Have you ever wondered how a small town reinvents itself? In my latest conversation with Selma’s Mayor Byron McAllister, we explore his journey from New York to the heart of Johnston County—and how Selma transformed from a quiet antique haven into a vibrant, innovative hub. What does it take to turn financial challenges into opportunities and revitalize a community from within? Join me as we uncover the bold moves shaping Selma’s future.

We talk a little bit about Eastfield development and the North State Food Hall and all the new retail shopping out there with the Hobby Lobby and the Marshalls. We also talk about all the different new and great Restaurants and shops in downtown Selma, and it's not just antiques anymore, as well as his plan to continue polishing the town of Selma.

Listen in, I think you will find it fascinating.

Jonathan Breeden: Hello and welcome to another edition of The Best of Johnston County Podcast. I'm your host, Jonathan Breeden, and on today's episode, we are honored to have the mayor of Selma, Byron McAllister here to talk to us about all things Selma.

You've heard me talk about Selma and the North state food hall. Adventure development, the downtown, all the good things that I believe are happening in Selma. And I thought it would be great to reach out to the mayor so he could come tell us more firsthand what is happening in Selma. And that's what we're going to talk about today.

So you'll be aware of future episodes of The Best of Johnston County Podcast. The Best of Johnston County Podcast comes out every single Monday. So be checking back. We've been doing it well over a year now. We've had a lot of great guests go back and listen to some of our previous guests. And we've got a lot of great guests coming up in the future.

Including the one you're listening to now with the mayor of Selma. We have other elected officials coming and other business leaders. It's going to be a lot of fun. And we've really enjoyed bringing this to you. If you do us a favor of giving us a five star review down at the bottom, that will help us change our visibility out there.

So more people be aware of The Best of Johnston County Podcast. And if you'll share it in your Instagram stories and tag The Best of Johnston County Podcast, it'd be much appreciated. Welcome mayor. Hey, how are you? Good. Good. We've met a couple of times before. The first time I met you was at the, I guess the economic development passing or sort of ribbon cutting of the new be good foods coming to the adventure development, maybe two or three years ago,

Byron Mc Allister: do good foods, right.

And so we've worked on all of those projects where people would get incentives. And that was a lot of fun. I've really enjoyed the two years I spent on that committee. And so we came to Selma and that was the first big building that went under contract in venture development. So anyway, so I'm glad you were willing to come out here and talk to us.

So if we're getting all that, just tell the audience. Who you are, where you from, what you do. Yeah,

Byron Mc Allister: yeah, Byron McAllister, mayor of Selma, North Carolina. I am originally from New York City. Found my way down to North Carolina with my family when I was young. Spent some time in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Spent some time in Raleigh, ended up in Cary, North Carolina with my wife for 15 years, and then she found a house in Selma, North Carolina that she had to have. We moved with my then two children to Selma, North Carolina and then added two more after we got the house that she dreamed of. So after that got involved in the community.

No, not at all. But after about the 18th person asked me, And then the then police chief at the time, at a council meeting because I started attending these meetings to understand what was happening. Billy Thomas, then police chief, asked, Hey man, I think you'd be good for this community. Have you ever thought about running for county?

So, I mean, that's, about the only person I've ever known that could show up in a community and get elected in two years. That's kind of amazing.

Byron Mc Allister: It was well, from my perspective as a, Parent of a young family is foolish, but it's been fantastic. Really again, I didn't even realize that carry North Carolina had a town council when I was there.

Didn't pay attention to that political spectrum whatsoever. But it has been an eye opening experience. It has been a rewarding experience. I'm never going to be a huge fan of politics itself, but I am a fan of the results, right?

Jonathan Breeden: Well, I mean, that's cool. And I think you Do some financial planning as, as a part time and being the mayor of Selma is a lot.

It's a full time job for every mayor, but they have other jobs or they've had other jobs that have sustained their living. Right. It's a very different thing. So it really is when you see a mayor that is civil service.

Jonathan Breeden: Absolutely. Absolutely. Absolutely. So do you work for yourself or do you work for a company?

I do work for myself. Okay. What's the name of that company?

Byron Mc Allister: It's well, the actual LLC. Is it was listed under James McFallon, LLC, but it's okay, LLC. Okay. But again, you know, I tell everybody it's never about the individual when it comes to being a mayor. As a mayor, I am also taking on an office that has been around since the inception of the town of Selma. Right. So, you know, previously Mayor Cheryl Oliver she's the mayor of Selma. It's not about Cheryl Oliver. Right. It's about the mayor of Selma, and I'm just taking on that mantle now.

What were you going to add? What were some of the issues you wanted to address? When I ran? Yes. I had no idea. You had no idea?

Byron Mc Allister: Yeah, no idea. What I saw as a person running for council was that there was a beautiful community that had the perfect geography. that something wasn't going right. So I had no idea at the time on what I could have because I didn't know enough about the actual nuts and bolts of the government to have an idea.

