District 5: Allen running unopposed
By Ty Johnson
Published in News on July 15, 2012 1:50 AM
Mayor Pro Tempore Chuck Allen, running unopposed in the District 5 City Council race, hopes to continue progress by serving a fourth term in the seat he has held since 1999.
Allen, 50, said he initially ran for City Council because he felt like there were things the city needed to be doing that it wasn't and that he is running again because he feels he is still effective.
"We're more progressive than we have been," he said of the city since he has joined the council.
Allen said he feels like he has been part of a team that has improved the city, especially in cleanliness through ordinances and sidewalk and landscaping requirements.
"I just like being a part of a team that has made things happen," he said.
And Allen said his being a businessman, contractor and developer have allowed him to offer a unique perspective to the council.
He said the No. 1 issue facing the city is a lack of jobs and that the city must do what it can to convince businesses to bring them to the city.
"The city can't create jobs and I don't think that's our role," he said, adding that the city should create a good infrastructure for businesses -- especially small businesses -- to build upon. "We should do everything we can to be small business-friendly."
He also said the city needs to nurture its relationship with Seymour Johnson Air Force Base as well as the county and school system.
Within the next three to five years Allen said he would like to see the completion of the Center Street Streetscape project, which he hopes would play a role in making Goldsboro attractive enough to convince college graduates to return home.
"We need to make (Streetscape) a priority and finish it," he said.
He said other quality of life improvements should be made, as well, to provide programs for the underprivileged. He also wants the city to remain focused on its cleanliness and improving the standards at the inner city schools.
Allen, a graduate of N.C. State University, lives with his wife, Lori, and 13-year-old daughter, Anna.