by Marcus Calabrese
I’m running for Norfolk City Council because I see how often the people of Superward 6 are overlooked, I want to be a champion for the people of our district. We have many challenges here in Norfolk, we need to work to improve our economic development, our schools, our public safety, and to bring back some responsibility and pride to our government. I believe I have the unique qualities and experiences to fight for the changes that need to be made.
Economic development will be a top concern of mine. As a board member of Hampton Roads Business Outreach, a small business owner, and 2010’s youngest honoree of Inside Business’ Top 40 Under 40 I know what it takes to get people back to work. There’s a tremendous amount of talent here in Norfolk but the unemployment for young professionals is double the national average, I know their fears and I know they would rather have a future at home than having to leave Norfolk to pursue their career. I will work to bring new high paying jobs to Norfolk.
As a Member of the Board of Directors for Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia, I work with families from all over Hampton Roads and especially here in Norfolk. These families are the ones who have been hit the hardest by the recession. I hear their stories of unemployment, the struggling schools that their kids attend, and the dangers of their neighborhoods. These are the families I want to represent. It is time that our government put people first. I will work to invest new money into our families, our schools, and public safety.
Each morning it seems like another embarrassing story about Norfolk’s government appears on the pages of the Virginian Pilot. Whether it is the dismissing of the Superintendent of public schools barely into his term, the paying of an employee for a decade without her showing up for work, Light Rail cost overruns without notice to the taxpayers, or one of the many other front page stories about Norfolk it is time for it to stop. I want to team with the new members of City Council who are making waves fighting for a more responsible and open government.
This race is about choices. The future of our great city is promising; we have much to be proud of and much to build on. But, the past choices that have impeded the future of Norfolk are real and deserve to be brought to light. The people of Norfolk deserve a choice for the future, do we want to continue down this path of missed opportunities or do we want a Norfolk that is prosperous, proud, and prime for a comeback? Over the next few months I will lay out a vision for our future that makes a stark contrast, one that will make the choice clear.
Marcus Calabrese serves on the Board of Directors of Foodbank Southeastern Virginia, is Chairman of the Child Nutrition Council and Capital Campaign for Community Gifts. He is a member of the Board of Directors for Hampton Roads Business OutReach and is chairman of its Business & Government Relations department. He is also a public relations sponsor with Entrepreneurs Organization of SEVA. He has been awarded the “Safe Harbor” Award 2011 from Children’s Harbor and is a “Top 40 Under 40” Honoree for 2010 from Inside Business Journal.
