Ward 6 pits incumbency against energy

Candidates for the Ward 6 seat on the High Point City Council, like other ward candidates, are fighting for political oxygen as High Point's mayoral candidates prepare to go into their first debate on Thursday, Oct. 4, 2012, and most of the rest of High Point's political attention is focused on the five candidates for the two at-large seats.

In Ward 6, first-term Councilmember Jim Corey is defending his seat against Jason Ewing, one of three candidates who ran for the Ward 6 seat in 2010. Corey won that race in what, at the time, he called "probably the closest race in North Carolina." Corey won 1,693 votes to Ewing's 1,647.

The two candidates make a stark contrast. Corey is an avuncular, moderating figure on the City Council, a retired High Point University political science professor with a focus on environmentalism. Ewing is young and intense, a real estate agent focused primarily on economic issues.

The contrast between the two is more visible this year than in 2008, since there are two, instead of three, candidates for the Ward 6 seat. The third candidate in 2010 was Gerald Grubb, the owner of Southern Cross Mortgage, who was redistricted into Ward 5 last year.

Both candidates seem to be more focused than they were in 2010. There's nothing like running head-to-head against a candidate who was only 46 votes away from you in the previous election to sharpen the mind. Each candidate, although acting casual, is already getting in digs at the other.

Ewing has begun attending City Council meetings as part of his campaign. When Ewing walked by Corey at the City Council meeting on Monday, Oct. 1, Corey, nodded at him and said, unasked, "I'm not worried about him."

Ewing, for his part, said that Corey's incumbency would be no advantage.

"I think it comes to a matter of, had the incumbent been there 10 years, it would have helped, but Jim has been there only two years," Ewing said. "I'm pretty active in the community and rarely see him at events. In this case, I don't think incumbency makes much of a difference, but especially in this case where Jim hasn't done much to make people jump up and down and say, 'I want to vote for Jim Corey.'"

Corey, of course, argued that he has given voters reason to vote for him during his first term. He cited his effort to get the City of High Point to switch to hybrid or electric cars. The City Council has bought four Prius hybrids since Corey was elected.

"I got the city considering buying more hybrid vehicles for their fleet," Corey said. "They just did a study that I asked for. I think we know that all-electric vehicles are a ways in the future, because we don't have the infrastructure. But they are working on batteries."

Ward 6 is an odd duck – a patchwork of annexed land in northeast High Point broken periodically by "doughnut holes" of unannexed land. The ward reaches the Jamestown city limits to the east and extends far enough northward to touch I-40 only a stone's throw from Greensboro.

Of the two candidates, Ewing gave a better definition of Ward 6, calling it unique.

"There's obviously some industry the further north you go," he said. "There is certainly a lot of room for expansion. Ward 6 has grown amazingly in the last 10 years. I think the great opportunity moving forward is that it's great to embrace our history and have a good downtown."

"But when I talk to people in Ward 6 now, they ask me what there is in High Point to pull them away from Greensboro or Jamestown. We're just as close to those areas as to High Point. It's important in the land-use planning or the development code rewrite that is going on to attract Ward 6 residents that are now going somewhere else."

Corey noted that north High Point is, in general, more affluent than south High Point.

"The economic problems of the south are different from the economic problems of the north," he said. "In the north, they don't want services cut and are willing to pay a little more in taxes. In the south, they can't take property tax increases as well."

One difference between the two Ward 6 candidates is that Corey, as the incumbent, has a record. Corey voted with the majority on the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 fiscal year budgets, which included property tax and electric rate increases, although the property tax increase this year was revenue neutral, because it was offset by a generally downward revaluation of High Point properties by Guilford County.

Ewing attacked Corey for the budget votes. He said, "In my opinion, he's not looking out for the best interest of his constituents."

Corey and Ewing are both talking like fiscal conservatives during their campaigns, and both, as almost all candidates have in High Point for years, said that attracting new jobs should be the City Council's first priority.

"I think that one of the things as a local government we've got to do is make ourselves as friendly and encouraging as we can be for jobs," Corey said. "Anything we can do to encourage jobs. I don't think government spending is necessarily the key. Certainly the major part is private businesses."

Ewing said High Point is not looked at as a business-friendly community, at least as far as High Point city staff are concerned.

"That's another culture change that has to take place, with staff welcoming business rather than just going through punch lists and inspection," he said. "Welcome new businesses and do what we can to get them off and running as fast as possible."

Ewing cited a study he said shows that 54 percent of employed High Point residents work outside the city, tying it in with Ward 6 residents going elsewhere to spend money. He said the jobs, like the money, need to come back to High Point.

"It's an interesting fact that could skew the statistics on unemployment," he said. "People in the city are getting employment – it's just not in High Point."

Corey resurrected an idea he floated during the 2010 campaign: a small-business incubator that would provide space, services and advice to start-up companies.

"We're interested in jobs, and one thing I think we need to accomplish is to work seriously to get the Chamber of Commerce or someone to work with the city to create a small-business incubator," he said. "We know what used to provide jobs in High Point isn't coming back. We have to look at start-ups."

Ewing listed his top three priorities if he is elected – in order of importance: attracting businesses to High Point, supporting local businesses and unifying the various efforts underway to renew old High Point neighborhoods.

"It seems to me that we've done an unorganized method of renewal," he said. "There are all sorts of things going on, but I don't see a clear path to revitalization."

Corey said he would, if elected for another term, focus on getting more sidewalks on High Point's high-traffic commercial streets.

"They're going to build them, but they're not where I'd like to have them," he said. "They're in northern areas where there are bus routes. When you see people walking along Eastchester and Westchester, you worry about when you're going to have an accident. All you need is someone texting a message and not paying attention to where they're driving."

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Corey and Ewing have different campaign styles. Corey said he thinks membership in groups is important to someone running for office in High Point. He cited his church and bridge club.

Ewing sounded as if he plans a more active campaign. He described going door to door as important.

"Diversification is always best," he said. "I'm not putting everything in one basket. I'm going door to door, attending as many business meetings as I can and making calls. I'm trying to touch anyone I can.