A longtime member of the Suffolk Economic Development Authority is running for the Whaleyville Borough seat on City Council.

Harold Faulk is a Suffolk native and has served as chairman of the authority for several terms.

“I wanted to run for office, because I feel I have a rapport with city government that has been in existence for over 30 years,” Faulk said.

Faulk graduated from Southwestern High School in 1967 and from the Newport News Shipbuilding Apprentice School in 1972. He has worked at the shipyard since, having become a supervisor at the age of 26.

“All my life, I’ve had to work with a diverse team of people in order to be successful on my job,” Faulk said.

Faulk also is a third-generation farmer on the same tract of land near his home on Jackson Road, although he farms only about 50 acres these days, down from 800 in his younger days. He is also a former commissioner of the Suffolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority.

Not surprisingly, one of Faulk’s priorities on council would be economic development, he said.

“We need to continue to bring some economic development to the city,” he said, mentioning the Obici Industrial Park off Carolina Road that’s in his borough. “It’s got a lot of acreage still vacant.”

Faulk said he is proud of the CenterPoint Properties development off Holland Road, as well as the new Obici Place apartments and commercial space going up on North Main Street.

“Once you get the highway construction out of the way, traffic’s going to improve,” he said for those frustrated about the traffic the development has brought.

Education also should be a priority for the city, Faulk said.

“We have to make sure if people are coming to our city for all the great opportunities we have, we are providing them with educational opportunities,” he said.

He still believes there should be a school in the village of Whaleyville.

“That will keep the villages alive,” he said.

Programs to assist the senior citizens and disadvantaged are also a priority for him, Faulk said.

“I will continue to promote programs that will protect and aid the quality of life for our senior citizens and disadvantaged,” he said. “You’ve got to have them in order for your city, your locality, to be successful. We’ve got to make sure our programs are equitable.”