Confessions of a Millennial Mayor: The Pandemic, PA, and the Big Bad Wolf

The pandemic, the response, the local government academy classes canceled, and the mayor’s first lawsuit “We’ll flatten the curve,” those words still haunt me. The hair on my arms still raises when those words are arranged in that order. I had just gotten back from a New Orleans Mardi Gras Trip for my birthday when…

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Because of the Internet: Social Media Innovated Groupthink

The internet right now feels very much like, “If your friend jumped off a cliff, would you do it too?” Algorithms give way to groupthink, which is dangerous on so many levels. When your feed is heavily curated to feed you what you want to hear (and monetized for doing so), it’s creating a bubble…

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Once Upon a Black Woman: There’s Something About April & Change

April always tests what I’m made of… In April 2013, I joined AmeriCorps after being laid off for the first time. In April 2014, I became an American Airlines flight attendant. In April 2023, I was laid off for a second time. This time from my third career as a healthcare IT Business Analyst. I…

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Confessions of an Ex-Millennial Mayor: The Weak in a Weak Mayor System

Why I Didn’t Run for Mayor Again and Instead Ran for Braddock Council “Can we do… shouldn’t we build… can y’all vote on?” In most weak mayor systems, mayors can break ties, cut ribbons, declare emergencies, and oversee police departments. Most mayors in weak mayor systems spend their time convincing council members to vote for…

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Confessions of an Ex-Millennial Mayor: Overseeing a Police Department

In a weak-mayor system, some municipal mayors get to oversee a police department. The first thing that I remember after being sworn in was being whisked away and handed two internal police investigations. I was curious, energized, ready to learn, and ready to lead. The mayor paid less than $100 a month, so my day…

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Why Not You?

Audacity “The quality or state of being audacious: such as a : intrepid boldness knights admired for their audacity.” I’ve had about four or five careers (I’ve stopped counting), and I just embrace the art of side quest. Why not step out of your comfort zone? Why not learn something new? If you fail, it…

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Confessions of an Ex-Millennial Mayor

I imagine 18-year-old me, 28-year-old me, and the me today sitting at a bar. They’d all get along kee-keeing with one another. They’d converse about talking the crying customer out of the plane bathroom before take off, or telling the one man, “I’m as hot and chocolate as he was going to get,” because we…

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