In the Fayetteville City Council District 2 race, incumbent Shakeyla Ingram is being challenged by former Councilman Tyrone Williams.
Both are Fayetteville natives who grew up in the district.
Ingram, an entrepreneur in marketing and community relations, is completing her first term on the City Council.
Williams, 53, is a real estate developer and Navy veteran who served a partial term on the council. He reluctantly resigned four years ago when allegations emerged that he tried to solicit money from a developer. He maintained that he had done nothing wrong.
The municipal election is July 26. Early voting is underway at the Cumberland County Board of Elections Office.
CityView TODAY asked the candidates for City Council and mayor questions about several issues facing the community. Here are their answers.
Age: Unavailable
Occupation: Entrepreneur in marketing and community relations
Elected offices held: Fayetteville City Council, one term
Ingram did not respond to the CityView TODAY questionnaire.
Age: 53
Occupation: Real estate developer
Elected offices held: Economic Development Board - Norfolk, Virginia; Fayetteville City Council, partial term
Crime in the city continues to rise, according to a recent report on the first quarter of 2022 by Police Chief Gina Hawkins to the City Council. Are city officials — and specifically, the police chief and the Police Department — doing enough to address crime? If not, what should they do differently?
They are not doing enough to address crime. What I am going to do is start a community leadership group that will help the morale using the elders and the respected people in each community (i.e. cell groups) to work hand in hand with the police officers and their staff.
Record numbers of officers have left and are leaving our police force. Many are underpaid and feel they don’t have the support of their leaders. What is your plan to correct this serious issue?
In order to correct this serious issue, my plan for the cell groups is to bridge the gaps in the Police Department allowing everyone to work closely together for the better good of Fayetteville citizens.
Affordable housing continues to be an issue for many in our community. The City Council decided to earmark part of its American Rescue Plan Act funding to address housing issues. What else can the city do to help residents find safe, affordable housing?
The city of Fayetteville can go after tiny house grants and create subdivisions that will house the homeless and less fortunate.
A review of Fayetteville’s traffic stops shows they totaled over 70,000 in 2016 and less than 22,000 last year. There are still problems with speeding, red light violations and other traffic issues. Was there a conscious decision made to ban minor traffic stops, and if so by whom? Are you concerned about the decrease in stops and what should the city do about it?
A study should be done to see what the requirements for police stopping are, and the proper procedures should be followed.
Fayetteville has seen some economic news in recent months with the new Amazon distribution center and other business announcements. What does city leadership need to do to increase jobs in our community? What city resources need to be devoted to this cause?
The ARP (American Rescue Plan) funds should be utilized for programs to assist individuals who are less fortunate to be trained and educated through the FTCC (Fayetteville Technical Community College) and Fayetteville State University to make them eligible for hiring with on-the-job training programs that are subsidized by the city.
