WS Chronicle

In 1977 Virginia Newell and Vivian Burke made history when they became the first women elected to the Winston-Salem Board of Alderman (now City Council). Fast forward 47 years to 2024 where five of the eight seats, the East Ward, North Ward, South Ward, Northeast Ward, and the Northwest Ward will soon be held by women –  Black women.

Many of the seats on the city council were decided in the primary election earlier this year, which means many of the candidates ran unopposed in the 2024 general election. Incumbents Denise “DD” Adams (D), who represents the North Ward, Annette Scippio (D), who represents  the East Ward, Barbara Burke (D) who represents the Northeast Ward,  and James Taylor (D) who represents the Southeast Ward, all ran unopposed. Scott Andree-Bowen (D), who will represent the Southwest Ward, also ran unopposed. Andree-Bowen’s seat was previously held by Councilmember Kevin Mundy who decided not to seek re-election. 

The seats that gave women the majority on the council were in the South and Northwest Wards. 

Although she’s a newcomer to the council, Vivian Joiner also ran unopposed in the general election. In the primary Election, Joiner finished with 35% of the total vote, which was enough to unseat incumbent John Larson, who has represented the South Ward since 2016, and all other challengers. 

A native of Washington, D.C., Joiner has called Winston-Salem home for almost 25 years. In 2003 Joiner and her partner Stephanie Tyson opened Sweet Potatoes, an award-winning restaurant located downtown. Joiner and Tyson also own a sister restaurant located next to Sweet Potatoes, called Miss Ora’s Kitchen. 

When asked why she decided to run for a seat on the city council, Joiner said she wanted to be a voice for the community. According to her website, top priorities for Joiner include creating more affordable housing, reducing food insecurities, and creating partnerships throughout the community to keep neighborhoods safe. 

In the race for the Northwest Ward, Regina Ford Hall (D) defeated James (Jimmy) Hodson (R), with 63% of the total vote. The seat in the Northwest Ward was up for grabs after incumbent Jeff MacIntosh (D), who has served on the council since 2013, decided not to seek re-election 

Born and raised in Winston-Salem, Hall currently serves as executive director of the Boston-Thurmond Community Network, an initiative designed to facilitate and support the vision of the Boston-Thurmond Community. 

According to her website, the issues at the top of Hall’s priority list are improving public safety, addressing poverty, creating more affordable housing, supporting small businesses, and creating more opportunities for citizen engagement.

After the race had been called, Hall thanked her team of dedicated volunteers and other supporters who donated both their time and treasure to make sure the campaign was successful. Hall also thanked The Chronicle for its endorsement. 

“I am grateful to all of the organizations that endorsed the campaign, including The Chronicle, which has been a trusted source of news in Winston-Salem for decades,” Hall said. “This is a great day for the citizens of the Northwest Ward and the entire city of Winston-Salem. I am incredibly honored and humbled to have the votes of trust and confidence from citizens in the Northwest Ward and I look forward to representing them on the city council.” 

The race for the West Ward was a lot closer than anyone expected. Coming into the race, incumbent Robert Clark (R) was the heavy favorite over challenger Christopher Smith (D). Clark, who has served on the council since 2001, currently serves as chair of the Finance Committee and serves on the Community Development/Housing/General Government Committee. 

A entrepreneur and former Army intelligence officer, Smith lists his top three priorities as economic growth, safety and policing, and creating affordable housing. According to his website, Smith is “committed to creating a more communicative, transparent, inclusive, sustainable, and thriving city. 

On election night, Smith held an early lead over Clark when votes started to roll in shortly before 9 p.m. As the votes from the precincts started to be counted, Smith’s lead started to shrink and Clark took the lead before 11 p.m. In the end Clark finished with 10,028 votes compared to 9,743 for Smith. 

In the race for mayor, incumbent Allen Joines didn’t have a challenger. According to the N.C. State Board of Elections, Joines received 89,251 votes. Nearly 4,000 votes were for write-in candidates.