As an elected official for eight years, I have learned in serving you that I do not have all the answers. But what I do know, and what I confidently can say, is that I am one phone call away from getting you the answer you’re looking for. And I’m equally as confident, that the person I’m calling will pick up the phone. Why? Because I know that call doesn’t come free.
That call represents years of cultivation, time, sincere interest in your work, your personal life your issue. It represents years of relationship building, keeping my word, follow up with you and being a genuine friend. That is where leaders in our communities stand out – they put in the time and effort into you. As a result, they should have the ability to ask the best person for the job to do the best job possible.
Below is a video I used when I was Vice Mayor of Blacksburg and ran for Mayor. You can hear my philosophy on community building in the video.
Video: Krisha’s take on Blacksburg retaining our ‘small town soul’ while still growing and the role of the the Comprehensive Plan”
I think we often make the mistake of looking inward to solve problems. How can our we as a local government be more business friendly? How do WE answer the question of why we can’t seem to build affordable housing in our market? How do we as a local government become more sustainable and environmentally friendly? What can we do to provide recreational space? What do we need to do to bring more locals to the center of our city? What should we do to address the needs of neighborhoods? To answer those questions, we need to look to the people who are around us.
We have experts in practically every field in a community. We also have very vocal citizens who care so much they are willing to volunteer their time to solve problems that will move our community forward. My plan is to call on these citizens who have real-world experience with the problems we are trying to tackle. I take the time to meet with a community leader or organization practically every week. Why? Because it is the BEST WAY to creating relationships and establishing trust. I want to understand your issues and I want to know how YOU would solve them. But that takes time and effort. And if I get and opportunity to serve the public again, I will continue to have the time and make the effort.
In order to be dialed into the community, you need to be engaged. You will see me at community events – volunteering my time and serving on local boards. Even though I live in Charlotte, I still serve on the Radford University Board of Visitors in Virginia and was very active on the New River Community College Board, Smart Beginnings, the YMCA and the Mama’s Movement, I also volunteered to speak with local students at our elementary schools. This is all part of establishing a long-term relationship with our community.
You can count on the fact that I’ll be calling upon those of you who I have met building those relationships over the years to help us solve our issues. I value your insight and expertise and I know we can be better off working together.
We all have a responsibility to add our own value to our community becoming it’s best. And the best way I can contribute is by creating environments and spaces where you can be your best. That’s what being a relationship builder and connecting community is all about.
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