What about leading a city surprised you?

I was probably surprised at how many people noticed that I won the race, and how many people noticed the history that we made when we got elected. 

I’ve been surprised by the amount of people who really want to partner and invest in our community because of the type of leadership we have, letting them know that we’re open for business and letting them know we’re a future-focused city that understands its rich history, but is focused on building a better tomorrow.

What books most inspired you?

The Bible

Stride Toward Freedom by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

My American Journey by Colin Powell

Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela 

Blink by Malcolm Gladwell

What advice would you give to young leaders?

Surround yourself with people you can trust. You’re going to find yourself in situations where you need to share things that are confidential and you need people that will give you an honest opinion, not tell you what you want to hear.

What advice would you give communities looking to use sports as a way to drive tourism and economic impact?

Certainly make sure that you have a community that can support that. It’s very expensive. It looks lucrative and certainly brings people to your town, but make sure that you can keep the facilities up once you build them, Make sure that you keep them vibrant and attractive because people like the new toys, so to speak. So you will always be trying to keep up. And just make sure that the dollars work out for you before you make that big investment.

*This article is featured in Issue 77of our digital publication. If you would like the full experience, you can read the enhanced version HERE.