Robert “Chris” Boyette has announced his candidacy for Goldsboro City Council, District 2. The seat is currently held by Councilman Bill Broadaway who is retiring. Councilman Broadaway has endorsed Boyette.

Boyette is a native of Goldsboro. He is a graduate of Eastern Wayne High School and Wayne Community College. His family has lived and owned small businesses in District 2 for almost one hundred years. Boyette has been active in real estate operations and development both downtown and in other areas of Goldsboro. He has also operated SpeakerWorks, a successful small local business, for thirty years.

Boyette also has prior experience both as a full-time police officer and with the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department as a reserve deputy. Over the last twenty-two years Boyette has served in several City Council appointed capacities and has chaired several boards, commissions and committees involving transportation, planning, zoning and land use.

Boyette is currently serving on the Goldsboro Metropolitan Planning Organization’s, Technical Coordinating Committee, which oversees the long range transportation planning process for the area in and around Goldsboro.

Additionally, for the last ten years Boyette has served on the I-42/US70 Corridor Commission which was formed for the primary purpose of promoting regional transportation, land use and economic development initiatives and overseeing the conversion of US 70 to I-42 from Clayton to Morehead; he is currently Vice Chairman.

Boyette stated “During my years on City commissions, I realized that growth can lead to a better quality of life for all citizens of Goldsboro and that a major component of successful and orderly growth of a community is proper planning, land use, development, transportation and infrastructure management.”

Boyette also stated: “I love my city and care about its citizens. I have always felt a responsibility to give back to my community through public service in some capacity. Until now my years of service have been more in the background and out of the public spotlight. One of my favorite quotes is by President Harry Truman who said, ‘It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you don’t care who gets the credit.’ I have honored Truman’s advice for years but now feel that with Councilman Broadaway’s retirement that the time has come to continue my service to my community in a more public role. As a small business owner who understands the concept of living within a budget and making a payroll every Friday for the last thirty years I understand that government is nothing but a large business and that in order to succeed and serve all of its citizens, the City must be operated on a sound fiscal basis. The City Council is a steward of the public’s tax money and cannot spend more than is received. I look forward to the opportunity to continue my service to the citizens of Goldsboro in a new role if I am elected to City Council.”

Due to his prior experience, Boyette has particular interests in military affairs, public safety, city planning and local and regional transportation. Having served on the Chamber’s Military Affairs Committee for the last seventeen years, Boyette believes that it is vital for the future of Goldsboro and its citizens that the City maintain a positive relationship with Seymour Johnson AFB.

As a member of the law enforcement community in various roles for the last thirty years, Boyette is also very interested in making sure that employees of city police and fire departments (as well as other city employees) are properly compensated and have the tools to do their jobs. Based upon his experience on governmental boards and commissions, Boyette has relationships with many, many city, county and state elected officials and employees. If elected, Boyette expects to continue to work together with these other officials and agencies for the benefit of all of the citizens of Goldsboro, Wayne County and Eastern North Carolina