Connie Wessner – Davidson Board of Commissioners
E-mail: connie@alumni.fandm.edu
Phone Number:: 704-895-0417
Current Occupation:: Curriculum Coordinator, Community-Based Learning Programs, Community School of Davidson
Education–Highest Degree:: MA, Politics and Public Policy, Rutgers University, NJ, 1986
What office are you running for?: Board of Commissioners
Please share with us a short personal/professional biography:: Connie Wessner coordinates community-based learning curricula for the Community School of Davidson and is a member of the Town of Davidson Planning Board. She holds a Master’s Degree in Politics and Public Policy from the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University and received her undergraduate degree from Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, PA. Before joining the faculty of the Community School, Connie was a founder and managing partner of a communications consulting firm based first in Washington, DC and later in Davidson, NC. She previously conducted health care financing research at The George Washington University in Washington, DC, later serving as the research group’s director of communications. Other professional experience includes policy analysis work for a variety of nonprofit organizations as well as state public health and welfare agencies in both Massachusetts and Louisiana.
Most important organizations you belong to (up to three):: Board of Directors, Davidson Housing Coalition
Advisory Board, UNCC Center for Professional and Applied Ethics
Member, Discovery Place
List up to three (3) of your most important political/civic accomplishments in the last five (5) years:: Facilitating the Student Vision Committee, Davidson Comprehensive Planning Process, 2008-present
Serving for 11 years on the Board of Directors of the Davidson Housing Coalition, including a term as Vice President
Serving on the Town of Davidson Planning Board, 2007 – present
Why are you running for the office of your choice?: I am running for a seat on the Davidson Board of Commissioners for two main reasons:
1) I am concerned that as Davidson continues to grow we must focus more effort on nurturing the strong sense of community and civic responsibility that has distinguished our town for so many years.
2) I’m committed to the notion that Davidson’s continuing economic, social, and cultural vitality springs from the town’s efforts to be a welcoming, diverse community. We must look for ways to broaden our employment base, expand our stock of affordable housing, honor our relationship to the land, and connect our neighborhoods with pedestrian and bike-friendly roads, greenways, and paths.
What makes you the most qualified candidate?: If I am elected, I will be new to the Town Board of Commissioners, but not to the issues we face as a Town. Since my family moved here in 1998, I have had the opportunity to work on behalf of this community as a private citizen, business owner, and an active community volunteer. My service to the community includes:
• Supporting and extending the Town’s efforts to remain a model of sustainable growth through my service on the Town Planning Board;
• Ensuring that Davidson meets its commitment to all of its citizens as an 11-year member of the Davidson Housing Coalition Board of Directors, including a term as DHC’s Vice President;
• Promoting Davidson’s historic Main Street business district as a member of the downtown merchants’ group, the forerunner of today’s Downtown Davidson, Inc.;
• Protecting green space and honoring the Town’s rich rural heritage through my early board service with the Davidson Lands Conservancy;
• Strengthening our Town’s ties to its schools as a member of the 2007-2008 PTA Executive Board at Davidson Elementary; and
• Advancing safety initiatives for pedestrians and cyclists, through my continuing service on the Davidson Walks & Rolls Committee.
What regional issue do you believe most affects your municipality (such as crime, roads, schools, etc.) and what role do you believe your municipality can play in improving it?: I think two issues are paramount:
1) the quality of the public school system. In Davidson, the number of private, charter, and parochial school options pursued by families has risen dramatically since my family moved here. Children in Davidosn attend a wide-ranging list of schools–some located here in Davidson, other located throughout the region. While that array of choice may respond to perceived deficiencies in the public schools, it may also serve to weaken the ties between neighborhood children and thus between families. We need to develop strong partnerships with and among the schools serving our community so that those schools and the families that attend them continue to identify themselves as important members of our community.
2) unmet demand for public transportation options. Roads throughout the county are far too congested. We can’t keep adding lanes, we need to start thinking more critically about how we can develop a regional transportation system that is environmentally and financially sustainable. I support our current Board’s efforts to be an active partner and strong voice for the commuter rail.
Do you believe there could be better collaboration among the municipalities in Mecklenburg County? If so, what would you suggest to improve it?: I think that regionalism is catching on — thanks to the new realities imposed by the economic downturn. I’m proud that Davidson has taken a leadership role in developing regional partnerships on a variety of issues, including planning, transportation, education, and environmental stewardship.
How can residents get involved in your campaign? Please include campaign manager or volunteer coordinator’s contact information.: Any Davidson resident can reach me via the email provided with this questionnaire.
Filed Under: Davidson
Tags: Davidson, nonpartisan
