Guilford County Commissioner Carlvena Foster just made it official:  She’s throwing her hat in the ring to be the next mayor of High Point.

For much of the spring, Foster has been hinting strongly that she might enter the race, so her announcement doesn’t come as a surprise to many.

Though the filing for that seat doesn’t open up for another month, it’s already shaping up to be an interesting race: Earlier this year, former Guilford County Commissioner Bruce Davis announced he will seek the seat, as did 23-year-old political newcomer James Upchurch – and many High Point officials say they’re certain that current High Point Mayor Jay Wagner will seek another term.

Foster, a Democrat, who said last month that a lot of people had been trying to get her to run, got some praise on social media after she made her announcement.  Rev. Amos L Quick III, for instance, posted on his Facebook Page:  “BLESSED to stand with and in full support of Carlvena Foster as she announced her candidacy for Mayor of High Point.”  Quick wrote that he supported Foster because “not only is she super qualified; but she is also compassionate and concerned about every segment of the city.”

Foster, who’s been a highly active figure in High Point over the years, served as a member of the Guilford County Board of Education before becoming a county commissioner where she is the least talkative member of the board.

Foster told the Rhino Times that she enjoys her work as a commissioner but her heart lies in High Point and, while she does get to serve the people of that city as a county commissioner, serving as mayor would be a more direct way to do so.

In the fall of 2017, Foster had a big split with almost all of the other Guilford County commissioners because she wanted the county to help fund High Point’s new downtown baseball stadium while most other commissioners were very hesitant to do so.

Foster said that, if elected, she’ll work hard to help unify High Point, which, she added, currently faces a divide between those who are doing well financially and those who are not.

Foster, who once worked for the Guilford County Department of Social Services, is vice president of the Carl Chavis YMCA in High Point.  She has a bachelor’s degree in business management from Shaw University and a master’s degree in public administration from High Point University.