1. Personal Connection

Springfield is blessed with a rich mix of arts and cultural organizations.  Please name two places where you have had personally significant arts and/or cultural experiences.  How have these organizations positively affected your life? 

I have to be honest. The only thing I see when I am downtown is the artists or important people that are painted on the building of State St and Main St. I am amazed at its beauty. I never knew how to find out about who is behind it. I believe great energy needs to spread more and meet the great energy in the heart of the community as well.

2. Addressing Citywide Issues

Can you provide examples on how you would integrate the arts, culture, and creative community in solving social problems such as safety in the downtown district?   

I believe arts, culture, and creative community would make a great impact on being one of many solutions to our social problems. We need different mind challenges. We have mentors that are opening up doors for our youth to play basketball and that is a plus. Yet, what about others who are physically challenged? I believe we all have to find our way and to do that there should be multiple options. “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, I’ve once heard, and we need to allow all to have that opportunity to display it for all to enjoy as well.

3. An Arts Destination

While Springfield is growing as a community, the city has yet to fully leverage the strength of our arts, culture, and creative community as a means for branding and attracting residents, employees, and visitors.  How would you utilize our community to make Springfield a place where people want to live, work, play, and visit?

 I think that downtown has given wonderful opportunities to share talent/art but what about in the community as well? There are areas in Ward 4 (Bay, McKnight, Upper Hill and Old Hill) where homes and buildings are abandoned. We can make a differences by changing that. In the neighborhood we can get together by sections if necessary and come up with a plan to implement better viewing in the areas. Please, know that the people are beautiful and that is by nature so why not push for enhancing our living areas? It may promote more work, attack more visitors and the resident may be well pleased at what we have accomplished.

4. Your Priorities

When elected, what actions will you take to provide support and resources to the creative community?

I am a supporter of equal opportunities in a work place and for local businesses. We need to support more creative communities. I would like to know more and get involved. The information that I just read is very important and not all knows this. I would like to help communicate and educate others. I would first educate myself. `