Ali wants to bring fresh ideas to Kannapolis city government
Published 12:00 am Thursday, September 7, 2017
KANNAPOLIS — City Council candidate Addul Ali says it’s time to bring fresh ideas to city government.
Ali, a 38-year-old media consultant, is one of seven candidates running for three open spots on the Kannapolis City Council. Ali says his chief reason for running is contributing new ideas.
“It’s time for someone with a little bit of a different perspective,” he said.
Another reason for running, Ali said, is to be a voice for the city’s minority communities.
“We’ve got roughly a 30 percent minority population, and we should be represented on council,” he said.
If elected, Ali said he would focus on ensuring local businesses are able to take advantage of downtown revitalization, working on community development projects, building a better relationship between the police department and minority communities, and ensuring city decisions don’t “sack my kids with a bunch of debt.”
On downtown revitalization, Ali said local businesses should be offered incentives to move downtown. He said local businesses should also be more involved in discussions about revitalization. Ali said he hasn’t heard or seen any plans to make local businesses more involved in downtown revitalization.
Ali said he believes the current City Council is too focused on bringing in businesses from outside town.
He also said the Kannapolis Police Department’s officers need to understand the various dynamics of the community, especially if the officers are not from the city.
Ali, an Army veteran, has volunteered for or served in a number of community agencies, including: St. John’s Lodge No. 204, Downtown Kannapolis, the Kannapolis Rotary Club and the Kannapolis Community Development Corp.
Ali and his wife, Lataisha, attend Mount Carmel Baptist Church in Charlotte. They have two children, Andreas and Aalyah.
Ali’s 2017 bid for Kannapolis City Council is his first shot at elected office. With the decision by Councilman Darrell Jackson to not seek re-election, the council will have at least one new member.
Contact associate editor Josh Bergeron at 704-797-4246.
