Williams won't seek reelection
May 6—HIGH POINT — City Councilman Chris Williams won't seek reelection, and at-large Councilman Tyrone Johnson will try to succeed the longtime Ward 2 representative in this year's municipal races.
A three-term council member first elected in 2014, Williams said he thinks key city goals, such as creating new opportunities and improving safety in underserved communities, have been achieved during his tenure.
"I think High Point has a very good foundation to work off now versus what we were in 2014," Williams said. "If I felt it was necessary, I would run for reelection. But an additional term, or even running for mayor, would be an act of vanity."
Johnson said he decided to run for the Ward 2 seat instead of seeking a second term as an at-large representative on the council in order to work more directly on the needs of the district, which extends from the downtown area eastward between the railroad tracks to the north and U.S. 29/70 (Interstate 85 Business) to the south.
"I want to focus a little bit more on the ward that I live in," said Johnson, identifying several issues related to housing as priorities. "Housing is one of our biggest items that we're facing in our city. I think we've made some great strides, but we need to be willing to go a little bit further."
All eight council seats, as well as the mayor's position, will be on the ballot for four-year terms in the Nov. 7 election. Candidate filing opens July 7, and if any primaries are necessary they will be held Oct. 10.
So far, no one else has announced plans to run for the Ward 2 seat.
Williams pointed to several accomplishments on the council, including the city's contribution to establishing the Family Justice Center in High Point for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse and elder abuse.
He was instrumental in getting the city to devote more resources to address blighted housing.
He said he's also proud of the council's creation of new city diversity, equity and inclusion positions and its steps toward a more robust minority- and women-owned business enterprises program.
Creation of a downtown "catalyst project" was a strategic goal the council set in Williams' first term, and he said he thinks it's been achieved with the impact of Truist Point stadium.
"The amount of jobs and private investment that has occurred has been stellar," he said.
Johnson cited the continued focus on blight remediation as another reason for seeking the Ward 2 seat.
"That would include code enforcement and holding landlords responsible for their properties. We've seen an increase in (investor-owned) homes, which means there are more rental properties out there," he said, adding that he plans to bring a proposed fair housing assistance program that failed to gain council approval last year back for consideration. It would empower the city to investigate housing discrimination cases.
Johnson said another top priority is continuing to support nonprofits that work with youth.
"The goal there is to give at-risk kids another option other than gangs," he said.
