WILMINGTON — After announcing her candidacy in late February, local businesswoman Tori Jones has decided not to run for City Council.
Jones did not file paperwork on the Friday – the first day for New Hanover County municipal filing – and on Monday decided she would not enter the race. In a release, Jones, who is Caucasian, cited the need for racial diversity.
“We now have two incumbents running, with three seats up for election. On Friday we saw some excellent African-American candidates officially enter the race. I feel strongly that the makeup of the council should reflect the population of the city it serves. As such, campaigning against these qualified candidates would be contrary to my beliefs,” Jones said.
The City of Wilmington’s population is about 75 percent Caucasian and 20 percent African American. Earl Sheridan, the only African American City Council member, is not running for reelection.
Jones further pointed out that with two incumbents running, there is a reduced chance of council seats changing hands.
“With Councilman (Charlie) Rivenbark and Councilman (Kevin) O’Grady running, there’s realistically probably only one seat open. And, with Earl Sheridan not running again, there’s a very real chance that we could have an all-white council, and – in my opinion – that’s just not right – it’s not representative of our city,” Jones said.
Beyond representing the racial make-up of the city, Jones said a diverse City Council was important to the economic future of Wilmington.
“In addition to being the morally right thing to do, and representing our city, it’s also important to future employers. It’s important that we be an open, progressive place, and that we appear that way, and the City Council is really representative of that,” Jones added.
Jones said she had debated the decision for some time. She added that while she admired several “very-well qualified African American candidates,” she had not considering endorsing anyone at the current time.
Send tips or comments to reporter Benjamin Schachtman at [email protected], @pcdben on twitter, and (910) 538-2001.
