Kinston residents are going to have quite a few options for city council when Election Day approaches.
Three more people — Teddra Hussey-Smith, Carol Ann Tokarski and William Wynn Whittington — all filed at the Lenoir County Board of Elections on Thursday.
With John Nix filing before Friday’s deadline, there are eight candidates for the two open seats on city council. Adrien Meadows, Marc McKnight, Lennie Peterson and Robbie Swinson have also filed for the position. Swinson is the only incumbent running for re-election, as Bobby Merritt declined to run.
Hussey-Smith is an Episcopal priest and the supply priest for Diocese of East Carolina. The 1973 Kinston High School graduate also has a bachelor’s degree in human ecology at Hampton University, a master’s in divinity from Duke University and a post graduate certificate in ministry and Anglican studies from Virginia Theological Seminary.
“I was encouraged to file and I have always serviced the public,” Hussey-Smith said. “I volunteer at the hospital and do many things to help and enhance the city.”
Hussey-Smith believes her giving attitude would make her a worthy candidate for the Kinston city council.
“I bring a sense of compassion for people,” Hussey-Smith said. “I care about them, and their concerns and interests have always been on my mind. I was born and raised here and am saddened of the ruins I see today. I feel like I can mobilize the people to contribute to the community.”
Tokarski was born in Michigan and received her associate of arts from Glen Oak Community College in 1972 and a Bachelor in Fine Arts from Siena Heights University in 1975. Tokarski moved to Kinston in 1991 after accepting the executive director position of the Community Council for the Arts and has worked for six nonprofit organizations in the area. Tokarski currently works at the Craven Arts Council and Gallery in New Bern as an executive director, but still helps in Kinston where she can.
“Kinston has been my home,” Tokarski said. “I’ve been pushing here and can’t let older neighborhoods decay to the point where they have to be flattened. That’s not how you build a city. There are a lot of neighborhoods in Kinston that need help, that’s our biggest problem.”
Whittington is a 1988 graduate of Kinston High School and has two degrees from ECU. In 1995, Whittington received his bachelor’s in exercise and sports science and a master’s in school administration in 2005. Whittington believes he can continue the trend of the city council.
“I was born and raised in the city and worked here for several years,” Whittington said. “I believe in the direction the council has taken and guided the city. I want to be a part of the team and work on making Kinston a better place.”
Whittington was a teacher, associate director and athletic director from 1997 to 2005 at Kinston High School. He became the principal at Contentnea Elementary in 2005, went to Lenoir County Early College High School in 2007 to fill the same position. After six months, Whittington became the principal of Kinston High from 2007 to 2011. He said his connections with the community make him a good choice for city council.
“I’ve established a lot of good relationships as a principal and an educator,” Whittington said. “I see children graduating and a lot of them leave the area. Some don’t come back because they’re looking for jobs. I want them to come back and have jobs when they get here. I want to be a part of bringing more jobs to the community and making Kinston stronger.”
Junious Smith III can be reached at 252-559-1077 and Junious.Smith@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JuniousSmithIII.