Maggie Blackwell will be a candidate for Salisbury City Council.
Blackwell, 53, has lived in Salisbury for 17 years. She currently serves on the Salisbury Planning Board, having also been on the Zoning Board of Adjustment from 2005-2008.
Filing for municipal elections in Rowan County begins next Monday. All five seats are up for election in Salisbury Nov. 3.
Blackwell served as leader of the Fulton Heights Neighborhood from 2004 to 2007. She envisioned a neighborhood park to attract young families to the neighborhood and worked with city officials to develop a public-private partnership to develop one.
The neighborhood raised more than $40,000 to build Centennial Park, which is part of the city park system today.
The neighborhood also achieved other successes under her leadership, including uniform speed limits throughout the area and four-way stop signs to deter speeding vehicles.
Blackwell is a 2008 graduate of Leadership Rowan. She volunteers with Rowan Helping Ministries and Communities in Schools and serves on PTA boards and other school organizations. She is an active member of First Presbyterian Church, where she has served as a deacon.
Blackwell is a freelance writer who has worked for the Salisbury Post.
Before her work as a freelance writer, Blackwell worked for 25 years in information technology. As telecommunications director for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Virginia, Blackwell was accountable for implementing new technologies and managed a multimillion dollar budget.
Blackwell and her husband, Joseph, live on Mitchell Avenue with their granddaughter, Traci.