Goldsboro News-Argus | News: L.J. Stanley runs for council; filing period continues

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L.J. Stanley runs for council; filing period continues

By Kenneth Fine
Published in News on July 10, 2007 1:45 PM

Local businessman L.J. Stanley became the first non-incumbent to file for a Goldsboro City Council election Friday, as he announced his intentions to challenge Bob Waller for the District 2 seat.

Stanley, a retired pharmacist and self-described "ordinary man," said he feels it is time to give back to a community that has given him so much.

"I'm not interested in mud-slinging. Bob's a great guy," he said. "This is about letting people know they have options if they want to see someone different in District 2. I want them to know that I'm a team player who is not afraid to speak his mind."

So for the next few months, he will campaign using a platform promoting restoration of historic structures and bringing a passenger rail back through Union Station.

"This is huge," he said. "We can become the gateway to the coast. And for Goldsboro, it could mean a 50-minute ride to Raleigh. ... But blueprints, brick and mortar are not all that is needed to make a vision a reality."

Stanley believes one way to move toward the goal of a restored Union Station is to continue efforts to clean up the areas surrounding downtown.

"I want to see the city grow and we can do that without a bulldozer clearing out all of our historical jewels," he said. "And we have to get the rest of the county to see, too, that a revitalized city is good for the county, too."

A Charlotte native, Stanley has worked at his family's drug store, served in Vietnam and was vice president of CitiCorp bank, where he implemented the Mastercard and Visa card systems in the late-1980s.

But now, he says his eyes are set on making his town a better place for its current and future residents.

"The people here are what make Goldsboro great," he said. "They deserve the very best. Everybody always waves a hand."

And with some old advice from his father in the back of his mind, he hopes voters take a new approach in November.

"My father told me I was no better than anyone else," Stanley said. "But no worse either."

The filing period ends July 20 at noon. Other filings to date include:

GOLDSBORO

Mayor

* D.A. Stuart

City Council

* Bob Waller (incumbent), District 2

* L.J. Stanley, District 2

* Charles James Williams Sr. (incumbent), District 4