May 9 - 15, 2019
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Barnes (as in, BJ) confirms his candidacy for mayor of Summerfield The long-serving former county sheriff said ‘many, many people’ have been urging him to run for mayor by PATTI STOKES
Photo by Patti Stokes/NWO
Summerfield resident BJ Barnes will run for mayor of his town this fall. After 22 years of serving on the town council, wife Dena Barnes will step down when her term expires in November.
SUMMERFIELD – It’s official. BJ Barnes, who lost his bid for reelection to a seventh term as Guilford County sheriff last November, is stepping out of the frying pan and right into the fire. Barnes, 68, hinted in March that he was contemplating running for mayor of Summerfield in the upcoming Nov. 6 election, but at the time he said he was also considering other options for where he wanted to go next.
Summerfield resident confirmed he plans to run this fall for a two-year term as Summerfield’s mayor and will focus his attention on righting some wrongs in his own backyard before setting his sights elsewhere. “I’ve got plenty I can do,” Barnes said about the extra time he’s had since leaving the office of county sheriff last December. Among other things, he’s in the editing phase of his first novel and working on the second one of a three-book fictional series. And he’s contemplating serving in a state-level capacity at some point, whether that’s an appointed or elected position. But for now, he feels he’s most needed in his hometown. “I’ve had so many people from Summerfield who have talked with me and called me… In this
When reached by phone earlier this week, the
Security, how to use park property among topics debated at council meeting Town Council candidate Van Tanner said the town spends too little on youth, drawing reactions from council members and other residents at last week’s council meeting by CHRIS BURRITT OAK RIDGE – Van Tanner has spoken frequently at Oak Ridge Town Council meetings since January, first on behalf of the Oak Ridge Youth Association (ORYA) and then as a candidate for a council seat in the Nov. 6 election.
During the council’s monthly meeting Thursday, May 2, Tanner criticized the town’s proposed budget for next fiscal year, saying it doesn’t set aside enough money for youth. Defending the town’s investment in parks and recreation, Mayor Spencer Sullivan and council members George McClellan and Ann Schneider challenged Tanner. Mayor Pro Tem Jim Kinneman was absent. “We have limited resources,” Sullivan said. “It takes a while sometimes to make things happen. And there are a lot of folks who have a lot of different ideas about how
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IN THIS ISSUE What if ... ORMA were to close?...........2 Oak Ridge proposes $2.2m budget......6 Councilman defends vendor selection .7 We the People reunion..........................7 Oak Ridge Town Council .................... 10 Thanks for the memories!.................... 12 Calendar Events ................................... 14 Crime/Incident Report ........................ 18 Northern Guilford’s Art in Motion........20 Student Profiles .....................................22 Grins and Gripes ..................................24 Classifieds .............................................27 Index of Advertisers ............................. 31 NWO on the Go!...................................32