Three new councilmembers take their place on Winston-Salem’s city council among six tenured city leaders

Featured photo: The newly-inaugurated mayor and city council of Winston-Salem. (Screenshot from WSTV)

“Councilmember Joiner?”

“Present.”

“Councilmember Andree-Bowen?”

“Here.”

“Councilmember Hall?

“Present.”

On Monday evening, Winston-Salem’s newest city councilmembers attended their first of many future council meetings. Along with the fresh blood joining the fray, the more seasoned councilmembers also took their oaths once again.

District Court Judge Carrie F. Vickery administered the oath of office for Mayor Allen Joines, the city’s longest-serving mayor who was elected in 2001, and new Northwest Ward Councilmember Regina Ford Hall. Retired District Court Judge Denise S. Hartsfield inducted Councilmembers Robert C. Clark, Denise D. Adams, Annette Scippio and new Councilmember Vivián Joiner. Superior Court Judge L. Todd Burke swore in Councilmember James Taylor, Jr. and Councilmember Barbara Hanes Burke — Burke’s wife — while District Court Judge Whit Davis swore in new Councilmember Scott Andree-Bowen. 

Three departing councilmembers include Southwest Ward Councilmember Kevin Mundy — being replaced by Andree-Bowen — and Northwest Ward Councilmember Jeff MacIntosh — being replaced by Hall. Both chose to retire from their roles, whereas South Ward Councilmember John Larson was unseated by Joiner.

Joines noted that he was honored to be “rehired” by voters for another four years, and that he was just as excited to work as mayor as he was when he first took on the job.

“We’ve got a lot more work to do.”

That includes increasing the housing stock and reducing poverty and homelessness, he said.

And they also need to work to “retain existing business.” 

Who are the councilmembers and what will they be doing?

A new council comes with new committee assignments, too.

Clark, who has been on council since 2001, maintained his position as chair of the finance committee, but will be shifting from his seat on the community development, housing and general government committee to the public works committee. Clark is the president and owner of Leesona Industries, a manufacturer of textile winding equipment. He’s the only Republican on council.

Clark thanked his departing colleagues, and welcomed the new faces.

“You’ll be drinking water out of a firehose for a while, but you’ll get with it,” he told them.

“I want to be sure that we’re delivering the basic city services in an excellent and cost-efficient manner. And I think at times we forget that.” Those are services like police, fire, sewer, leaf pickup, he said.

“Those are things that we are charged with by society to provide.”

Clark echoed Joines’ statements about economic growth, saying: “We must continue to grow existing businesses here and recruit new ones in. Life is not stagnant. Companies grow and wither away over time.”

Adams will retain her positions as vice chair of the finance committee and chair of the community development, housing and general government committee. She’s been in office since 2009.

Serving on council is “about the people’s work,” she said, and in terms of focusing on the city’s goals for the next four years, she said that the city needs “all kinds of housing” to serve its residents.

Taylor, former chair of the public safety committee, will now sit on the public works committee and maintain his seat on the finance committee. Taylor has been on the council since 2009 and is the publisher of the Winston-Salem Chronicle. He thanked his family, his supporters, and the outgoing and new councilmembers. Taylor faced no opposition in the primary or general elections.

Hall will take on the role of vice chair on the public safety committee, as well as become a member of the community development, housing and general government committee.

She thanked her supporters, her family and her predecessor MacIntosh.

“I do not take it lightly,” she said of her new role.

Andree-Bowen will sit on the public safety committee and serve as vice chair on the public works committee. He’s the partnership manager at Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC. He thanked his family, his wife, Cindy, and their two children, Oliver and Sage, for their support. Andree-Bowen faced no opposition in the primary or general elections.

His passion is sustainable energy, he said, and one of his goals is to move the city forward on that path, to “make this a cleaner area and cleaner Earth for us all.” Additionally, working to reduce poverty is part of his day job at Second Harvest, a focus he will bring to council.

Burke became chair of the public works committee and will move to the community development, housing and general government committee, having previously served on the public safety committee. She’s been in office since 2020, and thanked her constituents for “continuing to have faith” in her.

Scippio took a seat on the finance committee and became the chair of the public safety committee, having previously served as the vice chair of the community development, housing and general government committee and a member of the public works committee.

“It was never my dream to be on the city council,” Scippio said. She’s served on the council since 2018 “However, having grown up here, knowing so much about this city in the time where it was such an honor to be from Winston-Salem, today I see that still, an honor. My goal is to serve our community with my heart, with the spirit of love and concern, with compassion and with passion.”

Joiner will be the new vice chair of the community development, housing and general government committee and serve on the public safety committee. 

She owns the beloved downtown restaurant Sweet Potatoes with her partner, Stephanie Tyson, who attended Monday’s inauguration.

Joiner ran her campaign on unity, she said. “I can’t tell you what I’m gonna do,” she said. “I’m gonna show you what I can do.” 

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