Council candidates take center stage at forum
Tuesday evening, the Lexington Area Chamber of Commerce (LACC) and Davidson Local hosted the first of their three forums for candidates that will appear on the May 17th ballots. Six of the eight candidates running for four council seats were in attendance.
Before questions were presented by co-moderators Atalia Cardenas, Sherraine Lockhart McLean and Willie Edwards, each candidate was given a two-minute introduction.
Esther Adams-Neely (Ward 1) 1969 Lexington Senior High (LSHS) graduate, college graduate, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, active in her church
Keith Curry (Ward1 1) - live in Ward 1 over 30 years, pastor for over 20 years, educator, served on Lexington Strategic Planning committee, former board member for Thomasville Medical Center and Lexington Parks and Recreation Advisory Board
Jim Myers (Ward 2) - lifelong resident of Davidson County, graduate of LSHS and North Carolina State University, father of two, grandfather of four, retired from Lexington Home Brands as Senior Vice President, member of United Methodist Church since 1958, former city councilor, Order of the Long Leaf Pine recipient, member of many community organizations
Brent Wall (Ward 3) - born and raised in Lexington, 1995 LSHS graduate, married for 22 years, two sons in college, daughter in Lexington City Schools(LCS). current Ward 3 LCS board of education representative, barber, insurance broker, loves to serve people and his city
Matt Welborn (Ward 3) - born and raised in Lexington, married with three sons, active member of First Presbyterian Church, foundation board member for Davidson-Davie Community College (DDCC), Eagle scout, graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill and DDCC
John Burke (Ward 4) - fortunate to be a member of a family that has a long history of dedication and service to the community, married with three sons, environmental engineer, always been dedicated to volunteering, three greatest assets - passion to serve, learn and understand and build relationships across the community, hopes people will take time to learn more about him
Julia Dunn (Ward 4) - lifelong resident of Lexington, graduate of LSHS and UNC-Chapel Hill, for the past 40 years she’s been a strong advocate for children and families, believes education is the key to leveling the playing field, removing barriers, empowering people to be productive citizens, wants to see positive collaboration with school, city and county governments, proud of economic growth city has experienced and wants to be part of it.
Vivian Royal (Ward 1) and Tyleata Jones (Ward 2) were not present at the forum.
Instead of proposing questions to all candidates, the co-moderators asked candidates from each ward a different question. There were three rounds of questioning. Once one round was completed, candidates were posed the same question which they all answered.
Below are the questions asked of each ward’s candidates in the first round. Snippets of the answers are taken directly from candidates quotes.
Ward 1 - Do you believe the business community and continued investment in Uptown Lexington are primary drivers for Lexington and Davidson County? If so or if not, why?
Adams-Neely - yes; feel we need shopping centers to attract businesses that are surrounding Davidson County; they would bring people from other people from counties to shop in Lexington; they would be open later than Uptown Lexington; would give us a a variety of places to shop and eat
Curry - yes; businesses strengthen our community; continue to place and emphasis on Uptown so it’s more vibrant and popular; this strengthens us morally and as a whole
Ward 2 - How would you utilize your talents, skills, and vision to move the community forward?”
Myers - very enthusiastic and passionate about Lexington; always a cheerleader; keeps things moving and going; knows how to manage and organize a budget; “between my enthusiasm and talents I can keep the community moving forward”
Ward 3 - What does regionalism mean to you and how can we partner with other counties and municipalities to do more with our collective resources and strengths?”
Wall - regionalism is a collective area outside of your area; can feed off other organizations to help build your area; you can grow based off knowledge and experience off of other people in your area
Welborn - “working together with our neighboring communities whenever possible”; can create time savings and budget savings; “its important for everyone in our area and region to work together and get along
Ward 4 - “What does improving Lexington mean to you and how can our unique identity reflect both our heritage and focus on the future?”
Burke - key to improving Lexington is maintaining, supporting and growing our manufacturing and technology base; we won’t be able to sustain without one; Egger coming in showed us what can happen with that; make sure we’re building relationships across our community; “Sunday is our most divided day and we need to work on that.”
Dunn - I love we’re a small town and we have a small town feel; always been surrounded by bigger municipalities; Uptown is vibrant; have attracted unique businesses Uptown; grow business base which will grow tax base; be cognizant of aging population
One of the questions asked to all candidates was: What do you believe the role of a City Council member is as it relates to Lexington City Schools?” Snippets of each candidates answers are taken directly from their quotes.
Adams-Neely - “children of today will be adults of tomorrow”; reach out to LCS and find out what’s lacking'; make changes and be opening minded; prepare children for the real world
Curry - have to be in partnership together, it’s essential; “prepare them to work or give back to this community”; have internships within city government
Myers - “state pays teachers, county builds the building, city has a supplemental tax”; doesn’t think the city should necessarily provide anymore financial aid; should be supportive and reach out to see how we can be more helpful; likes the internship idea
Wall - “all relationships start with a conversation”; city should play a role; they’re the future tax base; find a balance to see if it works; if it’s bringing up our city then why not; apprenticeships and internships should be offered
Welborn - “a strong school system is vital to our success as a city”; be a partner and supporter; continue to grow our tax base
Burke - “make sure we’re advocating for our school system and leaders”; have LCS superintendent provide state of school system to council twice a year; have principals come to council meetings and give updates on what’s taking place in schools; internships in city government
Dunn - “LCS and the city are two separate entities”; important to have vibrant and positive relationships; be open to how we can best serve students potentially through parks and recreation, fire safety, career fairs, etc.
The forum can viewed in its entirety on Davidson Local’s Facebook page. Click here to watch.
The LACC and Davidson Local will host their next forum Tuesday, April 19 at 6pm at the Edward C. Smith Civic Center. Lexington Mayoral candidates will be in attendance to answer questions previously submitted by community members.
