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GREENSBORO — With Goldie Wells’ retirement from the Greensboro City Council, the District 2 seat will go to a new elected official.

Nettie Coad and Jim Kee advanced from the primary to the ballot for the general election. Early voting is under way, and Election Day is one week from today.

A look at what the candidates would like to accomplish as City Council members:

Nettie Coad

Age: 73

Residence: 706 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive

Occupation: Executive director, Partnership Project

Education; Dudley High School graduate; attended GTCC

What is the No. 1 problem facing Greensboro? Coad said there is “a lack of vision and the ability to plan and find common ground even in a diverse community.

“I believe my human relations training, coupled with my leadership abilities, has prepared me to work with a diversity of personalities and to bring balance for open and honest discussion and decision making.”

Goals for the term: Coad hopes to increase diversity on city boards and commissions.

“Not just diversity for the sake of diversity,” she said, “but having the ability to serve and represent the people in a more professional way.”

She also wants to bring the city’s colleges and universities into the city planning process.

“All of the knowledge can’t come out of planning and community development,” Coad said. “We need to utilize the resources that we have in the city.”

Jim Kee

Age: 51

Residence: 4301 Lord Jeff Drive

Occupation: Land developer, president and owner of Kee Development

Education: Bachelor in economics, N.C. A&T

What is the No. 1 problem facing Greensboro? “The No. 1 problem facing Greensboro is continuing economic development that provides jobs for our citizens,” Kee said.

“I plan to focus on creating new small businesses and helping existing small business achieve sustainability and profitability. This can be accomplished by streamlining the qualification process to access the target loan program established by the city of Greensboro. Infrastructure expansion leading to shovel-ready sites also will encourage investment by ... businesses.”

Goals for the term: Redevelopment of the Phillips Avenue corridor.

“We’re looking at bringing in a grocery store and restaurant, an urgent-care facility and a business center,” he said, “perhaps a police administrative office.”

The corridor mostly has some convenience stores and shops interspersed with empty storefronts and aging shopping centers. “And that will create jobs in itself,” he said.

Kee also is setting up committees that advise him on the environment, business development and public safety.

“I would like to have at least 15 people on each board,” he said, “a representative from each neighborhood in the district and some from outside the neighborhoods.”

Contact Gerald Witt at 373-7008 or gerald.witt@news-record.com