North Carolina A&T State University Political Science Professor Jamal Fox wins in his race for Greensboro District 2 Representative.
Almost a week before the city of Greensboro held its general elections, Fox was suspended with pay from his position as adjunct professor at North Carolina A&T State University.
The suspension came after Fox’s opponent and former District 2 Councilman Jim Kee accused Fox of rewarding his student’s with an “A” for their vote. A staff member for Kee’s campaign allegedly overheard a remark being made by Fox to one of his students concerning earning a good grade for voting.
GS 163-275(2) states that “for any person to give or to promise or request money property or other thing of value for the vote of any elector is criminal.”
Fox stated that he will be appealing the suspension, but winning the election might mean that he does not have a job to come back to.
The UNC policy states that employees who hold part-time public office “for which compensation is more than nominal” to resign or get a leave of absence. City Council members are considered part-time, but receive a salary of $11,500 per year.
The A&T graduate held a press conference on October 30th to rally his supporters and remind them that he will push forward with his campaign even with the current allegations against him. “I refuse to be bullied or silenced for doing what is best for our community,” he said.
In a September 27th interview, Fox said that since he could not discuss his campaign during his classes, he tried to do what he could to reach students outside of the classroom.
“When you’re sitting in a classroom, you never know what really impacts your community,” he said. “In the past few months that I’ve been around in the community, I’ve had people talk to me about many issues and concerns that they have. I am going to do what I can to be a voice for the Greensboro community.”
Although the status of Fox’s current job as A&T professor is uncertain, he will have a new one in December as city councilman.
Jim Kee previously held the office of District 2 Representative. Kee is also an alumnus of A&T and held the position since 2009.
Fox defeated Kee with 2,367 votes (52 percent) to 2,220 votes (48 percent).
- Laci Ollison