I knew that people said they wanted to see activity in downtown. They wanted to be able to go shopping in their community without having to drive to Goldsboro or Garner. And they wanted to get back to a place where people knew their neighbor and their neighbor cared about taking care of their community.

And that's what I knew as far as council was concerned. Nuts and bolts of government. No idea.

It's dipping into its fund balance to pay its bills. How quickly did you figure that out? I mean, probably in the first budget meeting you went to, or you could have read the newspaper. In fact, before that, in fact,

Byron Mc Allister: when I was councilman elect is when I was really deep into the historical books. And I figured that out immediately that we had a significant financial problem.

And there was almost a misunderstanding of the role of government in the community. Absolutely. So immediately we're, we figure out we're hemorrhaging money and that we're on a path at that point in time to continue hemorrhaging money. Not unless we change direction.

Jonathan Breeden: So what did y'all do? I mean, you were on the council for two years, then you become mayor.

Byron Mc Allister: So y'all clearly made some big changes.

We did. And you know, I think on average it was probably around 400, 000 or so a year that we were really dipping in that we had a couple of years where it was a huge number, but on average around 400, 000 or so the first thing was stop spending money on things we can't sustain. So a pool was something that was a big hot button topic at the time we had decided to renovate an old pool in the community.

And it would cost us about 65, 000 for a summer to run that pool. We had memberships come in for the first year of revenue for 10, 000. So that's a 55, 000 loss on a pool. With that we were having conversations about renovating the old believe is the old BB and T building, very old BB and T building, old bank building at the corner of Rayford street and Anderson street in Selma, North Carolina.

Jonathan Breeden: With no doubt about that. And then, I mean, I guess it didn't help. It didn't hurt that adventure development and all of the development with the old Old North State Food Hall and that part of Selma on that exit 97 over on the other side of 95 started to build up, which probably added to your tax base a little bit as well.

So our biggest conversations were getting our infrastructure in line to support an Eastfield and adventure development. They couldn't do anything unless the infrastructure is in place. To get going to build. So what did y'all, what did the town do to help with that infrastructure? So first of all, it wasn't what the town did.

It was what the state of North Carolina did. Representative Strickland, Senator Saray, Representative White, Representative Penny. They all came together and said or we asked them to help us get our infrastructure in line to support that project. Because one of the biggest issues on getting that project going was, where's your water and sewer right?

Jonathan Breeden: It's always water and sewer always, always water and sewer.

Can you help us?

Jonathan Breeden: Right. And the legislature did. And I think you ended up moving one of the sewage pumps as well that was going to help.

Byron Mc Allister: We will be moving or will be moving that. A sewage pump that's on the other side of the community, which will help all of Selma. Right. But we ended up getting money to build a significant water loop to go around Eastfield, significant sewer infrastructure to go into Eastfield to connect to Selma's existing infrastructure and increase our water capacity.

Significantly to support the new development and make sure the old development didn't lose water pressure while the new came.

And then I guess now they finally opened up some of the retail on the other side. Hobby Lobby is open now. There's

Byron Mc Allister: a sports store. So let's see. Hobby Lobby, Academy Sports, Ulta, Five Below, Old Navy, Ross Dress for Less, Marshalls. Ooh, am I missing one? If I am missing one, folks, please don't shoot me. I'll, I'll make sure we get the list out proper later, but yes, a full shopping center with more coming over this next year and beyond.

Jonathan Breeden: Yeah. I mean, and that, that's awesome. And all of those stores have opened in the last six months, I believe.

Byron Mc Allister: Yeah. They all opened around October, November.

Your micro, your Kenley, Princeton, Pine Level, Wilson's Mills, and a large portion of Clayton that now can come this way instead of going the other way toward Garner. You have changed the conversation completely. You are keeping tax dollars in Johnston County because those Pretty essential shops now are available in Johnston County.

Jonathan Breeden: Well, and the other important part is a portion of your sales tax. The County gets in North Carolina. I don't know if everybody realizes that, but usually it's about two cents on the sales tax the County gets. So if you can buy, and I've, I've promoted this as part of the reason I started this podcast was sort of buy local.

You know, just now going to be in Selma right next to I 95, which is great. The other part of a vision of other than this, these shopping centers is. The industrial part they built one building or two. Now they've built one building. One building is built and it is. I mean, that was the building I worked on when I was on the economic development committee.

We were there for the ribbon cutting when I met you. And is it a hundred thousand square feet? I think it's a hundred thousand square feet. Might be larger, but right. Yeah. Right. and at the time the county offered incentives to adventure development to allow them to get that building.

