First-time candidate Amy Kemp is facing off in the Democratic primary this March against Reverends Toby Hedgepeth and Greg Drumwright as the three vie for the Democratic nomination for the one available at-large seat on the Guilford County Board of Commissioners. The winner will face Republican Tony Jacobelli in November during the general election.
Kemp grew up in Raleigh, went to Salem College in Winston-Salem to study communications and political science, and has lived in Guilford County for 25 years. She’s been endorsed by former US Congresswoman Kathy Manning, and previously worked for the NC Association of Realtors as an events manager, diversity committee liaison, and property management division liaison, and was a tutor at Guilford County Schools. Kemp is also a member of the county’s Juvenile Crime Prevention Council (JCPC).
“Prevention is the best intervention,” Kemp said. “If we can keep our kids engaged and occupied, then they have a much better chance to stay on the path to success. We have the tools to give them. We just have to make sure their parents are aware of the tools and how they can access them.”
Kemp says she wants the county to be more transparent around community organization funding.
“They’re the nonprofits that are basically becoming the safety nets of our community. As federal and state funds continue to be depleted, these groups become more and more important,” Kemp said, “So we need to ensure that every dollar spent is directly aligned with the strategic goals of the county and that our residents receive measurable results.”
Kemp was also a Guardian ad Litem to advocate for children in the foster care system.
“It gave me a glimpse into the poverty and instability and disparity that so many families in our county are facing,” Kemp said.
Kemp said that her desire for a board of commissioners seat comes from witnessing the systemic challenges faced by the families she’s worked with.
“I’ve been super lucky in life,” she said. “I can’t say that I’ve had the challenges that I’ve seen some of my kids in school in foster care face.”
Kemp said she met children who had slept in a car the night before, or didn’t have a coat, or hadn’t eaten all weekend because they ran out of food.
“Those things stick with kids, and they need somebody to talk to about that,” she said. “I just kind of became a soft place to land for kids.”
Kemp is running her campaign on seven key priorities that include public safety, environmental justice, creating job opportunities, and expanding access to healthcare facilities and services.
“I think of education as the bedrock of our future. We can’t have a future if our kids aren’t educated,” Kemp said. She said that her top priority is ensuring that Guilford County’s schools are fully funded and that teachers and staff are “paid like the professionals that they are.”
Kemp says first, though, a child needs a solid foundation.
“I think housing is one of the most—if not the most—crucial pieces for stability,” Kemp said. “Without a roof over your head, a safe place to call home, an address, none of the other systems, no other parts of life can really be fully taken advantage of.”
A 2024 report examining projected housing needs between 2024-2029 reveals a shortage of 33,210 homes in Guilford County.
That’s why it’s so important to expand affordable housing and create opportunities for people to own their own homes, and that’s going to take a tremendous amount of collaboration, she said. Many entities, including the government, will have to work together to “ensure that a plan is in place that serves the county well for decades to come, not just for the immediate future,” Kemp said.
And Kemp believes she’s the one for the job. “I bring an understanding of the power of collaboration and consensus from my work at the [NC Association of Realtors] and working for members from all segments of society,” she said. “My goal isn’t to manage Guilford County, it’s to provide stability for the residents so that they can stop worrying about tomorrow and look toward the future.”