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Why should you vote for me? It’s one of the basic questions all candidates for office must answer.
The Hickory Daily Record gave candidates running for office this year the opportunity to submit articles making the case for their candidacies.
Five of the nine candidates running for Hickory City Council made submissions.
That field of nine will be narrowed by the Oct. 8 primary. The seats for wards 1, 2 and 3 are up for election.
Carmen Eckard, Ward 1
I am Carmen Eckard: wife, mother, publisher of Foothills Digest and happy resident of Hickory.
I am thrilled to raise my kids and run our businesses here, but I see problems that need to be addressed.
While our economy is recovering nicely on paper, many of our working-class people are struggling to survive and watching as their –- OUR — communities erode. The improvements we make to Hickory need to be improvements that help everyone.
Many people I’ve spoken with say that they don’t feel represented, and I’m here to change that. I think the most important thing in a council-style government is that the leaders actually represent the needs of their constituents.
That means listening, thoughtfully considering, then speaking boldly for them. I promise to do that and to always vote with the needs of my ward in mind.
I also promise to host annual ward meetings, so that we can share information and concerns and be better neighbors.
Hickory has a growing homeless problem that needs to be addressed.
Hickory is very giving, and if we could organize, put an end to duplication of services and give in a more cohesive way, as a community, we could be on the cutting edge of solutions.
I invite you to meet me where humanity meets reality and work to create a solution that helps our homeless population and the citizens of Hickory.
The first step is organization, and as a councilwoman, I will be at the forefront of that effort.
