Gary Kenton

Gary Kenton

Education

Bachelor's

Greensboro College

Graduate

Fordham University

Personal

Profession

Educator

Contact

Personal website

Gary Kenton was a candidate for District 4 representative on the Greensboro City Council in North Carolina. He was defeated in the general election on November 7, 2017. City council elections in Greensboro are officially nonpartisan, and Kenton is registered as an independent. Click here to read his response to Ballotpedia's 2017 municipal candidate survey.

Kenton has previously served as a member of the Guilford Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors and the Village of Rhinebeck Board of Trustees.

Biography

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Kenton earned a B.A. in special education from Greensboro College and an M.A. in communication from Fordham University.

As of his 2017 run for city council, Kenton was retired from his position as a teacher. His experience includes service as a founding member of Democracy Greensboro and as a member of Greensboro Operation Transparency, the Greensboro and Guilford County Planning Boards, and the board of directors of the League of Women Voters of the Piedmont Triad.

Elections

2017

See also: Mayoral election in Greensboro, North Carolina (2017) and Municipal elections in Greensboro, North Carolina (2017)

Greensboro, North Carolina, held a general election for mayor and all eight seats on the city council on November 7, 2017. A primary election was held on October 10, 2017. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was July 21, 2017. Incumbent Nancy Hoffmann defeated Gary Kenton in the general election for the District 4 seat on the Greensboro City Council.

Greensboro City Council, District 4 General Election, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Nancy Hoffmann Incumbent	67.04%	5,153
Gary Kenton	32.54%	2,501
Write-in votes	0.43%	33
Total Votes		7,687
Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections, "11/07/2017 Official Municipal Election Results - Guilford," accessed November 22, 2017

Incumbent Nancy Hoffmann and Gary Kenton defeated Andrew Belford in the primary election for the District 4 seat on the Greensboro City Council.

Greensboro City Council, District 4 Primary Election, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Nancy Hoffmann Incumbent	67.29%	3,117
Gary Kenton	28.13%	1,303
Andrew Belford	4.58%	212
Total Votes		4,632
Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections, "10/10/2017 Official Primary Election Results - Guilford," accessed October 27, 2017

Campaign themes

2017

Candidate survey

See also: Ballotpedia's municipal government candidate survey

Kenton participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of municipal government candidates. The following sections display his responses to the survey questions. When asked what his top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:

“	Poverty, Race, Jobs	”
—Gary Kenton (October 9, 2017)

Ranking the issues

The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the city, with 1 being the most important and 12 being the least important: city services (trash, utilities, etc.), civil rights, crime reduction/prevention, environment, government transparency, homelessness, housing, K-12 education, public pensions/retirement funds, recreational opportunities, transportation, and unemployment. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important.

Issue importance ranking
Candidate's ranking	Issue	Candidate's ranking	Issue
1	Environment	7	Candidate did not provide a response
2	Government transparency	8	Candidate did not provide a response
3	Candidate did not provide a response	9	Crime reduction/prevention
4	Candidate did not provide a response	10	Recreational opportunities
5	City services (trash, utilities, etc.)	11	Candidate did not provide a response
6	Candidate did not provide a response	12	Candidate did not provide a response

Nationwide municipal issues

The candidate was asked to answer questions from Ballotpedia regarding issues facing cities across America. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions.

Question	Response
Is it important for the city’s budget to be balanced?Answer options: Not important; Not important, but required by state law; A little important; A little important, but required by state law; Important; Very important	A little important, but required by state law
Which level of government do you feel should set a minimum wage?Answer options: None, Local, State, Federal	State
What do you think is the best way to improve a city’s public safety? Candidates could write their own answer or choose from the following options: Increased economic opportunities, Increased police presence/activity, Harsher penalties for offenders, Public outreach/education programs	Increased economic opportunities
How do you think your city should emphasize economic development? Candidates could write their own answer or choose from the following options: Changing zoning restrictions, Create a more competitive business climate, Focusing on small business development, Instituting a citywide minimum wage, Recruiting new businesses to your city, Regulatory and licensing reforms, and tax reform	Focusing on small business development
What is the one thing you’re most proud of about your city?	Many engaged citizens; a significant cadre working for a more robust democracy
What is the one thing you’d most like to change about your city?	Greater equality of opportunity

Additional themes

Kenton's campaign website highlighted the following issues:

“	When Laura and I moved back to Greensboro two years ago, we chose to live in District 4. We found ourselves a lovely spot in the Friendly Acres neighborhood that has the greenery and tranquility of the country, but is just a few minutes (usually) from the urban delights of a thriving downtown. We are retired teachers and we are fortunate to be reasonably secure financially. Our days are full of friends and family (especially our two granddaughters), and we could easily settle in to a life of leisure. But we look at our world, our country, our state, and our great city, and we are deeply troubled by some of what we see. Even as we enjoy the privileges afforded to us, at least in part because we are middle class and white, we cannot rest easy. Our hearts break when we see the pain and suffering of many who are not in the cultural or economic majority. We all believe in personal responsibility, but we must also acknowledge that there is a history that has led to our current situation in which one in four children living in Greensboro is in poverty, and more than that experience food insecurity. Can we sit by and not do what we can to change that? We know that, although unemployment numbers are reasonably good by historic standards, too many of our neighbors are under-employed or unemployed and are struggling to support their families. Can we sit by and not do what we can to change that? In talking to people throughout District 4, I hear great concern over the inequality of opportunity that prevents Greensboro from living up to the ideals we share.	”
—Gary Kenton's campaign website, (2017)

Endorsements

2017

Kenton received endorsements from the following in 2017:

• Triad Central Labor Council

See also

Greensboro, North Carolina	North Carolina	Municipal government	Other local coverage

External links

Suggest a link

• Greensboro City Council
• Campaign website
• Social media
  • Facebook
  • Twitter