By Gordon Anderson | gordon@rantnc.com

UPDATE (OCTOBER 16): In a statement issued Thursday night, Taylor’s attorney said the State Ethics Commission has not initiated an investigation into the complaint and argued that the commission lacks jurisdiction because Taylor is neither a covered person nor a legislative employee. Thomas also confirmed that Taylor’s amended SEI identifies his real estate interests and two LLCs. The full statement is available here.

ORIGINAL STORY: Sanford City Councilman and Republican state House candidate Charles Taylor called Tuesday for the retraction of a news article alleging he failed to properly disclose real estate holdings, citing written guidance from the director of the North Carolina State Ethics Commission.

While the guidance confirms part of Taylor’s argument, the ethics director also recommended that he amend his disclosures to identify each property he owns individually. Taylor said Wednesday he’d submitted an amended filing.

The Assembly reported on Sunday that Taylor owns a property at 2101 Tramway Road where reporter Bryan Anderson wrote he found video gambling machines. The piece also reported that Taylor failed to report that ownership on his statement of economic interest, a form legislative candidates are required to file with the state.

On Monday, The Rant reported that a Lee County woman had filed an ethics complaint against Taylor for failing to disclose that property and properties in Greene County, as well as ownership stakes in a pair of businesses.

Taylor issued his statement on Tuesday, calling The Assembly story a “hit piece” and calling for a retraction.

“The online form that Taylor completed required him to identify the city and county where his properties are located. Taylor completed the form by listing that he owned property in Sanford, North Carolina, which is located in Lee County. He fulfilled the disclosure requirements and completed the entire online form provided,” the statement reads, going on to indicate that Jameson Marks, director of the State Ethics Commission, informed him in writing that he was “not required to list the addresses” of his properties.

“I complied fully with the disclosure,” Taylor wrote.

Taylor provided The Rant with Marks’ guidance, which was sent by email on Monday. While Marks confirmed that “disclosure of specific addresses is not required on the SEI,” he cited state law requiring disclosure of real estate interests, with descriptions sufficient to establish the city and county where each parcel is located.

“SEI reporting does require disclosure of all individual property ownership interests you have, although to reiterate the above, specific addresses for each property are not required,” Marks wrote. “Regardless of whether it was user error or an IT malfunction on our end, now that the property interest disclosure requirements have been clarified, I recommend that you file an amended SEI to individually reflect all property interests you own.”

Taylor checked “yes” on the SEI form in response to a question about whether he has any “ownership interest in North Carolina real estate (including your residence) with a market value of $10,000 or more.” He listed his own name, indicated his ownership stake at 100 percent, and identified the property as being in Sanford and Lee County.

Taylor personally owns three properties in Lee County and is listed as the founder of an LLC that owns two more. He also owns two properties in Greene County, which he did not include on his 2026 SEI form.

In a separate section asking about ownership interests in privately held businesses, including limited liability companies, Taylor checked “no.”

Taylor said on Wednesday that the Greene County properties were “an omission on my part” and that he had submitted an updated disclosure form for 2026.

In his email, Marks also acknowledged Taylor’s explanation that he’d been unable to find an option to list multiple properties when completing the online form. Marks said he understood the confusion and had asked commission staff to consider clarifying the instructions.

“The Ethics Commission’s e-filing system should include the option to add as many additional reporting entries as necessary. However, technology doesn’t always function as planned,” he wrote.

Taylor also claimed that his opponent in the November election, unaffiliated candidate April Montgomery, completed her disclosures in the same fashion, despite owning multiple properties in Lee County. Montgomery’s 2026 filing also lists property interests by city and county without providing street addresses. Unlike Taylor, however, she made two entries, identifying property interests in Sanford, Lee County, and Oak Island, Brunswick County. She also disclosed an ownership interest in REAP Holdings LLC.

“I filled out the SEI form to the best of my knowledge listing personal ownership of properties in Lee County and Brunswick County as well as my ownership in REAP Holdings, LLC,” Montgomery told The Rant.

House District 51 includes all of Lee County and part of Moore County.

The Assembly’s executive editor defended the publication’s reporting in an email to The Rant.

“Our reporting speaks for itself, as does Charles Taylor’s statement that he intends to update his disclosure form,” Kate Sheppard wrote. “The candidate has not raised any concerns to us about facts presented in our story.”