Michael Yaniero (Jacksonville City Council At-Large, North Carolina, candidate 2025)
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Michael Yaniero is running for election to the Jacksonville City Council At-Large in North Carolina. Yaniero is on the ballot in the general election on November 4, 2025.[source]
Yaniero completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
[1]Biography
Michael Yaniero provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on September 29, 2025:
- High school: Bristol Tennessee High School
- Bachelor's: East Tennessee State University, 1982
- Graduate: East Tennessee State University, 1994
- Profession: Retired
- Incumbent officeholder: No
- Campaign website
Elections
General election
The general election will occur on November 4, 2025.
General election for Jacksonville City Council At-Large (2 seats)
Cindy Edwards, Amity Holland, and Michael Yaniero are running in the general election for Jacksonville City Council At-Large on November 4, 2025.
Candidate | ||
| Cindy Edwards (Nonpartisan) | ||
 | Amity Holland (Nonpartisan)  | |
| Michael Yaniero (Nonpartisan) | ||
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Endorsements
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Campaign themes
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Michael Yaniero completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Yaniero's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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In 1994, I was appointed Deputy Chief of Police for the Bristol Tennessee Police Department. A decade later, I began his tenure in Jacksonville, North Carolina, as Police Chief, and in 2012, became the City’s first Public Safety Director. I retired in 2025 after more than four decades of distinguished service as a law enforcement officer. I hold a B.S. in Criminal Justice and a Master’s in Police Studies from East Tennessee State University. I am graduate of the FBI National Academy and the Police Executive Research Forum’s Senior Management Institute for Police. I am certified by the American College of Forensic Examiners as a Law Enforcement Expert and is a nationally registered Paramedic, having served 20 years as a flight medic with Virginia State Police Med Flight II.
I have received a number accolades for our work to include:
• Attorney General’s Dogwood Award • FBI Director’s Community Policing Award • CALEA Egon Bittner Award • Order of the Long Leaf Pine • 2012 Jacksonville-Onslow Man of the Year
• The Sons of the American Revolution Law- I want to ensure smart, sustainable growth that supports military families, strengthens small businesses, and protects our quality of life.
- I’m committed to youth outreach, public safety innovation, and economic development—because these are the pillars of a resilient, inclusive Jacksonville.
- I’ve built strong, respectful relationships with our military leadership—relationships grounded in mutual support and shared purpose. I pledge to deepen those ties and explore every opportunity to better serve our military members and their families. Their presence strengthens our city, and our policies must reflect that.
My life has taught me that nothing is more important than community service.
First and foremost, a City Council member must be a steward of the public trust. That means crafting policies that reflect our values, passing ordinances that protect our families, and approving budgets that invest wisely in our future. Every vote cast should be rooted in integrity, transparency, and a deep understanding of what matters most to the people we serve.
But governance isn’t just about legislation—it’s about listening. A council member must be the voice of their district, yes, but also the ears of the entire city. We must engage with our residents, attend community events, host town halls, and make sure every concern—whether it’s about a pothole or a planning permit—is heard and addressed.
We also have a duty to hold our city accountable. That means monitoring how departments perform, evaluating the effectiveness of our programs, and ensuring that taxpayer dollars are spent with purpose. We must ask the hard questions, demand results, and never settle for “good enough.”
In Jacksonville, our responsibilities go even deeper. We are a military town, a family town, a community that thrives on service and sacrifice. That’s why we must champion support for our military families—working with Camp Lejeune to improve housing, education, and transition services. We must invest in mental health and youth outreach, because prevention and compassion are the cornerstones of a healthy city.
We must also modernize how we grow—streamlining planning and permitting, improving infrastructure, and making sure our development is smart, sustainable, and inclusive. And we must support our small businesses, because they are the backbone of our economy and the heartbeat of our neighborhoods.
Senator Mike Lazzarra
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See also
2025 Elections
External links
Footnotes
