women accountable to their work and results! In order to impact lives and to create change, you as the leader have to lead by example, and I will do just that! Our work will be second to none! THIS WILL BEGIN DAY 1!
IT'S TIME FOR PROACTIVE, NOT REACTIVE!
To those that say I’m just talking and that these things can’t be done, that I am showing lack of experience by stating these things and making these commitments…. Well, that's a big part of the problem with our society. Our expectations are too low, we don't have enough heart and care in the work we do and that has made many leaders complacent and ineffective. People will sit behind a computer screen and talk but don't and won't do anything positive and/or productive! And to be honest, our citizens should be asking why these commitments haven’t been made before now!
Simply said, I’d rather die trying than live wondering what could have been! I hope that everyone remembers these commitments, because as we progress, I want everyone to realize we are delivering everything we committed to and more! I’m going to give y'all absolutely everything I have!