Bell seeks re-election
By Matt Shaw
Published in News on February 18, 2004 1:58 PM
Wayne County Commis-sioner John Bell announced Tuesday that he will seek re-election in District 3.
Bell is proud of the board's accomplishments in the past four years, which include the creation of a countywide emergency medical services system.
Bell
"I have enjoyed the opportunity to serve the citizens of the District 3 and Wayne County," Bell said. "I anticipate the opportunity to continuously strive for improvement for the people of Wayne County."
Bell sees room for improvement in many areas of local government, he said. His specific areas of concern include public schools, mental health services and justice programs.
"Local government should provide for the needs of its citizens and businesses with an effective government that uses local resources wisely," he said.
Bell, a Democrat, was elected in 2000 to his first term on the county board. So far, no one else has announced candidacy in District 3, which includes many parts of Goldsboro and some areas north of the city.
The district does cover a portion of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. Bell noted that he is an Air Force retiree and understands the issues surrounding the base and its effect on the community.
Bell, 69, also is a retiree of the N.C. Department of Correction. As a county commissioner, he has been involved with the N.C. Criminal Justice Partnership Program and the Wayne County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council, he said.
He was appointed as a county representative on the first board for Eastpointe, the agency providing mental health, developmental disabilities and substance abuse services for Wayne, Duplin, Sampson and Lenoir counties.
He also serves on the commissioners' solid waste, appointments and joint projects committees.
A retired master sergeant who served in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War, Bell earned a bachelor's degree in business management and economics and public administration from Shaw University in Raleigh. He worked as a probation and parole officer before retiring as a judicial district manager.
He and his wife, Annie, have an adult son, Tino, and daughter, Renita, and five grandchildren.