Kenny Hardin, Salisbury City Councilman and Mayoral Candidate
After initially deciding not to run again, I’m seeking re-election to the Salisbury City Council with the goal of winning the Mayor’s seat in the upcoming November 2017 election. My original decision to not run was based on that I’ve been serving my community for nearly 30 years and made a lot of personal sacrifices with my family and health as well as professional sacrifices forgoing lucrative employment opportunities. After my decision became public, I was overwhelmed with calls, messages and people stopping me while I was out asking me to reconsider. I sat down with my family and discussed the option of running again and they were supportive. I reached out to two people whom I trust and whose opinion I value, Raemi Evans and Chris Sifford, and discussed my plans.
My decision was also made as a result of the continued gun violence and what I view as our inability to address it effectively. Finally, I was and continue to be disappointed in the way the SBI No Knock Death Report debacle unfolded a couple of months ago led by the Mayor. Poor leadership, a callous display of arrogance and no concern for the racial animus and division it caused to an entire demographic of people being disparaged and erroneously labeled as having a propensity to violence all motivated me to reconsider. I have accomplished a great deal over the last 18 months on the Council and have gained the respect of so many citizens, so I would like to continue on that progressive path as the next Mayor.
I’m concerned about the condition and direction of the City I love. Over the last three decades I’ve been on the frontlines fighting for improvement, I haven’t seen much progress. Sadly, we’re still fighting the same issues (Gangs, drugs, gun violence, abandoned and boarded up houses) in 2017 that we were back in the mid 1990’s. I want Salisbury to resemble the place I loved growing up, and where after my honorable service in the U.S. Air Force, I returned to raise my family. I want Salisbury to be a destination place where people seek out to visit and businesses want to locate. I want people to feel safe in their homes and feel free to be out in their Communities at any time of the day and night. I want people to have faith that their elected officials are working in their best interest and not minimizing their voices and ignoring their concerns. .
My primary goal, after being re-elected to City Council and assuming the Mayor’s office, will be to aggressively address the gun violence and reduce the level of crime making our City unlivable, businesses unwilling to relocate here, a place tourists avoid and people leaving to live in surrounding cities. Our economy is suffering because of the crime rate. I will bring in outside law enforcement experts to assist us in understanding our crime issues and to implement strategies. We can’t arrest our way to progress, so I will strengthen programs aimed at our youth like my ongoing plan to bring a Boys & Girls Club here as well as the implementing the free vocational trade certification program I’ve been working on for over a year. People can say crime is rampant and pervasive everywhere, but I don’t live everywhere. I live in Salisbury, so I will do what I can to make Salisbury safe.
I will be decisive about the future of Fibrant so that we can stop the financial drain that is preventing us from providing needed services to our citizens and economic development opportunities. I will call for an outside authority to conduct a forensic investigation of all aspects of Fibrant from the development to the current day. I will present the findings openly to the public. Other goals will be to ensure the equitable distribution of grants, funds, and resources to build up other Gateway areas and communities suffering from neglect. I’m a supporter of a strong and vibrant Downtown, but not at the expense and detriment of businesses and other communities who deserve the same attention. We are top heavy in City leadership roles and some I don’t see as vital or necessary. I will conduct an assessment of City leadership and eliminate redundancy to ensure operational efficiency. I have worked well with County Commissioner Craig Pierce and will forge a stronger professional relationship with the entire County Commission to find tangible partnerships and projects with measurable outcomes. Mr. Pierce and I have discussed a plan to go into economically challenged neighborhoods and redevelop (5) five abandoned or foreclosed homes per year offering them to teachers and police officers at a significantly low monthly rental cost. My full platform is attached, but I wanted to highlight the top things I will focus on.
Striving for and achieving excellence is in my DNA. I received an Honorable Discharge from the U.S. Air Force as a Non Commissioned Officer in 1990. During my tour of duty, I received numerous honors, awards and written commendations for performance excellence and meritorious service to my Country. I returned to Salisbury and received a BA degree magna cum laude from Pfeiffer University. I was a multi-academic scholarship recipient as well as an Honors student named to both the University’s and National Dean’s Lists. I have a strong professional background and a history of success as a change and improvement agent. Working in Corporate Healthcare for nearly 20 years as a Director in Patient Satisfaction and Quality, my primary professional responsibilities have been to provide expert level consulting services to healthcare organizations to improve the level of quality and service they offer patients. I accomplished this by using evidenced based information to provide training, education, and guidance to all levels of senior and mid-level leadership, physicians, nurses and frontline employees. I have worked with Duke University, Carolinas Healthcare and Cone Health Systems as well as Hospitals in Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland and Charleston using a strong understanding of data analysis and the correlation to behaviors that contributed to trends. I have assisted several healthcare organizations reach and perform in the top 1-5% nationally using data to implement strategies for process, operational and behavioral improvement.
I currently serve as the Director of Strategic Partnerships with a nonprofit group called Dedication to Community (D2C). I wrote the curriculum for the Choose to Live (C2L) program taught to law enforcement agencies, middle through College students, college and sports teams, municipal governments and driver’s education programs. I want to work with others in the business and private communities to rewrite the narrative for a better outcome for this City. If you would like to assist my campaign and put our City back on a forward thinking and forward moving path, you can donate online at https://www.paypal.me/electkennyhardin or send your donation via the U.S. Mail to The Committee to Elect Kenny Hardin at PO Box 674, Salisbury NC, 28145
Kenny Hardin’s Campaign Platform Points:
