Evelyn Terry faces challenges from two fellow Democrats, Jimmy Boyd and James Taylor, for her Southeast Ward seat on the Winston-Salem City Council. The winner of the primary Sept. 15 then faces Chuck Woolard, the only Republican challenger in this race, in the general election Nov. 3. Terry is the most qualified candidate in the Democratic primary for this seat.
Boyd, 60, grew up in Winston-Salem. He attended Winston-Salem State University and is a retired city police sergeant. He owns a bail-bonding company and is the president of the local chapter of the NAACP. If he wins the seat, he said his priorities will be economic development, restoring historic homes, supporting small business and promoting transparency in city government. He wants to keep the city tax rate stable without reducing the quality of services.
Boyd, whom Terry narrowly beat in the 2005 Democratic primary, said that the city council should have put in place the citizens' committee overseeing the downtown ballpark long before it did. There should have also been a committee overseeing the allocation of incentives to the Dell computer plant, he said. All incentives should be scrutinized, he said.
Taylor, 28, grew up in the Southeast Ward. He holds a degree in criminal justice from N.C. Central University and is a juvenile-court counselor. He wants to see more police patrols in the ward to combat gangs, drugs, prostitution and graffiti. He's glad the Dell plant is here, he said, but wants the company to be more forthcoming about its employment numbers. Incentives are sometimes necessary, he said, but they should be studied cautiously.
The council should have given the ballpark project closer scrutiny from the start, he said, but now, with greater oversight and the city in the ownership spot, it can be a success.
Taylor's community involvement includes service as the vice chairman of the citizens' committee that reviewed the police department's handling of the Jill Maker beating case. Kalvin Smith has maintained his innocence since being convicted in 1997 and sent to prison. "Based on my opinion, I feel like there was an injustice that was committed," Taylor said of Smith's conviction.
Terry, 65, grew up here, holds a master's degree from Appalachian State University and has been an administrator at Winston-Salem State University, the Housing Authority of Winston-Salem and the Experiment in Self-Reliance. She has led the Southside Community Development Corporation. She's long been active in the community.
She won the Southeast Ward seat after her husband, Fred Terry, decided not to run for re-election. Evelyn Terry, the vice chairwoman of the public-works committee, works hard and seems truly interested in serving her constituents. She said she's worked with the Waughtown Business Association on economic development in her ward.
On the ballpark, she believes that the council did the best it could, but there is always room for improvement. She said it will attract business, revitalization and "the creative class."
She's not as confident that Dell, the beneficiary of an incentives deal that the council approved before she came on board, will be a success. "I'm hopeful, but I'm also realistic," she said, adding that she supports the careful use of incentives.
The winner of the primary faces Woolard, 65, on Nov. 3. He's been a vocal critic of the city's handling of ballpark deal.
Terry could engage him on that issue and others. The Journal endorses Evelyn Terry in the Democratic primary for the Southeast Ward seat.
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