Issues Salem City Council candidates are interested in range from economics to more youth activities.
The five running in the November election are young mother A.J. Harpold, Mark Henrickson, Jeffrey Nickels, J.D. Taylor and current Councilmember Hunter Holliday.
They are running for two seats, one currently held by Randy Foley who is retiring after 20 years, and the other Holliday now holds that expires the end of December.
Holliday and Taylor are running as Republicans.
J. Harpold
Harpold, 37, lives with her 6-year-old daughter Mavis in a historic home on East Calhoun Street that once was a creamery and later known as the Christmas House. She plans to open it soon as the Gilded Rose Tea Room for afternoon teas.
Although she lived in various locations with her entertainment career that includes choreography for Justin Timberlake dancers in a Super Bowl [verify specific Super Bowl number], Harpold said she grew up in the Roanoke Valley and recently moved to Salem because she enjoys the smaller town feel.
“Opening a small business I encountered a lot of issues,” said Harpold who wants to see that process streamlined. She is particularly interested in Salem having more activities for young people, [Editor review: clarify what activities are meant, e.g., ‘such as safe spaces for middle schoolers walking home from Andrew Lewis Middle School’] The member of the PTA board at G.W. Carver Elementary School hopes a teen center can be started, perhaps in the former Salem-Peacock Dry Cleaners building that recently sold at auction.
Mark Henrickson
Henrickson is a member of the Salem Planning Commission. He is a builder, developer and remodeler. In his campaign and on his door hanger he is emphasizing a need for the city to maintain quality municipal services, ensure educational excellence, capitalize on Salem events, support business expansion and ensure smart growth in housing, supporting community engagement, and hosting neighborhood town halls to listen to community residents.
Henrickson is advocating for accessible sidewalks, updated parks, prioritizing street repairs, and strict fiscal oversight of city budgets. Among his civic activities have been being a past chairman of Olde Salem Days and past president of the Salem Rotary Club.
Jeffrey Nickels
Nickels is a small business owner who says “Our community needs new, proven leadership and common sense solutions to responsibly guide Salem into the future.” He adds “Public safety is the first and most important responsibility of local government…Salem should focus on preventing property crimes.”
Nickels also says “Roads, utilities and public safety services and schools should be able to support new growth before major new development projects are approved.”
His businesses are i77 Strategies LLC and i77 Real Estate LLC.
D. Taylor
Taylor is a tax assessor for the City of Roanoke. He said if he is elected to Salem City Council, he is unsure if he would need to resign from the tax assessor position. “That remains to be seen,” he said. “I would like to be both.”
The 35-year-old said “My experience as a banker, public servant and worship pastor has shaped my belief that government should be practical, transparent and focused on families and local businesses.
He said he and his wife chose Salem to raise their family because of the strong, tight-knit community. He added he is running to help keep Salem strong, fiscally responsible and help us become a destination to do business.”
He particularly wants to help Salem brand itself, he said, and to attract new manufacturing, “to replace lost jobs with the closing of Yokohama Tire and to fill the front of the former General Electric building.”
Taylor and his wife Casey have three children: Lillian, 6, who attends West Salem Elementary; Hadley, 4, and Jonathan, 9 months.
Hunter Holliday
Holliday has served on Salem City Council for four years, and has held a dozen monthly “Coffee with Council” informal meetings with citizens to hear from them on city issues. He is president of Veterans Events Management Inc. The Salem native is a graduate of Andrew Lewis High School.
He has supported developing and maintaining skilled manufacturing jobs in Salem to replace those lost with the closing of Yokohama and General Electric, lowering of taxes and emphasis on improvements in vocational education and training.
Holliday is a 36-year Army veteran. and his wife, Amy, have been married for two years.
