Republican candidate for mayor in the race, after all

James Lee Knox, who announced last month that he would withdraw from the Winston-Salem mayoral race, is running after all.

The Republican candidate never took any action to remove his name from the ballot, and last week his campaign manager was handing out a flier outlining Knox's platform at an event sponsored by Forsyth County Republican Women on the topic of Common Core educational standards.

Knox withdrew from the race in August after the Forsyth County Republican Party formally withheld its support because of Knox had used the racial slur "n*****" in reference to an election worker during the 2012 election. Knox's criminal record also surfaced as a liability during the campaign.

Singletary said that Knox completely acknowledged having made the slur.

"He has apologized," Singletary said. "The idea that he's a racist is ridiculous. Many of his clients are African American.... He spoke in error. He spoke in the heat of the moment."

Singletary said Knox suspended his campaign to protect his family and mitigate dissension within the county party.

"However, there needs to be a Republican on the ballot, so there is a choice," Singletary said. "James may not fit your image of a mayoral candidate, but he epitomizes a small-town mayor, family man, and small business owner who's made mistakes like the rest of us."

Knox is challenging Democrat Allen Joines, who has served as mayor since 2001.

Knox withdraws from Winston-Salem mayoral race

James Lee Knox, the Republican candidate for mayor of Winston-Salem, will pull out of the race.

A press statement sent on behalf of the campaign from campaign manager David Singletary indicated the decision was a reaction to the Forsyth County Republican Party's disavowal of the candidate.

The statement from the campaign follows:

My desire to run for mayor of Winston-Salem was based upon my belief that I have something to offer, and I have a desire to work to serve the citizens of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County.

Today, I have decided that now is not my time. The decision of the Forsyth County Republican Party to disavow my candidacy, as opposed to merely not supporting me, has made the task of running for mayor difficult, but not impossible.

And difficult decisions have to be made with any campaign. In this case the most difficult ones are the ones that involve my family. I have a great deal of love and respect for my family, and I sincerely appreciate their support.

I also appreciate the support of those who stood beside me. I appreciate the kind words of support and encouragement that I've been given. My respect for my supporters and for the citizens of Winston-Salem are only second to the respect and love that I have for my family.

I look forward to continuing to support my local Republican party in any way that I can, although I disagree with the actions that were taken against me. The decision and subsequent resolution that endorsed a smear campaign against me is contrary to what I beliefs of my Republican party.

However, just like with any family, we had a disagreement, and I believe we will find a way to get past this and move on with the business of keeping ou community, our city and our America a place where every vote counts and anybody can run for office and ... sometimes even win!

So today I'm announcing that I'm ending my campaign for Winston-Salem mayor.

Thank you! God bless you all and God bless America.

Incumbent Allen Joines faces challenger Gardenia Henley in the Democratic primary on Sept. 10.

Challenger telegraphs plan to go negative on Mayor Allen Joines

James Lee Knox

James Lee Knox received his wife’s blessing to run for mayor of Winston-Salem, but not the Republican Party’s.

Knox filed about an hour before the deadline on July 19, taking on a popular Democratic incumbent with solid backing in the city’s business community and among liberal constituencies, including African Americans and many seniors.

Long active in the Forsyth County Republican Party, the 56-year-old Knox drives a wrecker for Coliseum Towing, a company owned by his wife that contracts with the city, among other clients. He said he disagreed with the Republican Party’s strategy four years ago to allow Mayor Allen Joines to run un-challenged.

“I’ve had probably a couple hundred people who have said it’s terrible that we didn’t have anybody run,” Knox said. “I said, ‘Yeah, I hope we can find someone.’ Apparently the party didn’t want to do that.”

Knox declined to discuss in detail conversations within the party, but said, “The chairman isn’t happy with me, but I’ll get over it.”

Republicans ranging from Lida Hayes-Calvert, a successful businesswoman with strong institutional backing, to Michael Owens, an unemployed self-generating candidate with no civic volunteer experience, have filed in all but one ward race. Forsyth County Republican Party Chairman Scott Cumbie did not return calls seeking comment on the party’s electoral strategy.

Five days before filing, Knox signed up to address city council during public comments in the most recent meeting. He took the council to task for voting to approve a resolution designating Winston-Salem a “compassionate city.”

“You can talk compassion, but where does that help us bring us jobs?” Knox asked. “Where do the jobs come from? How does that reduce crime rates? How does that help us with our streets? We can look at compassion in many ways, but compassion is a word. Where is the action? How do you do an action from that? How do you translate that into something positive for the citizens of Forsyth County? I know there are people who are discriminated against, and that’s good for them. This will probably help them. But for the average person out there — the average Joe — how does this translate into jobs for the people who are unemployed or lost jobs at Dell or whatever?”

