Edward L. Powell, Yadkin County’s new attorney

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Yadkin County welcomed a new member to the Nov. 5 Yadkin County Board of Commissioners meeting.

Newly appointed Edward L. Powell joined the commissioners as the new county attorney.

Powell was appointed as county attorney in a closed session meeting of the county commissioners on Oct. 29.

According to County Commissioner Chair Kevin Austin, Powell was selected by the county because he was willing to offer a flat rate as opposed to an hourly rate. He said that this will provide a great savings to the county.

“I think the quality of the county’s previous attorney speaks volumes about the quality of Mr. Powell’s work,” Austin said during the Nov. 5 commissioner’s meeting.

Powell is a Winston-Salem resident with a Juris Doctor from Wake Forest University and bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was licensed to practice law by the North Carolina Board of Law Examiners in 1967.

He served in the United States Army from 1967 to 1969 in duty stations at Fort Bragg, NC, Fort Bliss, TX and Long Binh Post in South Vietnam. He was awarded the bronze star medal.

Powell is currently a partner at Melvin and Powell attorneys at law in Winston-Salem and also serves as the Stokes County attorney.

Throughout his professional career Powell has served as a regional local government relations representative for Time Warner Cable in 1998 and for N.C. Baptist Hospital from 2006 to 2008. He was a registered lobbyist for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in 1995, the American Automobile Manufacturers Association in 1997, the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers in 1997, the North Carolina Citizens for business and Industry in 1997, the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education in 1997, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers in 1999m the Ford Motor company in 2001 and the North Carolina Association of Educators in 2003.

Powell served as the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles for the NC Department of Motor Vehicles from 1975 to 1977. He served as member of the board of directors for the Vehicle Equipment Safety Commission from 1975 to 1976, was a member of the NC Board of Transportation in 1975 and served as a state representative in the NC House of Representatives from 1972 to 1974.

His community and civic services include his time as chairman of the Forsyth County Republican Party from 1977 to 1981, chairman of the Tanglewood Park Board of Trustees from 1985 to 1989, vice-chairman of the Fifth Congressional District Republican Executive Committee from 1995 to 1997 and member of the North Carolina Republican Party Executive Committee from 1995 to 2004.

Powell has also been a member of the North Carolina Bar Association and Forsyth County Bar Association since 1967.

Reach Lindsay Craven at 679-2341 or at lcraven@heartlandpublications.com.