Five days after putting in his bid for the mayor of Kinston, Adrien Meadows changed his mind and withdrew his name.
On Monday, Meadows went to the Board of Elections and took himself out of the running for mayor. Currently, Ralph Clark and John Marks are the candidates for the position, which will be left open by current Kinston Mayor B.J. Murphy, who will not file for re-election.
The 25-year-old Meadows filed for mayor last Wednesday. If he had won, Meadows would’ve been the youngest mayor in the history of Kinston.
Meadows will still be on the ballots in November, as the 2006 Kinston High School will instead run for city council.
“This weekend, I was just thinking about the campaign and how I could bring out the city’s full potential,” Meadows said. “I felt as though I would be more of an asset as a councilman than a mayor. I’m more of a hands-on person and the council has the power to vote. I feel like I would have more of a voice and opinion in the council in contrast to if I ran for mayor.”
Meadows now has his sights set on a position with the Kinston City Council. As of Tuesday, incumbent Robbie Swinson is the only other person to have filed for the two open seats.
When Meadows filed his paperwork for mayor, he spoke about standing up for the young people. Even though Meadows has changed his position, he hasn’t altered his mindset.
“I still feel like I would be an inspiration regardless of whether I’m running for mayor or city councilman,” Meadows said. “I’m trying to be an example and reach that common goal of freedom and peace. That’s how I see it.”
Junious Smith III can be reached at 252-559-1077 and Junious.Smith@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JuniousSmithIII.