Nigerian-American educationist, Lilly Anyanwu, runs for Addison, Texas, City Council

Nigerian born American educationist, Lilly Anyanwu, has thrown her hat into the ring and is contesting a seat in the City Council of Addison, Texas, United States of America (US).

Lilly Anyanwu, who sees herself as “the face and voice of diversity,” is already vigorously mobilizing voters with the promise of change in the way the Council is being run, especially against the background of the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

She is offering selfless service, inclusive governance, transparency and general improvement in every facet of life in the City, stressing that a vote for her is opportunity for the voices of the majority to be heard.

Originally from Alike Obowo in Imo State of Nigeria, Lilly, who has lived in Addison Texas for more than 20 years, has a bachelor’s degree in social work (BSW) from the University of Texas at Arlington and a Master of Art Counseling (MA) from the Amberton University and is promising to join other members of the Council to tackle increasing crime rates, increasing property taxes, racial imbalance and police profiling.

Introducing herself and her mission to residents, she wrote: “I am interested in representing our community as a future member of the City Council for the Town of Addison. I am running to bring a fresh, positive and creative mindset to the Council that will help move the city forward in a positive way.

“I have a great deal of experience working with diverse community programs. I work in the education field, and more specifically within the special education sector. I have worked for Head Start of Greater Dallas for nearly two decades, working with children with special needs and their families.

“In addition, I work for the Youth Advocacy Program (YAP) mentoring and supporting our at-risk youths and their families. Town of Addison is centrally located within the DFW Metroplex and surrounding areas and has superb amenities which include businesses, parks, family fun events, fitness clubs, restaurants, and many other forms of entertainment.

“Speaking of fitness, I spend my leisure time walking at the Brookhaven College walk trail, as well as exploring our community and meeting new people. In addition, I am a member of the Saint Rita Catholic Church.”

Lilly Anyanwu said further that “My involvement in politics at the local level is all about improvement. These improvements include communication, transparency, community identity, economic vitality and effective management of resources for our community.

“I am running for the City Council because there has been a lot of concerns on how to rebuild our town in the wake of the pandemic. A lot of restaurants, hotels, and other businesses have been hit hard and are closing at an astounding rate. These closures are affecting our community at large. Therefore, I will encourage our community to follow the CDC guidelines as it relates to the COVID-19 vaccine, so that we can continue to reopen our businesses and rebound as soon as possible and safely.”

According her, “the issues of increasing crime rates, increasing property taxes, and racial imbalance, police profiling are all areas of opportunity for change. All these have a noticeable impact on the Town of Addison. I am running for City Council, because I will be the voice and the face of diversity within our town.

“I am also running to focus on making our growing town more family friendly. This includes upgrading and adding playgrounds for our young families and their children, rebuilding our aging official buildings etc. I will be the voice that will work together with the other Council members in solving the problems facing our city. I will help in rebuilding the trust in our community and our elected officials. For me, running for the City Council is all about serving and giving back to the community where I have lived and loved for more than twenty years.

Furthermore, Lilly Anyanwu pointed out that she will team up with other City Council members “to ensure that all residents have a greater voice in the city matters,” insisting that she will “focus on the needs of our residents and businesses alike” and “collaborate with the other City Council members in creating policies that will permit reasonable development, at the same time will retain what makes our city special and unique.”

A true patriot, the aspirant revealed that her decision to contest is her own way of “serving and giving back to the community” where she has lived, and which she has loved, for more than twenty years.

She insists that her background, work and life experiences uniquely qualify her to serve, pledging to do everything within her ability to give back to the city to make sure that its current residents, and those who come after her will have the same opportunities that she has been given.

“Addison is a wonderful place to call home,” Lilly said, insisting that she is “running to give people a choice at the ballot box.”

She noted that her running avails the community the opportunity to elect a confident and patriotic resident, concluding with the promise that “together we can ensure that the Town of Addison will continue to be a great place for residents and businesses to grow and thrive.” She also made an appeal:“Please consider me for your next Addison City Council.”