Greensboro voters narrowed the fields for the open District 2 and District 4 seats and set up a contest between incumbent Councilman Zack Matheny and challenger April Parker in District 3.
In District 2, community organizers Cecile Crawford and Monica Walker led the field in the race that will decide who succeeds retiring Councilwoman Goldie Wells.
With all precincts reporting, Crawford received 1,178 votes (49.35% of total vote) to Walker’s 596 votes (24.97%). Other candidates who ran in District 2 included Jim Kee, Irish Good and Anthony Wesley.
Attorney Adam Marshall and Nicky Smith, founder of the company Carolina Digital Phone, won the primaries in the District 4 race to fill the seat of retiring Councilwoman Nancy Hoffmann.
Marshall finished first with 4,078 votes (64.65%), while Smith was a distant second with 1,988 votes (31.52%). Steve Ignac also ran in the primary.
Finally, District 3 Councilman Zack Matheny is headed to the general election once again, where he will face challenger April Parker.
Matheny finished with a narrow lead over Parker, receiving 3,529 votes (49.71%) to Parker’s 3,379 votes (47.6%). Mohamed Bashir also ran in the District 3 race.
All election night results are unofficial until the Guilford County Board of Election canvasses the vote next week.
Here’s a look at the candidates moving on the Nov. 4 general election.
District 2
The finalists in the race for the District 2 seat share several similarities.
Both Cecile Crawford, 53, and Monica Walker, 67, say that believe the greatest challenge facing District 2 is a history of neglect that has resulted in inequities in areas such as housing, infrastructure and economic development.
Both candidates say the city needs to take a more proactive approach to addressing the problems in the district. And each of the candidates points to their community organizing experience in making the case they are the one for the job.
Crawford, who previously ran for the District 2 seat in 2022, is the program director of the social justice nonprofit American Friends Service Committee North Carolina.
Through its affiliated group, Keep Gate City Housed, Crawford has advocated for fair housing conditions, eviction prevention and tenant protections.
Walker serves as the president of the Gorrell Street Neighborhood Association and is also a founder of the Guilford Anti-Racist Alliance and leader in the Racial Equity Institute.
District 3
Councilman Zack Matheny will have a shot at another term in this year’s general election.
Matheny, 52, has described himself as a results-oriented leader who has played a role in major economic development efforts both downtown and throughout Greensboro.
“Throughout my two decades of service, I’ve remained accessible, responsive, and committed to all residents,” Matheny said in a questionnaire. “I believe leadership means being present, being prepared and getting results—and that’s exactly what I intend to continue delivering.”
On council, Matheny has also positioned himself as an advocate for accountability, particularly when it comes to initiatives addressing homelessness or building affordable housing.
Throughout my two decades of service, I’ve remained accessible, responsive, and committed to all residents. I believe leadership means being present, being prepared, and getting results—and that’s exactly what I intend to continue delivering.
In September, he voted against the sale of the former Regency Inn property for a 114-unit development, in part because he did not believe it was right to sell the land for $350,000 when the city had invested more than $3 million in the land.
While he has been supportive of City Manager Trey Davis’ plan to add at least 10,000 new homes to the city in the next five years, Matheny voted against a rezoning that allows for an 8-unit townhome development in New Irving Park in April.
Matheny, himself a New Irving Park resident, argued the development would not be compatible with the land use in the community.
Matheny has also been a target of criticism over his employment as president of the taxpayer-funded nonprofit Downtown Greensboro Inc. while also serving as a city council member.
Critics, including some local business owners and activists, say that Matheny’s dual role, and his relationships with prominent developers, create conflicts of interest and may skirt ethical or even legal boundaries.
As the criticism of Matheny heightened this summer, the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation announced in late June they had opened an investigation into a member of the Greensboro City Council.
The SBI has not identified the subject of the investigation. Matheny has said as recently as Sept. 4 that he has not been contacted by the agency.
Matheny has denied any wrongdoing, saying in July: “I think the personal attacks that I’ve absorbed over the last three years are just really immature, baseless personal attacks with absolutely no substance except vitriol.”
He has received support from fellow council members and city attorneys when critics have asked Matheny to recuse from votes on certain contracts.
Parker has pledged to offer an alternative to Matheny, writing in a questionnaire: “The best compliment I’ve received on the campaign trail is: “You couldn’t be more different than your opponent.”
A former school librarian who now runs the small business Architect of Black Space, Parker, 42, has said she will offer greater transparency and accountability while also uplifting the needs of groups she feels Matheny has overlooked.
“As elected leadership, we must respond with policies that protect everyday people and prioritize stability at the kitchen table of working families and our communities most vulnerable,” Parker said in a questionnaire.
District 4
Marshall, 43, has said he offers the city both experience and also, by virtue of being younger than current council members and his opponents in the race, “represent(s) a generational change on council.”
He said he has gained insight into the workings of city government through his current role as a member of the ABC Board as well as previous service on such boards as the Greensboro Criminal Justice Advisory Commission, Greensboro Zoning Commission and Greensboro Human Relations Commission.
Smith, 69, in contrast, has emphasized his business background, saying that it gives him a different perspective that would be valuable on the council.
Smith has been critical of the current city council on issues such as taxes and certain zoning decisions. Some council members have made clear they aren’t fans of Smith, either.
In January, Smith applied for appointment to the vacant at-large seat created by the death of Mayor Pro Tem Yvonne Johnson.
Smith said his goal was to serve in the at-large seat so he could gain council experience while running in District 4.
When Smith made his case to council, he received a vocal response from council members who for the most part remained silent while other applicants presented.
Hoffmann, the District 4, incumbent called out Smith on a range of issues, including his views on annexation and addressing the homeless crisis.
Mayor Nancy Vaughan said the city had received complaints that Smith failed to take precautions in his workplace during the pandemic and at one fake coughed in an elevator.
Hoffmann and Vaughan were also particularly critical of Smith’s voting record. Hoffmann pointed out that he had only voted in two of the five most recent city elections, adding: “We want somebody who shows up 100% of the time, not 40%.”
Council members faced some pushback from Smith and others after the council voted to appoint Jamilla Pinder, who had only voted in one city election, to the vacant seat.
Smith defended himself against the accusations, specifically denying that he ever fake coughed in an elevator.
Regarding his voting record, Smith said: “The municipal elections are difficult because sometimes they don’t really make any difference what you vote because there’s not much on the slate to vote for.”
Smith also addressed the comments from council members on his website, writing: “The people of Greensboro deserve leaders who debate policy with integrity—not personal attacks, misrepresentations, and cheap political shots.”
In contrast, Marshall has received the backing of several prominent local leaders. His website touts endorsements from Hoffmann, former U.S. Rep. Kathy Manning and the Greensboro Police Officers Association.
kevin.griffin@greensboro.com
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