New Fayetteville City Council members look to focus on public safety, housing issues

The Fayetteville City Council has four new voices.

Mario “Be” Benavente, Deno Hondros, Brenda McNair, and Derrick Thompson were sworn in Thursday night, after being elected to the council on July 26. They join Mayor Mitch Colvin and council members Kathy Jensen, Shakeyla M. Ingram, D.J. Haire, Johnny Dawkins, and Courtney Banks-McLaughlin, who were all reelected.

The mayor and council members took the oaths of office during a special meeting in J.W. Seabrook Auditorium at Fayetteville State University. The meeting was broadcast on the city's Facebook page.

After the oaths of office, the council elected Dawkins as mayor pro tem. Haire made the motion for Dawkins, which was seconded by Thompson.

'Vote yes': Effort to change Fayetteville City Council hits snag. Here's what's next.

Market House: Fayetteville council OKs approval to repurpose racially sensitive symbol

Before the vote, Benavente spoke against Dawkins and pointed out that Banks-McLaughlin had asked council members to support her for the position.

"I believe she deserves equal consideration," he said.

Banks-McLaughlin had sought support for mayor pro tem during her remarks after taking the oath. During the discussion on Haire's motion, she sought a friendly amendment to add her name as a nominee, but Haire did not accept it.

The vote for Haire's motion was 6-4 with Haire, Thompson, Colvin, Dawkins, Hondros, and Jensen in favor.

Banks-McLaughlin, Benavente, Ingram, and McNair voted against the motion.

In interviews before the meeting, the new council members said they want to focus on issues such as crime and housing.

District 3

Less than 10 hours before he took the oath of office, a recount at the Cumberland County Board of Elections confirmed that Benavente won the District 3 seat by a narrow margin of six votes over incumbent Antonio Jones. More than 2,000 ballots were cast in the district.

Jones was appointed to the seat in December after former Councilwoman Tisha Waddell resigned, alleging unethical behavior by several members of the City Council. 

District 3 includes the Hillendale, Lakecrest, Holly Springs, Kornbow, Cottonade, and parts of Shaw neighborhoods.

“I plan for Thursday to be day one of representing District 3,” Benavente said.

Benavente is a lifelong resident of District 3 and recently earned his law degree from N.C. Central University. He helped found the Fayetteville Millennial Advisory Commission, and is a member of the Board of Directors for the E.E. Smith Alumni Association

Improving public safety was the No. 1 priority of Benavente’s campaign, he said.

On Monday night, the council heard from the families of two people killed in shootings by law enforcement officers — Jason Walker and Jada Johnson, Benavente said.

District 3: Mario Benavente wins District 3 City Council election over Councilman Antonio B. Jones

Walker was an unarmed 37-year-old Black man shot and killed on Jan. 8 in Fayetteville by off-duty Cumberland County Sheriff's Lt. Jeffrey Hash. Hash told investigators he shot Walker in self-defense and a special prosecutor declined to pursue charges in the case.

Johnson, 22, was fatally shot by a Fayetteville police officer on July 1 at her grandfather’s home on Colgate Drive after Johnson reported a group of men tried to break into the house.

While officers were at the home, Johnson, who her family says feared for her life after a breakup, pulled out a handgun and put it to her head. Her family denies she was a threat to anyone else.

“Their families spoke passionately about the difficulties of not seeing justice,” Benavente said.

During a recess of Monday night’s meeting, Benavente said most of the city council members expressed condolences to Walker’s and Johnson’s families.

“I think it’s important to bring this to a City Council work session and hope the other members of the council will think back on the conversations with the Walker and Johnson families,” he said.

He said that an upcoming task for the council will be providing input about a new police chief to the city manager after current Chief Gina Hawkins retires in January.

“It’ll be up to us to be on the cutting edge of how law enforcement and public safety goes forward in the community,” he said.

He said police shouldn’t be expected to take on roles of social workers or mental health professionals because work in vulnerable communities should occur before the police are called.

Benavente said he still thinks an independent civilian oversight committee should review allegations of police misconduct.

“It’s something I’ll advocate for during my tenure on the council and hope the rest of the council will reconcile because that’s one of the things the families of Jason Walker and Jada Johnson said they wanted,” he said.

Benavente said he thinks housing, preventing gentrification, and focusing on poverty should be other council focuses, too. He said he thinks longstanding members of communities should have input if areas near their neighborhoods are developed.

A big priority is to make sure an area like District 3, which includes Murchison Road, has good investments and the city is not “just throwing money there.”

There are future opportunities with the Murchison Choice Neighborhood Program, Benavente said.

The Murchison Choice Neighborhood Plan was established in December 2020 in partnership with the Fayetteville Metropolitan Housing Authority after the city was awarded grant funding through the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The investment, Benavente, said, should preserve the legacy of historic neighborhoods, prevent gentrification and ensure longtime residents their children, and grandchildren are invested to make it a viable location while also benefiting from all the investments coming.

