Maggie Blackwell

THANK YOU! The preliminary results are in, and it appears that our campaign for City Council has been successful. It's midnight, on Election Day, and my head is reeling with all the kind gestures made by so many of you. This is your success, not mine, as you have introduced me to friends, shared your concerns, walked your neighborhood with me, taken signs, hosted parties, and donated to the campaign.

I'm pretty sure that no one can understand what it's like to be a local candidate, unless you've been one, yourself. I've learned so much: about myself, about my friends, about our city, about other cities, and about human nature.

It's a surreal experience to drive down the street and see one's name in yards and on cars. Even more surreal is the experience of having total strangers call, email, and FB to ask how they can help. But that experience is now over, and I look forward to two years of working to merit the trust you have given me.

Today is not the end of the campaign but the beginning of two years of service, and I ask you to commit now to keeping me informed on your thoughts and concerns.

We'll be re-vamping this website over the next few weeks to take it from a campaign-based tool, to a service-based tool. I'll use it to keep you up to date on what's going on, and I trust you to use it to communicate with me.

I have a friend who serves as the mayor of Roanoke, VA, who shared with me. "Maggie," he said, "They call you, 'honorable,' not because you are deserving of honor. They will call you 'honorable,' because you will carry the honor of serving them."

And so I'd like to thank you, tonight, for that honor.

Stay tuned..........

This week was highlighted by more neighborhood walks, two more forums, an art show, and public venues for meeting more folks: the grand (re)opening of our local book store and the symphony.

For three days, I knocked on doors in the Brookmont Acres neighborhood. This is a working-class neighborhood with lots of great folks -- teachers, police, lots of people who work hard for all of us. I skipped a couple of events to complete this neighborhood, but I hope it was worth it. Many of these residents are young, energetic folks who will one day have this city in their hands. They surely were gracious to talk with me.

Tuesday night was marked by a forum at the Civic Center hosted by the Democrats from the South and East precincts.

On Thursday, Rufty-Holmes Senior Center hosted a luncheon for candidates to speak with senior citizens. On Thursday night, I attended an art show at Waterworks and swung by the monthly democrats' meeting before attending the SHS JV football game, where my sweet granddaughter was working as a cheerleader.

Friday night brought the grand (re)opening of our own local bookstore. This place is a gem for Salisbury; witty employees can ask 1 or 2 questions and recommend just the perfect book. How do they keep up so well? The party was packed! Had some great conversations, and even more people asked for yard signs! I couldn't help but notice I was the only candidate celebrating this great local business...

Saturday night was the Salisbury Symphony. When I bought our season tickets this year, I briefly considered *not* buying one for our granddaughter, who is now 14, but I'm glad I reconsidered. She was happy to go and enjoyed the evening. We saw lots of great folks and enjoyed the music, too.

I try to avoid knocking on doors on Sunday. Folks' family time is dear, and they may not want some political type interrupting their time at home. Sunday has become my time to organize and regroup.

It seems as we near the election, each week gets busier and busier! This week's highlights included meeting with local business owners, knocking on doors in the Crescent neighborhood, and participating in the forum hosted by the Historic Neighborhood Alliance. Finally, TWENTY dear people co-hosted a party for my campaign on Friday night. What a night!

Local business owners wanted me to be aware of their issues here in the City. This week I met with a developer/realtor and the owner of a computer support business.

The trip through the Crescent was delightful. The homeowners there are informed, and we engaged in several good conversations. A couple of folks asked for signs, even though we had just met! I was escorted by an angel of a friend who lives in the area. She took me to all the homes and introduced me to her neighbors.

The forum was a great surprise. The Historic Neighborhood Alliance is a fairly new group, having only formed about a year ago. This grass-roots forum was pulled together by 3 or 4 hard-working people who believe in their mission. The Alliance emailed all of us the three topics that all questions would center around. City Hall responded to requests for information by emailing details to all candidates. I was a little surprised by how many candidates seemed not to have studied the topics or the city information.

This forum was top-notch: from the sound system, to the skirted tables (a luxury for women in skirts!), the seating, and preparation, it was well-organized and tightly run. I truly appreciated the 30-second warning, letting me know to wind down my remarks! Because the forum was held in the depot, we had a challenge when trains passed. The alliance had anticipated this, providing the timekeeper with a sign that said, "Pause for trains."

With this being their first event, the alliance did not know how many spectators to plan for. Surprise! They had over 70 attendees.

The questions were thought-provoking and I was able to articulate many of my thoughts regarding historic districts. Here are just a couple.

• They don't all face the same challenges. Some struggle with couches on the front porch or unmown yards. Others wish those were their only problems: they have drug deals on the corner or prostitutes in their backyards. Literally. In. their. back. yards.
• Landlords should provide basic facilities. They don't, and the city may need to enforce this ethic. If you own rental homes, don't despair! We're not talking lux, here. A sound roof. Weather-tight walls. Heat in the winter. Running water. To prepare, I studied programs in NC cities with similar population bases: Burlington, Wilson, Thomasville. I support a program to register rentals and continued inspections of rental homes each time the power turns over. A schema of escalating fines for repeat offenders should improve our rental market so people will have decent housing.

Friday night's party was amazing. About 70 people filled the home of a dear friend who tirelessly worked to organize this event. Many, many thanks to all twenty hosts -- three of whom no longer live in Salisbury!

THANK YOU to all the generous and kind people who have called, emailed, and sent well wishes to our campaign.

This week was marked by more forums: a meeting of the Salisbury-Rowan Realtors' Association and the Candidates' Forum hosted by Catawba College, the Chamber of Commerce and the Salisbury Post. What a great event! I was excited and anxiously awaited the questions. This event was televised live over Time-Warner Access 16 and will be rerun on that channel on Friday, 16.Oct. at 9pm, Saturday, 17.Oct. at 2 and 9pm, and Sunday, 18.Oct. at 2 and 9pm.

I attended the SNAG meeting on Wednesday and got the report on crime, accidents, drugs, gangs, and weapons in the city. This meeting is always well-attended by concerned citizens. I had to opportunity to speak briefly with our housing compliance officer, Chris Branham. I thanked him for his work. He seems to have the best job security in town!

The rest of the week was a whirlwind in this city, preparing for October Tour, which took place over the weekend, October 10 and 11. The Patrons' Party on Thursday was great! I met many kind people. It seems people are getting ready to talk about an election!

On Friday, I walked and walked about Friday Night Out, giving out Maggie stickers and signing folks up for yard signs. One of my mentors recommended 200 signs is a good penetration. I am closing in on that number.

I attended the unveiling of the Historic Marker at the Yadkin House on Friday. The ceremony was festive! with a ringleader (Clyde Overcash) a calliope, popcorn and peanuts. There was a nice crowd and amazingly, the weather cleared up just before the event.

At OctoberTour on Saturday and Sunday, I docent-ed two houses, three shifts. Hey, it's a good cause, and brings people and their $$ to Salisbury. I saw many friends, old ones and brand-new ones. After dinner with friends on Saturday, I attended a huge party, just long enough to say hello.