Winston-Salem Residents Mull Changes to City Council Elections

Winston-Salem residents gathered Wednesday night to learn more about potential changes to city council elections.

The meeting was one of three called by the Local Governance Commission, a group exploring alternative forms of city government. The 11-member commission was appointed after state lawmakers showed interest in restructuring Winston-Salem's council last year. 

In Easton Elementary School's library, residents gathered around poster board information stations, each one highlighting a different change that could be made to the city council. One board explained how term lengths could be shortened. Another listed the pros and cons of electing council members at-large, rather than by district or ward. 

That change concerned resident Janette Kelley. She's worried that the move would mean black communities wouldn't be fairly represented. 

“I just want to make sure that my voice is still going to be heard. If you increase the area with one person to cover all the areas, somebody is gonna get lost, something is not going to be done," said Kelley. "And you're not going to be able to get to your city councilman.”

Local Governance Commission member Gayle Anderson said attendees at Tuesday's meeting also raised that concern. She said many told her they like the council structure as it is. 

“In general, they're saying, if it's not broke, don't fix it,” Anderson said."There were some folks who felt it would be beneficial to have some at-large people just because sometimes the city council people can get pretty territorial about their ward."  

At the end of the meeting, each participant was asked to fill out a survey with their opinions for review by the commission. Eventually, the group's recommendations will be shared with the city council and state lawmakers. No changes will be made before the 2020 elections.

Another meeting will be held Thursday at 6 p.m. at South Fork Elementary School.