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HIGH POINT — Although only two of the City Council’s ward races are contested in the 2008 election, four candidates are vying for the two at-large seats.

Latimer Alexander, a three-term at-large councilman, is the only incumbent. The newcomers are Mary Lou Andrews Blakeney, Michael J. Cox and John Wesley Sneed II. They’re running on issues as varied as better branding High Point for outside investment, taking better care of seniors and diversifying the city’s economy.

Early voting will begin Oct. 16, including a site at Washington Terrace Park at 101 Gordon St. Election Day is Nov. 4.

Latimer Alexander

Alexander says he can tell you the secret to rebuilding High Point — but it’s not sexy.

“It’s infrastructure,” Alexander says. “That’s what cities are for — and that’s how city governments can help people.”

Alexander points to the city’s 7 percent unemployment rate as the first thing that has to be tackled. The council’s best move on the issue?

“A new sewer line,” Alexander says. “There’s no more significant economic driver than a sewer line. That’s what all other development is built on. That’s what created Piedmont Center years ago. And the new sewer line extending from Johnson/Sandy Ridge under I-40 is going to drive another 20,000 head-of-household jobs over the next 20 years.”

Alexander, 51, says he’s learned an important lesson serving as an at-large councilman since 2002. When the city is doing its job, he says, no one notices: The lights come on, water comes out of the faucets and the garbage is picked up on time. People only notice government when things go wrong.

“The big challenge in the next year is that with the current economic conditions, we can’t raise property taxes,” Alexander says. “But we’re still challenged every day to provide ever-growing levels of service. That’s why I’m running again.”

Mary Lou Andrews Blakeney

Blakeney came back to High Point from Santa Barbara, Calif., in 1996. She was taking care of her elderly mother but the move became permanent. So did her interest in helping seniors.

At 64, the retired registered nurse says she’s running for an at-large seat to give seniors a voice on the council.

“There are so many things affecting the city that affect senior citizens even more,” Blakeney says. “With the economy the way it is, many of them are having to choose between a meal and a pill. We need to make sure that they have the services they need, that they can afford them and that we’re taking care of these people who have paid taxes all this time, who helped to build the city.”

Blakeney also wants to look at public transportation. Extending city bus hours is important for students and working people who need to get to and from late-shift jobs, she says — and especially important for seniors.

“Many seniors don’t live close enough to a bus line,” Blakeney says. “We need to extend the lines, extend the hours, make sure that all the people have access.”

Michael J. 'Jason’ Cox

As the youngest candidate in the race, it may be no surprise that Cox’s view on revitalizing the city is a little different. The 31-year-old network administrator for North State Communications says it could begin with bringing the city’s Web presence into the new century.

“The very first thing businesses will do when they’re deciding whether to come to High Point is to look us up on the Internet,” Cox says. “And right now, our Web site could be a lot better.”

Cox says the problems aren’t just cosmetic — it should be easier for residents to use the site to pay utility bills, to find important city information and to communicate with their representatives.

“It’s about branding High Point the right way,” Cox says. “We want to be a place that businesses want to invest in, that people think of as the future. If that’s what we want to be, we have to begin acting like it.”

Like most candidates this year, Cox says the key to High Point’s revitalization is attracting new businesses to replace furniture manufacturing. Cox says that investment should be in the core city, not just in north High Point and the city’s outskirts.

“Investment that we get through offering economic incentives should benefit the city overall, not just one part,” Cox says. “And the core city is where it should start.”

John Wesley Sneed II

Like a lot of residents, Sneed says he has watched High Point’s economy fade with the fortunes of the American furniture industry. Now, for the sake of its residents and the next generation, Sneed says the city has to diversify.

“We need to be thinking about this century, not the last one,” says Sneed, 36.

His plan: devote more money to helping small businesses and providing incentives for companies that represent the future. Green technology companies would be a good investment that could make use of the city’s manufacturing-based work force, Sneed says.

“This is an important time in High Point,” Sneed says. “We need to make the right decisions when we go forward.”

Contact Joe Killian at 883-4422, ext. 228, or joe.killian@news-record.com