Mayor Dontario Hardy is running for reelection in the 2021 municipal election. He sat down with Pastor Jason McKnight and Neuse News Publisher BJ Murphy for interviews to discuss why he was running for re-election. 

The Kinston native spent four years in the U.S. Navy before joining the city police for seven years, the county for four years, the Department of Defense for two years, and is now the Police Supervisor with UNC Lenoir Hospital. Hardy is married with two children.

He wants to continue putting the city of Kinston at tables in order to advocate for the resources that are needed.

“When you are able to speak on behalf of a region, you get more resources for your city,” said Hardy in his interview with Murphy. “This is why I want to continue to lead and advocate for our city moving forward.”

He is proud of the work he’s done, especially with the city’s response to COVID-19. He helped secure funding to assist with utility payments and held frequent drives for testing and vaccines to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the community. With events at Grainger Stadium, he helped provide food boxes to citizens who were in need.

“I'm just a servant, I have a servant's heart,” said Hardy. “I like to lead and to put our city in a position to always move forward.”

Hardy addressed his stance on the attempts to increase the stipend for city council members and the mayor's position. He believes the city of Kinston should pay the city council members and the mayor position similar to what the county pays its commissioners, or what surrounding counties pay.

“The role of government is to assist and/or aid those in our community,” said Hardy in his interview with McKnight. “To be able to put use of our money, our funding, to use it in the best way possible to help as many people as we can.”

In response to the vacant positions in the City of Kinston, Hardy prioritized finding a city manager who can relate to the community as a whole, the entire city, and wants to find a people person. 

Early voting ends Saturday, October 30, 2021, and Election day is Tuesday, November 2, 2021.