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Get to know Patrick Pate

Meet Winston-Salem’s new city manager

Pate was sworn in during the city council meeting on Nov. 6. | Photo courtesy of @CityofWS via X

For the first time in 17 years, Winston-Salem has a new city manager. Patrick Pate sat down with City Editor Cambridge to talk about his priorities and plans for the city. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

You just started your new role in November. How are you settling in?
It’s been a whirlwind month. There’s lots of things to see and do, so I’m still in that discovery mode.

You’re no stranger to Winston-Salem, having served as a budget manager in the mid-to-late 1980s. What has changed about the city since you last lived here?
I think the downtown has really come alive in new and vibrant ways since I was here earlier in my career. The mix of the business community has changed quite a bit since that time.

Patrick-Pate-standing-at-microphone-in-chambers — Pate will deliver remarks at the start of each City Council meeting.
|
Photo courtesy of @CityofWS via X

What do you think are Winston-Salem’s top three strengths?
We’ve got a good diversity of businesses and industries here. I think we have a real strength in the quality of life and that encompasses a lot of different things. I think the university system — people don’t always think of us as a university town — but we really have a strength in our diversity of universities, so that’s a real tremendous asset that we have that we need to continue to let people know about.

What do you want citizens of Winston-Salem to know about you — personally or professionally?
I’ve always been a dedicated public servant my whole life. My philosophy is always that we’re here to serve the community and, through our elected officials who are setting the policies and the goals that they want us to achieve, we’re going to do our best to make sure that happens for everybody in the community. My family and I are excited to be in Winston-Salem and we’re looking forward to to seeing all the ways that we can make this community better.

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Events

Friday, Dec. 8

40+ Stage Company Presents “Educating Rita” | Friday, Dec. 8-Sunday, Dec. 10 | Times vary | Mountcastle Forum, Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts, 251 N. Spruce St., Winston-Salem | $20-$28 | See the final weekend of the English comedy about a hairdresser who enrolls in a literature course taught by a cynical middle-aged professor — recommended for audience members 18 and older.

Saturday, Dec. 9

Santa Stumble Pub Crawl | Saturday, Dec. 9 | 5-11 p.m. | Various venues, Winston-Salem | $10 | Stroll the streets dressed in your Santa hat or elf ears and spread holiday cheer — for patrons 21 and older.
Shine a Light on Hunger Food Drive and Holiday Celebration | Saturday, Dec. 9 | 5-7 p.m. | Washington Park neighborhood, Corner of Cascade Ave. and Doune St., Winston-Salem | Free | Enjoy holiday activities while donating canned goods to stock the Sunnyside Ministry food bank.

Sunday, Dec. 10

One Year Anniversary and Holiday Celebration | Sunday, Dec. 10 | 8 a.m.-6 p.m. | Bitty & Beau’s Coffee, 411 W. 4th St., Winston-Salem | Free | Celebrate the coffee shop’s one-year milestone with a day of giveaways and activities.
Santa Hustle 10K and 5K | Sunday, Dec. 10 | 9-11 a.m. | Jamison Park, 285 Meadowlark Dr., Winston-Salem | $50-$55 | Jingle all the way to the finish line in this festive race — costumes encouraged.
UNCSA Cantata Singers Holiday Concert | Sunday, Dec. 10 | 2-4 p.m. | Home Moravian Church, 529 S. Church St., Winston-Salem | Free | Faculty artist James Allbritten leads an ensemble of students studying voice and opera in the annual holiday concert.

Plan your weekend

Click here to have your event featured.

Seasonal

5 local gift boxes we’d love to unwrap this season

Slideshow of the contents of cheer boxes from Lowes Foods.

All of the ingredients in the North and South Carolina Cheer Box are sourced locally, within NC and SC state lines. Read: It’s the perfect way to give the best of the Carolinas to anyone no matter where they live. | Photos via @lowesfoods

Looking for a present for a friend who loves to shop local, or want to share a slice of your home with family far away?

