#LocalElectionsMatter: Ward 2 City Council Candidates
Sidney Briggs, our first intern at Davidson Local, approached us a couple of months ago with an idea. As a soon to be high school graduate who will be voting for the first time this fall, being an informed voter is of utmost importance to Sidney. She also believes her fellow citizens should have access to information that will assist them in the voting booth.
For over a month, Sidney has been calling candidates running for Lexington City Council, Mayor of Lexington, Lexington City Schools Board of Education and Davidson County Commissioners to collect their email addresses. She has begun the process of submitting questions to them in an effort to share their platform.
This week, we will publish answers from the council and mayoral candidates. Answers are verbatim.
We appreciate Sidney’s commitment to her fellow residents.
-Kassaundra Shanette
1. What are your plans to combat the Covid-19 pandemic and recover from the damage it has already caused?
Tyleata Jones: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on a variety of individuals and small business owners throughout our community. I believe that we have adjusted to our new normal, but for the last couple of years, there has been a lot of uncertainty and unrest. With that said, I believe that it is important to have a council in place that holds our city leadership accountable for an equitable distribution of resources. Essentially, we want everyone to receive the same information at the same time, while having the same access to the resources that will help us to sustain and provide a service to our community in these very turbulent times.
Jim Myers: Plans to combat the Covid-19 pandemic necessarily need to start with the state and federal level, backed by the science and data on what actually works to prevent and mitigate present and future mutations. The best facts and data that works so far to prevent serious illness and death and spread of the virus have been vaccines and high-quality masks. I do those two things, not only to protect me but also to protect those around me. It seems to me a civic as well as American responsibility to keep each other safe. To recover from the damage it has already caused, the Federal government has offered many different programs to help individuals who have been affected by Covid-19. Through the city website, city email list and social media we should make individuals affected by Covid-19 aware of these programs.
2. What are your ideas to promote diversity, inclusion, and belonging in Lexington?
Jones: It’s no secret that our city has long issues in the area of diversity and inclusion. This is in spaces across the community and at city hall. I believe it’s telling that the last two African-American women who retired made public comments about the lack of diversity and cultural competence within our organization and how that impacted them both personally and professionally over the course of their career. Our society has long marginalized and attempted to discredit the voices of black women, and our community deserves a council that is intentional about moving the community forward for everyone and not just those who have benefitted from the way things are. In order to promote diversity, inclusion and belonging in Lexington, we have to start with the leadership that is currently in place. The next step is to promote inclusive initiatives within the city that is not symbolic, but as intentional as it is impactful so that we can truly create a city of choice for everyone.
Myers: Lexington has made a great start by hiring a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer. She is developing programs to promote those goals, and her efforts will help to identify areas where Lexington can meet more of these goals. In general, goals can only be reached if there is a plan to achieve them. I will give her my full support in implementing the plans. My past interactions with community events have been by volunteering with the many functions the city has promoted, as well as other agencies, and I plan to continue that as well.
3. What improvements in infrastructure do you support that would help with the rebuilding of the Depot District and other parts of Lexington?
Jones: I believe that the depot District is a growing entity and has the potential to be of benefit, resource and great sense of pride for the citizens in our community. The small businesses owners and Jacob Gordon of Uptown Lexington have worked tirelessly and endlessly to establish a brand that those in our community can be proud of. I believe that the city should continue to build upon the current infrastructure, as long as it doesn’t impact the surrounding communities in a detrimental way.
Myers: Improvements for infrastructure are funded in great part on the state and federal level. My having the experience of serving on City Council, and thus serving on the Department of Transportation planning organization that helps in planning for transportation projects in our area, has given me much knowledge and insight into how those projects work. Much of that required not only my attending those meetings and gaining information, but also my lobbying at those meetings for projects important to Lexington. Some of those lobbying efforts have resulted in the Community College interchange, the airport lighting project and runway pavement project, as well as lobbying with that group that resulted in Lexington’s receiving $25 million toward the railway station in the depot. I very much support applying for Federal and State grants for other infrastructure improvements like water and sewer so that we do not have to raise taxes.
4. What is your opinion on the best way to support our homeless population in the wake of increasing poverty due to the pandemic?
Jones: When we say that Lexington is a city of choice, we have to take into consideration who it is a city of choice for. There are so many people who have struggled and are continuing to struggle in The city of Lexington and we have a growing homeless population that is in need of our time, attention and resources. As stated previously, the pandemic has had a devastating impact on so many people which has caused a growing homeless population in many cities around the world. The current housing market is not helping in this regard either. I believe that the council has to be emphatic and attentive to their needs, and provide whatever support is necessary to make sure that their tomorrow is brighter than their today.
Myers: Davidson County First Hope Ministries seems the best equipped to help our homeless population with their building of a new shelter that not only will be a place to sleep, but will include programs that will help the homeless break the cycle they are in. In light of that, I have contributed to that ministry for the building of a new shelter. In addition, it is important to me that I continue to try to inform everyone that I can about the Ministries’ programs and urge others to also contribute.
5. If you could choose one word to describe what you want your impact on Lexington to be, what would it be?
Jones: Devoted
Myers: Experience
