Fayetteville's Mayoral Race Leverages Social Media

Five candidates are hopeful of becoming Fayetteville's next mayor. One female is currently a sitting councilwoman and two are former councilman. The Oct. 8 primary will narrow the candidates to two candidates ahead of the general election on Nov. 5 for two year terms. 

Leveraging the power of social media, Facebook pages are being used to post statuses and accrue 'Likes'. 

Longtime Fayetteville resident Kirk DeViere is a solid businessman who has helped revitalize the downtown through his business ventures. He currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer at Strother Ventures II & ERA Strother Real Estate, as well as the President of 219 Group.

As the former chairman of the Fayetteville Regional Chamber of Commerce. DeViere has a solid following and though his business contacts and community involvement through the years. Establishing a dedicated Facebook page DeViere's slogan is: One Fayetteville. Forward Together. Expect to see more #deviere4mayor hashtags more frequently as the election approaches.

One of his recent Facebook posts read: 'Crime is the #1 issue facing our city. We can't allow our youth to continue down this destructive path. It is time to draw a line in the sand, lean in, and face this issue head on. This is my priority as your Mayor'.

DeViere's political musings can frequently be heard on WFNC 640AM and WIDU 1600AM radio. He's been hitting the pavement meeting neighbors and introducing himself across the city hearing the concerns of its citizens. Recently he held a well attended fundraiser at the SkyView Terrace downtown.

Follow him on Twitter @kdeviere.

Another candidate using Facebook as a vehicle to reach the voters is Valencia Appelwhite. Applewhite is an elected Fayetteville City Council member serving as the District 7 representative. The core value of “Service Before Self” is the foundation of her 20 year military and public service career.
A recent status update to her Facebook page included her endorsements by:
•Fayetteville City Councilman D.J. HAIRE, who is not seeking a ninth term this year.
•James Mitchell, a long-serving Charlotte City Councilman running for Charlotte mayor this year. He is the past president of the National League of Cities.
•Former State Senator. Cal Cunningham, an Army JAG Officer and Democrat from Lexington. He was a U.S. Senate candidate in 2010.
Appelwhite has been involved in the Fayetteville in political circles and many community service projects. Look out for her hashtags: #wewantVAL! and #standwithval.
Nat Robertson could be one of the final names on the ballot. His platform can be found on his webpage with issues like economic development, public safety, public transportation and homelessness.
Robertson served on the City Council for four terms before running in the mayoral race 2011.

"I know how the city should run and I recognize the difficulties incurred when trying to do business with our city government," as said on his webpage.

Another candidate and former City Councilmen without a dedicated Facebook page is Paul Williams, but he maintains a personal page. Williams served on the City Council from 1997 until 1999, and then again from 2003 until 2007.

A recent status post by Williams was: "Support your candidate on Facebook and you will have as must an impact on the election, maybe even more so, than being able to vote. A vote for Paul, is a vote for us all. A vote for the others, is a vote to smother us. A click on "Share", will help get us there."

The final candidate is Charles Ragan. A Facebook page for Ragan could not be found.