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

Newcomer Malik Davis will advance to next month’s general election along with incumbent Councilwoman Shakeyla Ingram in the Fayetteville City Council District 2 race, according to unofficial results from Tuesday night’s primary election.

Davis received 34.3% of the votes at 520, while Ingram received 21.04%, or 319 votes.

Other challengers included Laura Rodrigues Mussler, who received 278, or 18.34% of the votes; Janene Dublin Ackles received 162, or 10.69% votes; Gail Morfesis received 151, or 9.96% of the votes, Larry Marshall received 75, or 4.95% of the votes, and Anatasia J. Vann received 11, or .73% of votes.

Ingram, 33, a marketing and brand professional, published author and Fayetteville native, is currently in her second term, after being reelected in 2022. She was first elected to the Fayetteville City Council in 2019.

“I’m grateful for the support, and I look forward to continue pushing forward,” Ingram said Tuesday night.

Davis, 28, who is also a Fayetteville native, is a court assistant who is a newcomer to the Fayetteville City Council elections.

He is also vice president of the Young Democrats of Cumberland County and chair of Fayetteville NEXT, which was formerly the Fayetteville Millennial Council.

“It feels very good to have your district come out and support you heavily,” Davis said Tuesday night. “It’s not a final win, but it’s a good start to the finish line.”

Ingram and Davis have both campaigned on platforms about changes they would like to see in District 2, along with things they’d like to see move Fayetteville forward.

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Ingram said she'd like to continue to work on the council to see “more equitable amenities” for city residents, and wants to work with others in the city, county, state government and Congress for grant stabilization and to help address issues like affordable housing, along with supporting organizations that work with young adults and youth while the city works to “combat violent crime.”

“I definitely want to see workforce development to empower them when they graduate from Fayetteville Technical Community College, Fayetteville State University or Methodist University,” Ingram said. “And, I want to see them have great opportunities and options for living, working and recreating in Fayetteville.”

Ingram said she would also like to see an office of community safety in the city.

In reflecting on her first time on the council, Ingram said she was first elected shortly after moving back to Fayetteville and the death of her grandmother.

In the interim between moving back and the election, she said, she attended a town hall meeting hosted by the mayor and wanted to get involved.

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Three months into her first term, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and then there was “social unrest” following the death of George Floyd, a Black man who was born in Fayetteville and died while in police custody in Minneapolis.

“I want to continue to listen to residents and work for them,” Ingram said. “They are my partners. I hope I’ve made it clear that I listen to residents and work for residents, and I hope they can see representation during my time on the council. I want to thank them for the support and to make it known that as they trust me to move forward to the general election ... that I want to hear from any resident, whether they voted for me or not.”

Ingram said residents can reach her at 910-644-0368.

Newcomer wants to be part of younger representation

Davis said that as part of the inaugural Millennial Advisory Committee in 2019, one of the requirements was to attend Fayetteville City Council meetings.

“I credit those meetings for helping me understand the City Council,” he said. “I’ve always had a passion and a heart for my community, and after seeing that and looking at the things in District 2 that needed to be done, it was necessary for me to put my name in the hat (for City Council), because I wanted to make a difference in my district and community.”

Davis said as a young professional who decided to continue living in Fayetteville, he thinks the city does have “a lot to offer.”

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At the same time, he wants to be part of a solution to help juveniles make better decisions.

“I think it’s important to continue to connect the young population with resources in the city so we can send them in the right direction,” he said. “I know there have been recent conversations about curfews, and I think I made my point clear that we need to find ways to focus on great things, and have positive decisions."

Davis said he also believes younger residents should be represented on the council and city boards “to make Fayetteville positive for the next generation.”

“After talking to quite a few constituents, I think they responded to that, but I want to make sure that I’ll be a young person with professionalism and decorum,” he said. “I want to be part of the solution to issues in the community. It’s up to the community to help make Fayetteville a better place, and for me, that means continuously meeting with them to come up with tangible solutions to the issues we face in our community.”

Davis said heading into the next month, he’s going to keep pushing and fighting for the community and wants to hear from residents about what changes they’d like to see represented on the City Council.

“There’s a lot of hard work ahead, but I’m up for it,” he said. “District 2 has a lot to offer, and it’s not just one side of town. We need to come together to make the city better. I want to help bridge that gap between policy and people, and always give people a voice and seat at the table.”

Davis can be reached at bridgingthegapinfay@gmail.com.

Staff writer Rachael Riley can be reached at rriley@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3528.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Newcomer to join in Fayetteville District 2 general election council race