Here are five gift ideas from Lowes Foods that we would love to receive — so you can grab a holiday party appetizer, poinsettias for the front door, and gifts for friends + family all in one spot (or order online):

North and South Carolina Box
North Carolina Box
Breakfast Box
Spice Bazaar Deep South Spice Box
Spice Bazaar Central American Spice Box

Pro tip: You can order Cheer Boxes in bulk via email for an easy workplace gift solution.

Get gifting, WS

News Notes

Civic

US Rep. Kathy Manning announced she will not file for re-election. She has represented the sixth district, which includes most of Winston-Salem, in Congress since 2021.

Development

More than seven acres at the corner of Bumgardner Street and Pilgrim Court, off Coliseum Drive, will be rezoned from limited office use and multifamily residential to multifamily residential and storage use. It’s not clear yet what the petitioner, Pilgrim Associates II, plans to do with the property. (FOX8 WGHP)

Real Estate

The Winston Summit apartment complex has been sold to Seattle-based partnership Winston Summit LP for $12.1 million. The 100-unit property located at 137 Columbine Dr. (near Reynolda Road) provides subsidized housing for older adults and the disabled. (Winston-Salem Journal)

Read

Local author Cameron Kent will launch his new novel “The Oak Island Book Club” at Book Ferret (3354 Robinhood Rd.) on Sunday, Dec. 10 at 4 p.m. The book is set on the coast of NC and features two characters whose lives change when they form a two-person book club.

Shop

Shop from local artists and makers while enjoying live music, sweet treats, food trucks, and more at Water Tower Market tomorrow, Dec. 9. The event will run from 12 to 5 p.m. under the water tower at the top of 9th Street in Industry Hill — no ticket or registration required.

Environment

Families can make free ornaments to take home at Cobblestone Farmers Market (1007 S. Marshall St.) this Saturday, Dec. 9 between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. The materials are all natural finds from Gateway Nature Preserve — no registration is required.

Winstonian

Meet our city’s newest centenarian. Horace Barrett turned 100 years old yesterday, Dec. 7. The World War II veteran is the last living member of the 508th regiment of the 82nd Airborne, which parachuted into France on D-Day in 1944. (Winston-Salem Journal)

Plan Ahead

Tickets are on sale to Winston-Salem Symphony’s next Classic Series concerts on Jan. 6 + Jan. 7 at RJ Reynolds Auditorium. “Enchanted Waters” will feature Grammy-winning saxophonist Joe Lovano and a co-commissioned concerto written by Douglas Cuomo.

State

Disney has chosen NC for its second Storyliving by Disney community. The 4,000-unit residential development called Asteria will be built in Pittsboro (~65 miles from downtown Winston-Salem).

Eat

You’ve got a holiday party on Saturday, and you’ve been tasked with bringing an appetizer. We’d recommend slow cooker party nuts or spinach and cheese spirals. Both recipes are low prep, high reward, and are sure to impress.*

Transit

🛤️ Full steam ahead

Winston-Salem receives grant to identify potential new passenger rail route

train-station-brick-building-with-concrete-pillars

Union Station is a local historic landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places. | Photo courtesy of City of Winston-Salem

Winston-Salem is one of five NC cities that will explore adding new passenger rail routes. The city received $500,000 in grant funding from the US Department of Transportation to start the process.

The city will develop a scope, schedule, and cost estimate of adding a corridor from the Twin City to Raleigh. Stops along the way would include Greensboro, Burlington, Durham, and Cary. Sen. Thom Tillis, who announced the funding this week, said the service would expand frequencies, improve reliability, and complement the existing Piedmont + Carolinian services.

Restoring passenger rail service has been on the radar for local officials for more than a decade. The last train left Union Station on June 15, 1970. The building, which was built in 1926 and is now owned by the city, was restored in 2019. It now houses the city’s transportation department. City leaders have expressed interest in returning rail services to the station.

Shoutout

Happy birthday, WStoday member Mark Queen. We hope your special day (December 12) is filled with your favorite things in Winston-Salem! — WStoday team

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The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Cambridge

From the editor

My little sister turns 21 this weekend and it’s making this older sister nostalgic. When she was little, one of our favorite things to do this time of year was to take a road trip to Winston-Salem to go ice skating together. It makes me smile to know we can still enjoy time on the ice.

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