James Taylor, who came in a close second in the Democratic primary for the Southeast Ward seat on the Winston-Salem City Council and then beat one-term incumbent Evelyn Terry in a runoff race, faces a challenge from Republican Chuck Woolard in the Nov. 3 general election. Taylor is the most qualified candidate for the seat.
Woolard, 66, like the other Republican candidates running for the city council, is critical of the council's approval of millions of dollars in incentives for Dell Inc., which is closing its computer plant here in January, and its double dose of financial backing for the downtown baseball stadium. Woolard, a retired businessman, says he believes that the council didn't properly scrutinize either project. Those deals, as well as his opposition to forced annexation, motivated him to run for the council, he said.
But Woolard's background makes him unqualified to vote on complex financial deals. He has a 1991 misdemeanor forgery conviction that he said was the result of investing clients' funds without their signatures when he worked as a life-insurance agent. "It was a mistake," he said this week. He also has thousands of dollars in liens against him dating from 1992 to this year. Woolard attributes most of those problems to a woman who worked for his construction company who has been charged with embezzlement, though the charges stem from incidents that took place last year. He added that his wife has a serious illness that has adversely affected him financially.
Taylor, a 28-year-old juvenile-court counselor, has a fresh approach. He talks of learning from the past, but moving forward. Incentives are sometimes necessary, he said, but he would have liked to have seen the money spent on Dell and the ballpark instead spread among several businesses, especially small, homegrown companies. Still, he says he looks forward to taking his children to games at the new stadium.
He said that the city must concentrate on retraining efforts for the Dell workers. The city should also have an emergency fund for them and the victims of disasters, such as this past summer's fire at the Alder's Point apartment complex, he said.
He says he believes that the city's agreement with Dell means that it will recoup most, if not all, of its incentives. "The important thing is that the taxpayer dollars were protected, and we can move forward," he said.
His community involvement includes service as the vice chairman of the citizens committee that reviewed the Winston-Salem Police Department's handling of the Jill Marker beating case. Kalvin Smith has maintained his innocence since being convicted and sent to prison. "Based on my opinion, I feel like there was an injustice that was committed," Taylor has said.
He said that as a council member, his interests would include wanting to see more police patrols in the Southeast Ward to combat drugs, prostitution, gangs and graffiti. He would also like to see more people own their homes.
Taylor could be an important new voice on the council. The Winston-Salem Journal endorses James Taylor for the Southeast Ward council seat.
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