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Election 2022: City Council District 4

D.J. Haire wins 11th term in District 4

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D.J. Haire will be one of the longest-serving members of the Fayetteville City Council after easily turning back challenger Thomas C. Greene on Tuesday for the District 4 seat, according to unofficial returns.

The 63-yer-old veteran councilman received 1,232 votes and Greene, 50, had 237, according to unofficial returns from the N.C. State Board of Elections. 

Canvassing of unofficial returns is scheduled for 11 a.m. Aug. 5 by the Cumberland County Board of Elections to certify results, according to Angie Amaro, interim director of the board.

“I thank the Lord for my wife, family and team,” said Haire, who is self-employed in real estate. “We put it all in. I thank the Lord for the residents of District 4. We’ve worked great together.’’

He will be starting an 11th term on the council. He was first sworn into office on Dec. 1, 1997, and remained in office until November 2013. He stepped away from the council for two terms before winning the district seat in 2017 and winning reelection since.

“It just means citizens from every precinct are giving you the thumbs up. It means people hear you and see you,’’ he said.

“They build a trust, and I think that goes a long ways,” Haire said. “I’m always telling new people coming along that you have to build trust.”

Greene is an Army veteran, bails bondsman and member of the local chapter of the Proud Boys, a nationwide activist organization linked to far-right and white nationalist political causes. At least five members of the Proud Boys were indicted on seditious conspiracy charges in the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol. Greene says he was not in Washington that day.

Greene told CityViewToday he does not support the organization’s participation at the U.S. Capitol.

He believes in term limits for council members and said in his campaign that Haire has served too long, but Greene was gracious in defeat.

“I’d like to congratulate D.J. Haire on his win,” Greene said. “I learned a lot. This was a big learning curve for me. I learned about local politics. Hopefully, we will improve on public safety, our police can be more active and we can hope for a better environment and standard of living for people.”

Council members and the mayor are scheduled to be sworn in at 6 p.m. on Aug. 11 in Seabrook Auditorium at Fayetteville State University.

Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.

Fayetteville, City Council, District 4, D.J. Haire, Thomas Greene, elections

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