Voters in Winslow elected three council members last month: Samantha Crisp, Rickey Jackson and Robin Boyd. Crisp, who is new to local politics, said one of her goals is to bring the many aspects of Winslow citizenry together.
Crisp has spent most of her life in Winslow and decided to run for city council as a “knee-jerk reaction,” she said. “I was mad about something, I can’t even remember what because it is irrelevant at this point, but I thought, I can do this. I have good ideas and I can help my community and it fell in to place. I am ready to say what I have to say and I am ready to listen to what others have to say,” she said.
Crisp expressed plans to have an open door policy as a member of the council and a desire to encourage citizens to reach out to her. “I want to hear from the community and I want to get past the fear of retaliation. I mean, some people will not speak up publicly because it may come back to them or their business or their family. I want to get rid of that stigma.”
Crisp continued her thoughts on being the voice of the people in the community. “I plan to attend all the different group meetings. The NAACP has been really good to me. I want to hear from the Rotary and the Soroptomists and the Council on Aging and the Dine Residents Group, everyone should be heard.”
According to Crisp, the south end of Winslow, commonly referred to as the neighborhoods of Southside and Coopertown, have been largely ignored by development. “I would like to see a farmer’s market get started and I would really like to see it on the south side of town. They need some business out there. Of course, we would have to work hand-in-hand with the residents of those neighborhoods to make sure it works for them. The neighborhood would have to be 100 percent behind it,” she said.
Crisp also plans to use her voice to help bring economic development to all of Winslow. “If we had a better way to communicate what land the city has available for sale, perhaps on the website or something similar, that could help attract business.”
In addition, she said, “We have to find a way to make bigger business, that we are hoping to bring in, and our small businesses work together and complement each other.” Crisp said, “Small business is, of course, the backbone of our community. But, I know there is a way to perhaps model ourselves after other towns that are growing with new and existing business. We need to ask, ‘what does Winslow have to offer?’ and we need to market those things.”
Regarding affordable housing in Winslow, Crisp said, “I think we need to address the need for safe, clean, well-maintained housing in Winslow. I think we should build homes to help attract business to Winslow. Beyond that, while housing is under construction, those are jobs that can be done by local contractors and laborers.” She went on, “We need apartments. We have enough vacant single-family homes. Apartments are what we need.”
Crisp said. “I feel humbled and honored that so many members of our community have put their faith in me. I am excited to have a chance to give this community a voice that they haven’t had in a long time. I want to lead by example by getting to these meetings, showing up to volunteer and encouraging everyone to do the same. I also plan to ask the questions that citizens need answers to and to use my voice throughout my term.”
Crisp, along with Jackson and Boyd, and newly elected Mayor Tom McCauley were sworn in last night (June 5) to begin their terms in office.