City Manager Lee Garrity, who knows Knox well from his business dealings with the city, kidded him: “That sounded like a campaign speech.”

Knox is no political rookie. Last year, he won election as a Forsyth County Soil & Water Board Supervisor. And he ran unsuccessfully for the North Ward seat on city council in 1985 and 1989.

Knox said he’s modeling his candidacy on Republican Jack Cavenagh’s ousting of Democratic Mayor Martha Wood in 1997. That year, Republican candidates Vernon Robinson — known as “the black Jesse Helms” — carried the South Ward and Republican Steve Whiton prevailed in the Southwest Ward — seats that are both occupied by Democrats today.

“I’m going to be running an aggressive campaign — low money, but aggressive,” Knox said. “Think of Jack Cavenagh running against Martha Wood. He ran a low-money campaign, but attacked, attacked, attacked.”

The strategy worked in 1997 until the next election, when savvy challenger, former City Manager Allen Joines, turned the tables on Cavenagh.

Visiting with constituents at a campaign event hosted by fellow Democrat Dan Besse on Sunday, Joines indicated he relishes the opportunity to meet Knox in the general-election contest.

“Good,” the sitting mayor said. “It worked real well for [Cavanagh]. I won with 78 percent of the vote.

“I don’t respond to attacks,” Joines added. “I just talk about my accomplishments and what I want to do.”

Burke defends NW Ward seat, Knox bucks party to challenge Joines

Mayor Pro Tem Vivian Burke gives election staffer Joshua Chunn a lesson on penmanship.

Mayor Pro Tem Vivian Burke resolved the suspense about whether she'll seek election by filing in the 11th hour.

The nine-term incumbent, who has represented the Northeast Ward on Winston-Salem City Council since 1977, said she hadn't decided whether to run again until just recently.

"I prayed about it," Burke said. "I had a meeting at my house last night. I had a roomful of people. They talked; I listened. I told them they would know my decision tomorrow."

Burke faces two challengers, Brenda Diggs and Jemmise Bowen, in the Democratic Party.

Other last-minute filings include James Lee Knox, a Republican filing for mayor. He said he has his wife's blessing, but not that of the Forsyth County Republican Party, which is focusing resources elsewhere. Knox was elected last year to the Forsyth County Soil and Water Board and ran unsuccessfully for the North Ward seat on city council in 1985 and 1989.

In a sign the GOP is making a play to expand its standing on city council, where seven out of eight seats are held by Democrats, the party is fielding candidates in all but one ward.

Its best shot may be the Northwest Ward, which has the second highest percentage of registered Republican voters, outside of the West Ward, which is represented by Republican Robert Clark. Lida Hayes-Calvert, a small business owner who served on the city's Citizens' Organizational Efficiency & Review Committee, and has hired a consultant who formerly worked on the staff of Congresswoman Virginia Foxx.

In the Southwest Ward, Republicans Donald T. Shaw and Robert Bultman will contend in the Republican primary for the opportunity to take on Democratic incumbent Dan Besse.

Republican Nathan Jones is challenging Democratic incumbent Molly Leight in the South Ward, while Republican Mike Hunger has filed for the Southeast Ward seat currently represented by James Taylor Jr. and Republican Patricia Kleinmaier has stepped up to meet Democratic incumbent Denise D. Adams in the North Ward.

The survivor of the Democratic primary in the Northeast Ward will face nominal competition from Michael Owens.

Intra-party competition in a couple primaries intensified over the final two days of filing.

Just before the noon deadline today, Laura Elliott, an ordained pastor with a progressive platform filed as a Democrat in the Northwest Ward. Yesterday, Noah Reynolds, a scion of the Reynolds tobacco family, filed as a Democrat. Rounding out the three-way Democratic primary is Jeff MacIntosh, a realtor whose interest in the seat was known before filing opened.

And in the Democratic primary for the East Ward, Phil Carter, an active member of the local Democratic Party, jumped in with incumbent Derwin Montgomery and longtime councilwoman Joycelyn Johnson.

Yesterday, Carolyn Highsmith, a community leader in the Konnoak Hills neighborhood who played a leadership role in a campaign to raise home values reduced in the recent tax revaluation, filed to challenge incumbent Molly Leight in the Democratic primary for the South Ward.

In the West Ward, incumbent Robert Clark has two challengers in the Republican primary: Howard Hudson and Andrew Johnson.