Fayetteville council race heats up between longtime incumbent, and social media savvy opponent

The race for Fayetteville City Council has been fairly low-key — not unusual in a local election that typically draws around an inexcusably low 12% voter turnout.

But I am seeing some sharp elbows thrown in the District 5 race between Johnny Dawkins, a longtime incumbent, and challenger Lynne Greene. In last month’s primary, Greene outpaced Dawkins in a surprise vote, winning 47% of the vote to Dawkins’ 36% in unofficial results for just over 1,900 ballots. The two will face off in the general election Nov. 7.

Dawkins told me Greene lied about him in an “awful” radio ad.

More: Pitts: What happened to Evans in Fayetteville mayor’s race? Why Colvin paced far ahead of field

“Like you, I pay the taxes that the incumbent keeps voting to increase,” she says at one point in the ad.

Dawkins said over email: “I have NEVER voted for a property tax rate increase. NEVER.”

He said Greene was “loose with the facts.”

He attached minutes from City Council meetings, where he voted with the minority of council members against votes that would have raised taxes. He later sent a text that said he voted no on four of eight city budgets because they would have raised taxes, including one this past June.

A tax by any other name?

I talked to Greene and was not surprised she views the situation differently. Specifically, she challenges the incumbent’s view on what exactly constitutes a tax increase.

More: Fayetteville Observer Voter Guide: Meet the Fayetteville City Council District 5 candidates

Greene said she stood by her radio ads.

She said she never said Dawkins voted for a budget that included a tax increase. She said he effectively did the same thing when he voted with the council for a referendum on municipal bonds where a 4-cent tax increase per $100 valuation was assumed. The bond money will help pay for police, fire and other public safety needs; housing programs; and infrastructure, such as new sidewalks.

Those were good bonds, by the way.)

But to Greene: “It’s a tax increase.”

She pointed to a blog she wrote on the subject titled, “Voters are not Stupid (Part 2).”

“It’s the way we view taxes, and tax increases,” she said.

However, Dawkins said this claim by Greene is also misleading. He voted with the council for a referendum that would let voters decide if they wanted the bonds, he said. Voters approved all three.

“That is not the same as voting for a tax increase,” he said. “She is still not being truthful.”

He said he voted against the budget that included the tax increase, he said.

Social media campaign

Greene’s campaign heavily incorporates social media; even my kids have seen her ads on YouTube. She is not the first council candidate to make capable use of social media — early runs by District 2 incumbent Shakeyla Ingram come to mind — but I believe Greene is showcasing how local elections will look more and more going forward.

Her tactics are of the in-your-face variety, which is more associated with statewide or Congressional campaigns, and which I also believe will become the norm locally.

Dawkins noted that Greene made copies of an article I wrote and included it in thousands of mailers that challenge his Fayetteville residency. In the story, I wrote about a large home he bought in Raleigh, after selling his Fayetteville home and renting a modest place here (“Does a Fayetteville councilman live near Raleigh? He says no, he’s just good to his mother-in-law,” The Fayetteville Observer).

“My wife and I reside on Millan Drive, and my mother-in-law resides on Competition Road in Raleigh,” Dawkins said. "My wife and I have lived and worked in Fayetteville for over 42 years.  WE DO NOT commute, as some have alleged, sadly.”

District 2 nail-biter?

Speaking of Shakeyla Ingram, she is facing her own tough challenge in first-time candidate Malik Davis. Davis was the top vote-getter in last month’s crowded District 2 primary, receiving 34% of the vote, with 520 votes. Ingram received 21%, or 319 votes.

I reached out to Ingram over text but did not hear back.

More: Ingram, Davis advance to general election for Fayetteville District 2 Council race

Davis told me had been greeting people at the early voting site at the county Board of Elections on Fountainhead Lane downtown. Another site is located at Cliffdale Recreation Center. Early voting goes through Saturday. The general election vote is next Tuesday; city voters will cast ballots at their local precincts.

The first-time candidate said turnout has seemed slow.

“A lot of people don’t realize they have to come back out and vote again,” Davis said. “That’s a little stressful. We don’t need just everybody we had last time, we need more people this time.”

But he said his message is resonating.

“When we vote we make things happen,” he says. “When we don’t vote things happen to us. This is the time that we need to make sure we are making things happen in this city.”

“If we want to have good representation then when have to vote  for good representation. Change is not coming; change is here. It’s time for change. The only way we make change is with our vote.”

Ingram said previously in a candidate questionnaire for The Fayetteville Observer that the city can do a better job of telling its story.

“We must showcase our people’s achievements, highlight positives, and address issues with transparency and a plan for progress,” she said. “By sharing the city's strengths and fostering a genuine sense of community, we can shift the narrative and build a more positive perception of Fayetteville.”

His most difficult challenge

Dawkins is the son of late Mayor J.L. Dawkins, a popular figure and long-serving public servant who was nicknamed, “Mayor for Life.” Johnny Dawkins was unsuccessful in his own past bid for mayor, but has served three terms in District 5, and prior to that, one term in District 9.

The district is roughly bow-tie shaped (as is District 3) and includes the Bordeaux area, including Evergreen Estates and Glendale Acres; the Tallywood Shopping Center area; and parts of Haymount near Morganton and Fort Bragg roads.

The seat is seen as a stronghold for the Haymount community, which historically has included many of the city’s movers and shakers.

City Council races are nonpartisan, but Dawkins is the council’s only currently registered Republican. Greene is also a registered Republican.

Dawkins is no stranger to close races but in Greene, a businesswoman, he faces his toughest challenge yet.

Greene, who favors term limits, said every council member should ask himself or herself if they are still being of service to the community. She said she has served on boards in the past and stepped away when she realized, “It’s time for me to go” to make way for new ideas and fresh voices.

"I believe that is the way the City Council should operate as well," she said.

Myron B. Pitts can be reached at mpitts@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3559.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fayetteville council race: Charges of lying, non-residency come to fore