Wilson brings a new set of eyes to politics

John Wilson III is ready to take his very first steps into politics by running for city council, driven by concerns about livability and affordability, ensuring good infrastructure, lower housing costs and utility rates.

Wilson, 70, was a Greensboro, N.C. native and has a background in procurement. He was the Noland Plant Representative for DuPont. When the DuPont facility shut down he took over a Noland Facility in Florida that was under contract to a NASA contractor and worked that contract for 20 plus years. He then moved back to Martinsville with his wife, and noted that people elsewhere “were not as friendly and courteous,” and he loves the friendly, helpful atmosphere of Martinsville.

Wilson said that he got interested in running after speaking with friends and realized an election was on the horizon.

“I talked to my wife and a friend of mine, and then I thought, ‘I want to try and do that. I want to try to be a part of what’s going on here. I want to see if I can help find solutions and help things keep going in the right direction for Martinsville,’” he said.

Wilson wants to see community policing expand to “continue to expand community policing and enforce littering as well as unkempt properties.” He’s also interested in seeing traffic violations enforced to keep the roads safe.

He wants to expand existing businesses and attract new ones by “enhancing business-friendly policies to attract and retain businesses.” He also plans to bring new ideas to help the city grow. “I would love to see more businesses come. I’m a business-friendly person.”

Wilson wants to increase attention to the roads, including “paving, re-surfacing, or repairing aging asphalt streets,” while working to help develop an infrastructure upgrade plan and a “fiscal pathway for the city to invest and improve infrastructure on an ongoing basis.”

Wilson said the city needs to be focused on improvements, and “with a new set of eyes, maybe we could find some new ways to do stuff.”

He worries about the accessibility of affordable housing in the city and is interested in increasing the housing stock.

“I know they are doing the new apartments for seniors, and that’s great, and I know there are some new apartments here in Uptown,” he said. “I don’t want to say they are too expensive, but there’s not much affordable housing, based on the folks here in town. We need to focus on providing that.”

Wilson also wants to see jobs grow, and while he doesn’t expect the factories to return, “if we can get 10 companies that employ anywhere from 10 people to 100, that’s around another 1,000 people going to work.”

He does not favor reversion. In fact, “I, for one, am glad that the city decided not to do that, it’s not a good thing for the City of Martinsville to become a town.”

Wilson also wants to help lower utility costs by exploring hydroelectric production capacity and working with the city to “advertise and implement energy audits to assist residents in curbing electric rates.”

Wilson’s children and grandchildren, who he’s watched go through school, want to “invest in our future,” and he said he wants to do all he can to support the school division so it can “be up to snuff and offer what our children need.”

In short, “I want to do everything possible to make Martinsville a better place for everybody here,” Wilson said, adding that he also is part of the city, and whether he wins or loses, he believes that there is a board that he can get on to help.

“I’m not looking to just do this and if it doesn’t work out,” for people not to talk to him anymore, Wilson said. “I want to do all I can to be helpful to the city and for the city.”

He is up front with voters, and added that this is his first foray into politics.

As such, “I’ve got a lot to learn and I know there’s a lot of questions I can’t answer right now,” Wilson said. “But I’m trying to study up as much as I can on everything.”