By james art 
“Hall, a lifetime resident of Winston-Salem, describes developing community ties from childhood.” (Courtesy of Regina Hall)
Regina Hall, candidate for the Northwest District seat on the Winston-Salem City Council, sat down with Old Gold & Black to reflect on her campaign, professional experience and the challenges facing Winston-Salem. Jimmy Hodsonthe Republican candidate for the Northwest District, did not respond to multiple interview requests over the course of a month for a companion piece.
About Hall
Hall, a lifelong resident of Winston-Salem, describes developing community ties from childhood. Raised in north Winston-Salem, she attended Forsyth County public schools, played basketball at Recreation Center Polo Park and the YMCA, and was involved in the neighborhood and community. After a brief stint away from Winston-Salem while earning a bachelor’s degree in communications and media studies at East Carolina University, she returned and met her husband, with whom she now has a young daughter.
“Winston has been good to us,” Hall said. “My parents still live here and it’s home in every sense of the word — my church family, my real family. I stayed here and I plan to stay here and try to give back to a city that has given me so much.”
Professional experience and the decision to apply
Although Hall has lived in five of the eight city council wards, she reports working with residents in all eight during her professional career.
The hall is currently executive director of the Boston-Thurmond Community Networka nonprofit organization that fights intergenerational poverty in one of Winston-Salem’s oldest black neighborhoods with a focus on improving housing quality, high-quality educational opportunities and community well-being.
Hall’s professional experience includes roles in both local government in Winston-Salem and the federal government. During her time on the city staff, she has held various leadership positions, including Chief of Staff to the City Council for City Food Policy, Manager of Reintegration and Youth Development, Senior Recreation Manager, and Program Administrator for the Post-Release Success Program.
Hall explains that her career has brought her into contact with a variety of groups in Winston-Salem, including seniors, youth, veterans, people in the re-entry community, immigrants and the homeless—experiences she believes prepared her to be a member of the city council.
She argues that working respectfully with residents of diverse socioeconomic, educational and personal backgrounds is the key to being an effective and fair council member.
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“I had to do it,” Hall said. “When I worked for Congressman Mel Watt, I started the day working with a homeless veteran and ended up in the same room with US congressmen, a senator and the president of the United States,” Hall said. “When I shook their hands, it was with no more respect than I showed this homeless veteran because he had also served our country. He was just on bad times.
Still, the decision to run for city councilor was not one she took lightly.
“I don’t know anyone who wants to throw themselves into the spotlight and into the public sphere,” Hall said. “I was verbally assaulted at Harris Teeter just for wearing my campaign shirt […]. Public service can be a thankless job.
Despite these challenges, Hall described feeling compelled to run given her background in public service, familiarity with Winston-Salem government, education and community involvement.
“I knew the people in Winston knew me and the service I had done,” Hall said. “I built up civic muscle and just felt I had a responsibility to at least put my name in the hat.”
She continued: “I wanted someone younger to try to do this and let other people know that you can be a mother, a wife, work full-time, do all these things and still be the change you want to be.” to see You don’t have to wait.”
Hall’s vision
Hall identified housing as one of the top issues for the City Council to address and emphasized the need for a mix of housing types to attract large businesses and residents of all backgrounds and stages of life to Winston-Salem.
“Affordable housing is important, but we also need market-rate housing, workforce housing, and housing options for students just graduating if you want them to consider staying and not lose them to Charlotte or Atlanta.” , Hall said. “I think that will be a top priority in the next city council and one that I’m happy to support.”
In addition to housing, Hall cited the importance of expanding the city’s support for small business owners to make business ownership more affordable for all. She also emphasized making Winston-Salem more attractive to children, teens and young adults by creating new gathering and activity spaces and revitalizing existing recreational facilities.
“We’re going to hopefully reduce youth violence because we’re going to give young people great things to do and safe, interesting places to do it,” Hall said.
Why Local Government Matters – Even to Wake Forest Out-of-State Students
Hall believes the importance of local government is often overlooked, especially during high-profile state and national elections. She emphasized that local officials play a direct role in shaping the quality of life of residents and solving problems that affect them on a daily basis.
“If something happens in Winston-Salem, you’re not going to call the president or the governor,” Hall said. “You call the city councilman, the state commissioner or the local judge. We are your first line of defense.
She emphasized that the impact of local government extends to Wake Forest students, who are affected by City Council decisions on policies such as public parking, policing and urban development, such as Draft groundswhose state funding is often allocated to the city.
She encourages students to get involved with city council and local government to shape the city’s future, especially those who are considering staying in Winston-Salem after graduation.
“If there are certain things you want to see around town, those things are usually enacted by the city council members, including providing incentives and tax breaks to people who are considering moving their businesses here,” Hall said. “Everything matters.”
Most importantly, she urged students to vote, suggesting they start with the back of the ballot so they don’t overlook voting in local races.
“Get informed and get involved,” Hall said. “And stay informed and engaged even after the election.”
More information about Regina Hall can be found at her campaign website.