Candidates describe ‘small-town character’

This week the two candidates for mayor and the five for town commissioner were asked to respond to this question:

Wake Forest is known for its small-town character and feel, and that is important for many of its residents. It may be our tradition of volunteering, our lively civic clubs or the way we have always welcomed newcomers.

** Please explain how you understand our community character and how you have contributed through membership in a civic club or volunteering in any local drive or fund-raising.

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The two candidates for mayor responded:

Commissioner Bridget Wall-Lennon:

Wake Forest is a very special place and appeals to so many people. This is evident in the population increase. According to the 2021 Wake Forest Community Profile, 50,244 now call Wake Forest home. The town’s reputation for its character and feel has sparked interest nationally and internationally. Even with our progression, Wake Forest continues to maintain its small-town charm and quaintness. With our proximity to world-class universities, Raleigh, the state’s capital, and Research Triangle Park, our town has become a quality destination for those located in the area. Differences aside, we are a strong-knit community that believes in and supports our neighbors and community in times of need.

My volunteering and commitment to the community is varied and wide. I have been a member of a national public service organization for over 35 years, of which 20 years have been with our local chapter that serves the Wake Forest community. I have served as president of this chapter and continue to serve in our community through this public service organization. Our program initiatives focus on education, physical and mental health, international involvement, and political awareness and involvement. One of the program initiatives, several years ago, was to meet town officials in our service areas of Wake Forest, Knightdale, Zebulon, and Wendell to let them know of our community involvement and our desire to partner and work collectively with within their respective communities. At our chapter’s “Chat & Chew w/the Town of Wake Forest,” where the seed was planted for me to run for Town Commissioner. I ran and was elected as the top voter getter in our commissioner’s race.

I have participated in and financially supported numerous community-focused efforts, such as Shop with a Cop and WF’s Police’s Turkey Give-A-Way. I participated in and supported the “Walk for Change” to unify the community after the killing of George Floyd and the “Share the Warmth” coat drive, both organized by one of the local emerging youth-adult leaders. When contacted by one of our residents who said she felt helpless because she didn’t know how to help her family members and other Bahamians who were devastated by Hurricane Dorian in 2019, I committed to finding a way that we could be of support. We partnered with a local businessman to collect enough items to fill a tractor-trailer. We partnered with Bahamian students from St. Augustine and Shaw Universities to shrink wrap and load the items delivered to Florida and then shipped to Freeport, Bahamas. The Northern Regional Center agreed to serve as our lead collection point in Wake Forest. Collection locations were also set up in the lobby of Town Hall, Alston Massenburg Community Center, and Ravenscroft School in Raleigh. As we do in Wake Forest, we came together to support others on an international level. We donated over 261 lbs. of non-perishable food items, 121 cases of water, toilet paper, diapers, and pet food.

Concerned about Wake Forest not having had a Covid-19 vaccination clinic, I organized our first mass Covid-19 vaccination clinic in March 2019. I facilitated this collaboration between the Town of Wake Forest, Olive Branch Baptist Church, Northeast Community Coalition (NECC), and Southeastern Healthcare of NC, where we provided 500 vaccines. Other organizations that partnered in support of the event include the Knightdale-Wake Forest Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Wake Forest Baptist Church, Friendship Baptist Church, Northeast Food Security Team, Food Lion, Harris Teeter, and Beta Lamba Sigma Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho. Because of their support, we were able to feed attendees waiting for their vaccine and volunteers working the event and provide food boxes and personal safety items such as masks and hand sanitizer.

Lastly, I would like to highlight my involvement with the Girl Scouts. I am a Girl Scout and GS parent volunteer with Wake Forest Girl Scout Troop 712. I have spoken to the Troop about leadership in government and have supported my daughter and her Troop in selling Girl Scout Cookies for the past four years. My daughter, Lauren, who is 9, over the past four years has used financial donations received when selling GS cookies to purchase and donate cookies to the homeless, specifically, the Salvation Army’s Women & Children’s Homeless Shelter.

As a servant leader training our next generation of servant leaders, I encouraged Lauren’s GS Troop 712 to use some of their Girl Scout cookie funds to support the Northeast Community Coalition’s Community Garden financially. They did so by presenting a check at the community garden’s Groundbreaking Ceremony in December 2020. It was also at the Groundbreaking Ceremony, where I presented over $4,000 of financial and in-kind support that I raised over two days for the NECC Community Garden. When contacted by an assistant principal at Heritage High School about what type of project their Chick-fil-A Leadership Academy could submit for a grant opportunity, I suggested the NECC Community Garden. The Chick-fil-A Leadership Academy was awarded a $10,000 grant to support the community garden. Students can be found, along with others, including Lauren and me, volunteering at the garden on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays. The NECC Community Garden is located 504 N. Taylor Street on a lot donated for use by the Town of Wake Forest.

I hope this representative sampling of my volunteerism and effectiveness in coalition-building exemplifies my commitment to the community. I will serve as your Mayor in a Concerned, Committed, and Community-focused manner. Please join me on November 2nd and Vote Bridget Wall-Lennon for Mayor of Wake Forest. You may visit my website for more information at  www.BridgetForWakeForest.com.

Mayor Vivian Jones:

Wanting to keep our small town charm is one of the constant things I have heard over the years. At first I thought it was only coming from the locals but over the years I have realized that when people move here and experience that small town charm that we have, they also want to keep it—in fact, in many cases that is why they came here and love living here. When I moved to Wake Forest 40 years ago, the downtown was struggling. There were around 5,000 people living here; there were a few businesses downtown. Actually, there were several businesses that closed after I came. There was a small department store, a clothing store and eventually both of the locally owned grocery stores closed.

