Ralph Prestwood officially joined the City of Lenoir City Council Tuesday night, Sept. 3, 2019. Judge Robert Brady performed Prestwood’s Oath of Office shortly after the start of the Council meeting.
Prestwood fills a vacant seat on Council created earlier this year when T.J. Rohr resigned. Rohr stepped down to become City Attorney in February. Since Prestwood is running unopposed in November, Council decided last month to go ahead and appoint him to fill the seat.
Prestwood said serving on Council is a way to give back to Lenoir.
“I want to give back to the community, because the community meant so much to me growing up,” he said.
Prestwood grew up on a dairy farm in the northern part of town and he graduated from Lenoir High School. He earned a B.S. in Engineering from North Carolina State University and then worked in the petroleum industry. After moving around a lot due to his job, Prestwood and his wife, Jane, decided they wanted to return home.
“When I was growing up, Downtown Lenoir was a big part of my life,” Prestwood said. “My wife and I wanted to come back and be a part of the community. She’s from Lenoir as well.”
Prestwood and Jane moved back to Lenoir in the early 1980s. The couple immediately got involved in downtown. Prestwood redeveloped several buildings in downtown. He also helped get Lenoir designated as a North Carolina Main Street Community in 1984.
“We’ve always wanted to see Lenoir prosper,” Prestwood said. “That’s another reason I want to serve on Council, to help continue the good work happening in the City.”
Prestwood currently works as the Business Development Manager for SERVPRO of Alexander, Caldwell, Burke and Catawba Counties. He also is a member of Rotary Club of Caldwell County.
He and Jane have been married for 54 years. They have two children and three grandchildren. Jane serves as a Downtown Lenoir Main Street Volunteer.
Article Courtesy of City of Lenoir
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