Allen Joines

James Allen Joines is an American politician currently serving as the mayor of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In 2009, he was also appointed chairman of the North Carolina Economic Development Board. Political career Joines, a Democrat, was elected mayor of Winston-Salem on November 6, 2001. He defeated Republican incumbent Mayor Jack Cavanagh, Jr. by a wide margin. Before his election, Joines had served as deputy assistant city manager. Joines had been named as a possible challenger to Congresswoman Virginia Foxx in North Carolina's 5th district in the 2006 election, but declined to enter the race. In the 2012 North Carolina gubernatorial election, many suggested Joines as a potential candidate in the Democratic primary, but he declined, stating that there was still work he wished to do in Winston-Salem.