Gary Sides was sworn into the Union County Board of Commissioners on December 2, 2024. He has a long-standing dedication to public service and community engagement in Union County. He was appointed to the Stallings Town Council from 2004 to 2005. He was later elected to the Union County Board of Education in 2014, a role he proudly served for a decade before joining the Board of County Commissioners. 

Commissioner Sides graduated from the University of Illinois with a Bachelor of Science in Finance. Sides is a former small business owner. He established Marshall Insurance in 2001 and grew it from a spare bedroom into a successful business before selling it in 2023.

Commissioner Sides and his wife Myra are former foster parents and are now the proud parents of three adopted children. Their eldest son serves in the U.S. Army in Anchorage, Alaska. 

A Texas native born in Fort Worth, Sides now calls Monroe home. He enjoys serving as a volunteer reading buddy with Union County Public Schools’ “Read with U” program, attending local high school sporting events, and going to the beach.