Name as it appears on the ballot: Derrick Thompson

Previous elected offices held: Fayetteville City Council, 2 terms; President of HOA, 5 years

Age as of Election Day: 64

Occupation (employer, where you work, what you do): Retired

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1. Give us your elevator pitch in 200 words or less. Why are you running for this office? What makes you the most qualified candidate?

I believe I’m the best candidate because I’m a public servant at heart, my faith keeps me grounded and my passion for this city keeps me motivated. After retiring from the military with 21 years of dedicated service, I relocated with my family to Fayetteville North Carolina. I continued my public service, serving 15 years as a trustworthy mail carrier for the United States Postal Service (USPS). An eye-awakening experience as a child (fighting for the needs of the community) has continued throughout my life. I am a firm believer in fighting for what is right and want to continue that legacy by representing the residents of District 6 and the can Do Cith of Fayetteville.

2. What do you view as the three most pressing issues facing your district and the city as a whole? How will you address them as a city council member?

Public Safety- we have to continuously stay ahead of the criminals who do use harm as city. We have to improve our recruitment, and our retainment of our first responders. We will provide them the tolls they need to accomplish what we ask of them. So far we have increased pay, increased incentives for housing, increased funding for new technology, implemented funding for LPR’S in areas that didn’t have any. Coordinated collaboration with other agencies to connect technology, Count, City, Fort Bragg.

Sidewalks- we have to make sure we have sidewalks around schools to keep our kids safe. I implemented a supplementary pedestrian Plan for a one mile radius around every school to have sidewalks. We added an additional 500,000 in 2026 budget to speed up the sidewalk construction on top of the approved General Obligation Bond money for sidewalks.

Housing- I believe housing is critical for the growth of any city. The southwest part of Fayetteville is booming with growth (district 6) because the rest of the city is land locked. Additional housing will lower cost, increased funding inventory, and create more economic development.

3. What’s the best or most important thing the Fayetteville City Council has done in the past year? Additionally, name a decision you believe the council should have handled differently. Please explain your answers.

The most important decision council has made in my opinion is the approval of zoning for major companies to relocate to Fayetteville. These companies bring high paying jobs to the city which creates economic development to all which includes jobs, housing, retail. These type of jobs helps us become a tier 2 community when you have high paying jobs which we are bring to this city. We have welcomed the Titanium Plant, the Doom plant by the airport, and looking for other ready site to attract more development.

I stand convicted on the decision I’ve made on council and don’t believe I would have done anything different.

4. Last year, the City of Fayetteville sued a contractor for abandoning over $6 million in construction projects. The city has since hired new contractors to finish the projects. What steps will you take to ensure Fayetteville is able to successfully complete capital projects in the future?

The city have provisions when a construction contractor breach his contract, we have provision when faulty work is being done, we have provision when inspections are not complete, we have provision when project are not completed on time. Outside of all that we too do not like it when projects don’t go as planned. Therefore we have hired an outside agency Fresse and Nichols to supervise all major Capital Improvement Project to keep us on schedule, on time, and present a quality finished project.

5. While overall crime in Fayetteville has decreased by around 13% this year, the number of homicides and incidents of juvenile crime have increased. The Fayetteville City Council recently enacted a youth curfew ordinance. Would you have voted in favor of it? How will you work to improve public safety and reduce crime in the city?

Yes, I previously mentioned ideals around public safety but as it pertains youth violence. I believe engaging with residents around the community is paramount. We all need to work on establishing community watch groups, empowering residents to take an activ role in improving the safety and security of the neighborhood. We cannot do it without their help! I will focus on reducing youth violence and improving the overall quality of life for young people in district 6 and around the city. I will advocate for programs and initiatives that provide opportunities and support the youth. I ask for a youth Mayor (soon to come) to have a voice at city hall for the Fayetteville next committee our younger age group to be a part of the decision process of what they want to see in the community. We have to involve them so they can feel they have input in the process.

6. How will you work to attract and retain new businesses and other development to Fayetteville? Name another municipality you believe has made smart decisions about sustainable growth and development, and describe what it has done that could be implemented in Fayetteville.

We are working hard bringing good high paying jobs to Fayetteville to support our strategic growth plan. We have created thousands of jobs to our economy from small businesses to large development plants like Amazon. North Carolina is the 2nd fastest growing state in the country and we need to capitalize on that growth. We need to make sure that we collaborate with our schools, Hospital, County, PWC, and others to ensure when these opportunities arise we are ready to answer the hard questions about public safety, education schools, Infrastructure(ready) etc.

We also have to be ready with incentives to attract these companies when we are in competition with surrounding cities.

7. The county and city have often struggled to determine who is responsible for addressing homelessness. How would you work with the Cumberland County government and other community partners to decrease homelessness in the city?

The city has spent over 6 million dollars on the Day resource Center to address the homeless population. We will continue to work with all agencies to help our unhoused community. Currently we are working on short term solutions getting ready for the winter months during white flag. Currently their are NO facilities to address this issue and we will make sure before its gets cold we address white flag. Long term solutions will require additional funding for us to manage during next years budget.