Derwin Montgomery, a 21-year-old Winston-Salem State University senior, defeated Democratic incumbent Joycelyn Johnson for the East Ward seat on the Winston-Salem City Council during the Democratic primary Tuesday.
Montgomery garnered 530 votes or 57 percent of the votes cast in the East Ward. Johnson received 228 votes or 24 percent of the votes cast in the municipal primary. With no Republican challenger, Montgomery becomes one of the youngest city council members in recent history.
Montgomery attributed his success to the more than 400 Winston-Salem State students who supported his candidacy and participated in early voting, which concluded on Saturday, Sept. 12.
A Deans Scholar, Montgomery is working toward his political science degree. He serves as the first vice president of the NAACP’s Youth & College Division and a mentor for at-risk youth. A youth minister at Calvary Baptist Church, Montgomery plans on enrolling at Wake Forest University next fall and entering the dual degree program for the law school and divinity school.
The city of Winston-Salem recognized Montgomery for his outstanding community service earlier this year. He was named one of the inaugural recipients of the Martin Luther King Young Dreamers Award.
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