For other residents, Benavente said he recognizes that there is a housing crisis and shortage as rent increases.

Struggling to pay rent compounded with predatory real estate practices can spiral, he said.

Benavente said he’s interested in council discussions about the potential for workforce housing that would allow residents to pay rent based on their income.

“I’ve heard too many stories of folks sleeping in their cars, living week to week in places like hotels, or people in our school system in homeless situations,” he said. “It’ll likely get worse if we don’t start focusing on the folks who are on the verge of homelessness.”

District 9

Denos Hondros was elected to replace first-term Councilwoman Yvonne Kinston in District 9.

District 9 includes Campground, Devonwood, Murray Fork, and The Villas neighborhoods.

Hondros is a commercial real estate broker and has served on the Fayetteville Storm Water Advisory Board.

“I am humbled, excited, and ready to get to work,” Hondros said. “I think collectively as a new council we have a lot of good ideas and bring a lot to the table.”

Fayetteville City Council: Yvonne Kinston ousted by challenger Deno Hondros in District 9

Hondros said that during his campaign, he heard resident concerns about speeding, public safety, and the number of homicides in Fayetteville.

“I think with most of the conversations, folks want to see laws on the books enforced instead of creating new laws,” he said.

Hondros said finding a new police chief for Fayetteville will be about “finding the right fit” for the community.

“I think we have some talent here and there are pros and cons to promoting from within,” he said. “I think one of the qualifications to consider is, are they familiar with the community. I’m curious to see what applicants, if any, are local and how they fare with other potential applicants.”

Another matter Hondros said he is passionate about is the local housing shortage.

“One of my platforms was workforce housing,” he said. “I think we can improve upon our existing workforce housing and housing market in general.”

He estimated that the Fayetteville area is 20,000 housing units short.

“I think we can look at ordinances, and a way to make a positive impact is not by creating more restrictions but rather looking at current ordinances to see if there’s anything we can streamline,” he said.

Hondros said other concerns he’d like to discuss with council members are stormwater issues and the infrastructure in areas still damaged by past hurricanes.

“It’ll be interesting to see what this council chooses as its focuses,” he said. “The folks I’ve spoken to, incumbents and newly elected council members, have a lot of great ideas. I think it’s a great group to make a positive impact on the city.”

District 7

Brenda McNair is a political newcomer who beat incumbent Larry Wright for the District 7 seat.

District 7 includes Brentwood, Cliffdale, Glenbrook, Hawthorne, Hunters Crossing, Marlboro, Mayfair, Remington, Southgate, and Woodchase.

McNair is the chief executive officer of McNair Heating & Air Repair and has been a real estate investor, bail bond officer, and minister.

McNair said Thursday that she feels called to serve her family and her community.

"I feel like I just stepped into my calling to a higher level," she said.

She said she wants to connect with her constituents.

"I want to hear from them," she said.

District 7: Brenda McNair defeats incumbent Larry Wright in Fayetteville City Council District 7 race

Residents need to know about the opportunities available to them, including education, housing, business grants, and other grants, McNair said.

"We need to be more intentional about getting the information out," she said.

McNair said she wants those who are looking for work to know about jobs that are available. Young people want positions that pay well, she said.

Honesty and transparency are also important, McNair said.

"This is a nonpartisan office I hold so I'm going to treat it that way," she said.

McNair said she also wants the council to deal with mental health issues, homelessness, and crime.

"We've got a lot that we've got to work on," she said.

District 6

Derrick Thompson, an Army veteran, and U.S. Post Office retiree, defeated Peter Pappas for the District 6 seat.

District 6 includes Asbury, Beaver Creek, Canterbury, Hickory Grove, Meadowwood, Porter Place, Runnymeade, Springfield Crossing, Wells, and Westgate.

Thompson said on Thursday afternoon that he wanted to take office before talking about the issues on which he wants to focus. He previously said that District 6 needs funding for bridges, streets, lakes, and stormwater systems.

More: Derrick Thompson wins District 6 seat on Fayetteville City Council

Thompson has said he is concerned about stormwater issues, especially since some neighborhoods in his district flood every time it rains and that there isn't enough space in his district for new businesses because of housing and stormwater issues.

He previously said he decided to run in part because of his work running the Home Owners Association in the Rayconda neighborhood. He said residents there told him that they liked his ideas.

He supports rezoning areas to develop affordable housing, attracting high-paying jobs and industries, and promoting tourism.

Thompson previously said he thinks more police officers should be hired and provided with better training and pay increases.

“We also need stricter gun laws and harder punishment for severe gun crimes,” he said.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: New Fayetteville City Council members to focus on crime, housing