That's exactly what happened in that. It was be good, do good, do good foods. Right. But now, and they process leftover grocery foods. And I'm not sure if they still do that. Cause they filed for bank. Right. And now they have sort of. Not right. They're not gonna take it, but somebody else

Byron Mc Allister: is so VT foods is now leased to that building And I believe they're gonna start bringing in equipment probably this month.

So you throw it in the microwave. You open it up rice.

Byron Mc Allister: Oh, I love that. Yeah.

Jonathan Breeden: that's how I eat rice. Cause I don't really know how to cook it in the pot.

Byron Mc Allister: The Walmart the Walmart here in Clayton, North Carolina has a VT food products in rice. Okay.

Jonathan Breeden: Well, that's awesome. And then there's a plan to build several more industrial buildings beside that one is another one under construction now.

Byron Mc Allister: So crystal windows is going to build their own manufacturing facility doors and windows. Their company, I believe out of New York, they're going to build an apartment. Approximate, when it's fully built out, 500, 000 square foot. Industrial building.

Jonathan Breeden: That's a big building.

Byron Mc Allister: That is a big building. And I believe adventure development is working on what they call building 200, which will be approximately 150, 000 square feet as well.

Jonathan Breeden: Well, and that's awesome. And for people that don't realize the railroad goes through there. And part of one of the things that the legislature work with the railroad is that they're going to build a spur.

Jonathan Breeden: and that is so huge to be able to put it right on the rail and then that railroad goes all the way to New York and Maine and to Florida and everywhere else

Byron Mc Allister: California

Jonathan Breeden: and so that's right I mean so that's another huge get for I mean, you already had the railroad there, but to get the spur so that these companies could just put it right on the train is massive.

for Selma and for Johnston County. I mean, cause what's good for Selma is good for Johnston County, which is good for everybody. And, that's what we want to do.

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I know there's a guy that does popcorn and it's phenomenal. What are some of the businesses that are now down there? Cause you, Selma's known for antiques, but it's got more than antiques now.

Byron Mc Allister: Yeah, absolutely. And in fact, as a town, we are kind of veering away from that antique piece and saying, Hey, we've got unique shops that.

You can find anything you might want in downtown Selma. So let's see the list of shops there. You've got the Southern Bostonian, which has the Hahvahd Yahd Cafe inside of it. You've got coffee on Raiford You've got the general store is there. You've got old fashioned ice cream. Ooh, you've got a new tattoo shop down there now.

Of course, HTR has its home office in downtown Selma, or one of its home offices in downtown Selma as well. DejaVu thrift is in downtown Selma on beat drum ministry in downtown. Some of course, the staple and anchor that has been there forever. Selma jewelry in downtown Selma. The list goes on and on.

In fact, now that I think about it, I was like, what am I missing? Pixie dust Lunch Box bakery is in downtown Selma. Just. Infinite numbers of things in downtown somewhere right now and more coming as we speak.

Jonathan Breeden: it's awesome. It's awesome. I mean, to see all those businesses and, and there's still a couple of antiques places there too.

So yeah, they're not gone.

Byron Mc Allister: Trackside Antiques is still there. Treasury Antiques is still there. You've got barn shelter antiques is there as well. And I think there's an antique shop that wasn't Benson that will be moving into Selma over the next few months. From what I've heard that antique piece is there as well.

You would think you have gone back in time and I'm a huge trainee kind of guy, if that's a word. and they really done a great job. Yeah. I mean, you know, they really have.

Byron Mc Allister: Representative Strickland has been huge on making sure that we could maintain that train station. We just redid a copper roof on that train station with help from the state as well.

And then with that, we've had just the community come together, you know, the civic engagement related to helping clean up some of these areas. You've got groups like your Activate Selma, who's coming to Selma. You've got the Lions Club in Selma. You've got the American Legion in Selma. You've got the local schools now all coming together to make something fantastic happen in Selma, North Carolina.

Jonathan Breeden: Yeah, well, and if you, in case you don't know. The train does stop in Selma and you can get on that train and go wherever you want to go. The Amtrak, I don't know how many days, days a week it stops there, but it does stop there and you can get on it.

Byron Mc Allister: I believe every day it stops there and you can get on it and you can take a quick trip down to Raleigh for not too much dollars at all.

Jonathan Breeden: well, I have not done that. My wife and kids have taken the train from Selma to Raleigh. As it was part of a school trip thing, or my wife and One of my kids did that a few years ago and had the best time. And I ended up having to be in Raleigh and court that day anyway. So I met him at what was the fairly new train station then there in Raleigh union station.

And, they had so much fun riding that train. And you know, that's an experience. I remember riding a train as a kid and stuff like that. And I think it's just right. I think people realize that you can literally get on the train and sell it stops there. And It goes all over the place.

Byron Mc Allister: So first of all, the police piece There was a point in time when we first moved into Selma where I came across four police officers in one vehicle because all the other vehicles were broken down.

