Dr. David Barbour, a West Smithfield resident, filed Monday afternoon for Smithfield Town Council.
“I believe the future for Smithfield is bright if we position ourselves to grow,” Barbour said Tuesday. “The 4th District of Smithfield is critical for this growth to happen. With new housing developments and the push for more employees needed to meet the demands of Clayton and Raleigh, attracting those future citizens will help change the face of Smithfield in a positive way for all our citizens.”
Barbour graduated from North Johnston High School in 1978, earned an associate in Electronic Engineering Technology from Johnston Community College in 1980, a Bachelor’s degree in Business from Barton College in 1994, and a Master’s degree in Industrial Technology from East Carolina University in 2000. He earned his Doctorate in Educational Technology Management from North central University in June 2015.
His work experience includes 23 years in the computer manufacturing industry with Data General Corporation in the technical and quality fields, seven years with Ericsson Mobile phones in the Research Development and Quality, and 16 years in education. David is a certified Quality expert having his ISO 9001 Lead Assessor certification, and has led several worldwide process improvement projects.
After leaving industry, David began his second career in education. He spent 5 years in the classroom, teaching Computer Engineering and Technology at Smithfield Middle School and West Johnston High School. He is currently a Career and Technical Education Consultant for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. He oversees 20 curriculum projects for the state of North Carolina including the Fire, EMT, and Law Enforcement programs, where high school students get industry certifications to go directly from high school to work.
David has served on the boards of various professional organizations. He is currently on the executive board of directors for North Carolina SkillsUSA.
“Developing economic growth in the 4th district will benefit new and current town citizens and provide additional employment opportunities through those added businesses. A continued push for more Parks and Recreation activities at the Community Park will attract these new citizens that have small children or plan to add to their family. This will level the playing field for Smithfield as we compete with other locations outside of town for these new families,” Barbour said. “As economic growth begins to take hold, more opportunities for downtown development will also occur. With the additional tax base, all our citizens can benefit from improvements to our town’s infrastructure. All this is possible if we position ourselves to grow. I believe I can help Smithfield do just that.”
David, who lives on Whitley Drive, is married to Connie Barbour. His son, Austin, is a high school Public Safety teacher at Garner High School who also works as an Emergency Medical Technician for Johnston County Emergency Medical Services. Austin is married to Britney Barbour, and they have twin daughters, Lexi and Tenley. David and Connie’s daughter, Emma, is a 7th grader at Neuse Charter School.
David is a high school varsity sports official for football, basketball, baseball, and softball. He also officiates youth league sports. David attends Branch Chapel Church in Selma. He has lived in West Smithfield since 1984.
The District 4 seat is currently held by one term councilman Roger Wood. Wood has not publically announced if he will seek a second term.