In the late ‘80’s and early ‘90’s things started to change; the population began to grow and a couple of new businesses opened. My sister and I opened a restaurant and catering business downtown. We were very active in Downtown Revitalization Corporation (now Wake Forest Downtown) and the Chamber. I was a member of the Woman’s Club for several years.

Wake Forest was community oriented and it has remained so. The Garden Club, the Woman’s Club, the Rotary Club, Optimist Club, Lions Club, VFW, Community Council and other civic organizations were here before I moved here and they have done great work for the community all these years. Then we have groups like the Koinonia Foundation, Purple Heart Foundation, NECC, Wake Forest Arts, Wake Forest Guild of Artists and others who have begun over the past 40 years and are making such a difference in our community.

I served on the Purple Heart Foundation Board when it was started. My parents were leaders in our community in Randolph County. They taught me that you had to work, listen to people, help people and be a part of your church, school, and community. I have tried to live that way all my life. I have supported the businesses and organizations in Wake Forest for 40 years with my presence and my money and it has been a wonderful experience.

The Town has spent a good deal of effort and money on maintaining the vibrancy of our historic and growing downtown. We have established historic districts, we partner with the Seminary, we sponsor events downtown, we keep the Town offices downtown. All of this keeps our small, historic downtown as the center of our community.

I love Wake Forest. We are a thriving, diverse, caring community. I love it that people move here and immediately want to get involved and be a part of what is going on. It is exciting to think about what we will be doing over the next few years to enhance our quality of life and make our community better and brighter and smarter!

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The five candidates for the town board responded:

Nick Sliwinski:

Wake Forest draws its character from its residents and its history.  Over the years, I have been actively seeking out conversations with neighbors, business owners and other people I am able to interact with.  I have friends who have moved to the area, as well as, those who were born and raised here.  The most important thing you can do is ask questions and be genuinely interested in the answers.  As a neighbor and friend, I am eager to learn and hear about experiences and opinions that may be different from my own.  As a Commissioner, I would continue to be a curious learner, working with residents and other town departments to understand what the community is looking for while acting in the best interest of the town overall.

We are fortunate that Wake Forest still retains its small town feel with our growing population.  Events like Friday Night on White, the 4th of July Celebration, Wake Forest Artisans Market, and others are always well attended.  Having lived in well populated areas in the past, I am glad that Wake Forest is a community of neighbors wanting to share life with each other.  Being raised in a small town, I know the value of looking out for your neighbors and being invested in your community.  I believe continuing these traditions and expanding opportunities to interact with other residents is the key to keeping Wake Forest such an amazing place to live.

While I have not been a member of a civic club, I have volunteered my time working with local churches, as well as, being an active part of planting a church here in Wake Forest.  I continue to volunteer for Sunday services, be an active part of church leadership, and invite people into our home for fellowship.  I have also been involved with a local concerned citizens group that focuses on protecting open spaces in the community.  Residents have made their voices heard and agree that one of our best defining characteristics as a town is our open space.  We need to make sure that while Wake Forest grows, we do not do it at the expense of this valuable and finite resource.

Patrick Griffin:

Patrick Griffin did not respond.

Michael Molinaro

Michael Molinaro did not respond.

Keith Shackleford:

Our community character. The Trentini Foundation is one of the many organizations that embody our community character but this one has always stood out for me. Every time I hear the story about residents and small businesses coming together to raise money for a scholarship in honor of Coach Trentini, I can’t help but to swell up with pride.  Then you add the inspiration. Coach Trentini influenced the future leaders of Wake Forest during his tenure.

The argument could be made that he directly influenced our community character.  Needless to say, I was proud to serve on the Foundation Board. The list of former board members is just a glimpse into that community character.

While I lived on Juniper Avenue, I was active in the East End Community Association. This experience allowed me to work closely with my neighbors in accomplishing common goals for our neighborhood.

The third and final organization I will mention is the Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce. My law firm has a long history of supporting the Chamber and that has been passed on to me. I am currently serving on the Board of Directors for my second term. I am in awe of all that our Chamber does to support our local businesses.  As our town population grows, so do our businesses and the opportunities for our residents. Our Chamber maintains the personality of a local civic organization by producing programs that extend beyond the business community.

This is just three of the organizations in which I have been involved over the years.  Throughout my years in Wake Forest, I have been an active member of the community and tried to give back to the Town and its residents who have given me so much.

Commissioner Liz Simpers:

Since I was in middle school, my dad instilled the values of volunteerism. I flipped a lot of pancakes as kid for my dad and his Rotary club, and I served a lot of coffee at our local Senior Center. That is one thing I love about Wake Forest. It reminds me of the town I grew up in. We still maintain that small town charm while offering opportunities and regional connections that most towns can’t.

As a Wake Forest taxpayer, you are concerned about traffic, safety, development, and making Wake Forest the best town to live, work, and play in. So am I! You moved to Wake Forest because you loved the small-town feel, the welcoming neighbors, and the opportunities available here. So did I! I moved here in 2013 and immediately looked for chances to volunteer and give back to our town. I believe it’s so important to be invested and give back locally not just globally.

I am currently serving on the board for the Trentini Foundation which awards scholarships to Wake Forest area high school students. I have also served on the Wakefield Foundation board in the past year which raises money and awareness for educational staffing and support in our local schools. For the past two years I have worked with student leaders and business leaders at the Wake Forest Area Chamber Foundation, and for ten years prior to that, I worked with youth and teens in an outreach position at the YMCA.

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Wake Forest voters will elect a mayor and two commissioners on Nov. 2.

Friday, Oct. 8, at 5 p.m. is the last day to register for new voters in this election. You can register to vote at the Wake County Board of Elections website and also request a vote by mail ballot.

There is no early voting for this election although you can vote by mail.

Go to Wakegov.com, click on Departments and then on Board of Elections for full information about voting by mail and the election.

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