HIGH POINT, N.C. (WGHP) — Who do you want to lead the city of High Point?
There are two candidates battling it out for the title of mayor: Victor Jones and Cyril Jefferson. Voters will decide which candidate will be the new leader in the election on Tuesday.
Nearly 3,000 people voted in person or by mail so far in High Point.
The matchup is between two current High Point City Council members.
Jefferson is a retired educator and business owner.
“High Point’s greatest asset are High Pointers, and that is what we are focused on,” Jefferson said.
Jones is a business owner and Marine Corps veteran.
“My goal and focus has always been public safety,” Jones said.
Both candidates have strategies to tackle violent crime in the community.
“By supporting our law enforcement officers and the other agencies and non-profits like High Point Community Against Violence … we get the whole community and agencies behind efforts to make High Point safer,” Jones said.
“I think in the short term, we want to continue to partner with our law enforcement to give them what they need,” Jefferson said. “In the long term, the way we truly address violence especially some we have seen from our young people is to expose them to better pathways.”
As new industries and developments move into the region, the candidates have plans to make sure High Point doesn’t get left behind and continues to grow.
“Having the right kind of pipeline of talent so how we invest in our people to give them the job skills they need, training them for the industry that is in the 21st century,” Jefferson said. “Infrastructure is something that often comes before development, so High Point is making smarter moves, making smarter investments so making sure we can build the kind of city we need and also be one we can be really proud of.”
“I want to make our city government more efficient, faster and more responsive. That way we can encourage more development. I want our permitting process to get quicker,” Jones said. “We are hearing from companies all the time that want to move here because of our safety and because of our stable taxes and a lower cost of living … As that increases, it gives us an increase to the tax base which gives us more money to be able to put into those infrastructures.”
Jones and Jefferson spent time this week to speak with voters and make their final pitch to High Point voters days before the election.
“I’ll continue to do what I’ve done the past six years which is show up, be responsive and address every issue that is brought to my attention,” Jones said.
“My promise is to never stop believing in the power of partnership, collaboration. We won’t leave government in silos> We won’t think that we can figure it out by ourselves … We will bring people to the table,” Jefferson said.
There are several council member seats up for grabs in this election as well. If you want to vote early, there are two days left. Election Day is set for Tuesday.
Find out what is on your ballot and where you can go to vote.