That is a crime in itself to have happen in a community. So the very first thing we ventured into was making sure that they were equipped. Take home cars So that means every patrol officer has a car that they can take to their house and then come straight into town and go to work instead of having to stop by the station and figure out what car they're driving.

Make sure that they have every single piece of weaponry for safety that they might possibly need. And then beyond that, more police officers. So I believe my first understanding of the police department, we had 16 officers. on duty, which is not enough for the amount of things going on in the town of Selma.

After that, if your house is on fire, nothing else matters. And then after that, if you can't flush your toilet, nothing else matters. But that's how the tiers of what you need in service from your community go. And so I want to make sure that those pieces of, quite frankly, what are customer service pieces are in place.

And then beyond that, you go into town hall and you've got a friendly face who will help you through paying your bill. You've got a friendly face that will help you understand garbage collection. You've got a friendly face that is there to actually collect your garbage on time, when you expect it, every single week.

Jonathan Breeden: Right. Well, and I mean, I know that has been one of the things you've been working on. I've heard people talk about how much better it has gotten under your administration.

And how much more effective just going to town hall is and how nice they are. Where are y'all at right now for town manager? I know you had one. He was there for eight weeks. Wasn't the right fit.

Byron Mc Allister: Have you gotten a new one? No, we have not gotten one yet. Philip McDaniel, our fire chief, has been our interim town manager probably for, we might be going on a year and a half now.

Okay. And he has been absolutely amazing. I tell everybody something has been unlocked in Philip McDaniel to where he is just handling that business like it's nobody's business. And he's one of those guys where he's not actually interested in being town manager, but he wants to make sure that the best is happening for Selma, North Carolina.

Jonathan Breeden: Well, he is, Phillip Daniels is one of the nicest people you will ever meet. And he's, he's won about every award there is to win. And Yeah, you're right. I did not know he was the interim town manager. So he's been doing it for a

Byron Mc Allister: while, and that's why the ship has been so smooth is that you've got somebody that understands the system has been there for a long time.

Practically built our current fire department and people don't fully seem to grasp that concept that this man came in With a volunteer fire department and turned into a municipal fire department. He has just been running Quite frankly staffed seamlessly in the background and that has made it easier So the government can turn its attention to being government.

What other things are people going to be able to see in the next 12 to 18 months in Selma?

Byron Mc Allister: We are on our polish phase right now. And by polish, I mean that every corner gets pristine. So quite frankly, with our sanitation operations, we have been going at that now for a little over a year and a half coming on two years.

And I want that operation to become a clockwork machine. that People know that my garbage truck is going to come past my house in the next 15 minutes, and that my curb is going to be cleaned up when they're done. With that, the polish of a police department that response time is faster and faster. We do have, I'll tell you, the best fire department in Johnston County.

Polish in every piece of customer service operation that we have. That's what you're going to see in the next 12 to 18 months in the town. Some of beyond that, you're going to see a cleanup of some of these dilapidated houses, some of the things where code enforcement hasn't been done in decades. Code enforcement is going to be wide open over the next 12 to 18 months for that polish piece in Selma, North Carolina.

Jonathan Breeden: Oh, that's awesome. That's awesome. What are y'all gonna do about the on street parking? I know there's some debate whether you're going to ban it. We allow it.

Byron Mc Allister: We haven't given it much thought to be honest with you. Okay. It's not a problem right now. Now, do we have a plan in place if it becomes a problem?

Jonathan Breeden: All right. The last question we ask everybody on this podcast, what do you love most about Johnston County?

Byron Mc Allister: Selma, North Carolina, the crossroads of tradition and innovation, the best town on earth. I love Selma. I love the fact that in Johnston County as a mayor, I have great communication with our County commissioners.

Great communication with our legislative representatives, not only on the state level, but the federal level. We have something in Johnston County that I believe not many areas have in this country. We have a tight knit group who wants to see success for the county, not just their little corner, but then Tire County as a whole.

But we want that rising tide to go for all the ships.

Jonathan Breeden: No doubt about it. No doubt about it. Well, we'd like to thank the mayor of Irving Calister of Selma for coming on to today's podcast. If you like what he had to say, give us some comments down below. We'll make sure he gets some about it. If people want to get in touch with you, how do they reach out to you?

Shoot, you can have my cell phone number as well.

Jonathan Breeden: Oh, that's great. That's great. So yeah. So if you have any questions about what's going on with Selma or want to know any more about investing in Selma or anything like that, reach out to the mayor.

Also give us a five star review down below like and follow this podcast wherever you see it. So that more people will be aware of The Best of Johnston County Podcast until next week. I'm your host, Jonathan.

That's the end of today's episode of Best of Johnston County, a show brought to you by the trusted team at Breeden Law Office. We thank you for joining us today and we look forward to sharing more interesting facets of this community next week. Every story, every viewpoint adds another thread to the rich tapestry of Johnston County.

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