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Kelly Walsh. Photo provided to Decaturish

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Dear Decaturish,

When Kelly Walsh told me that she was considering running for the office of City Commissioner, I was immediately excited and promised my full support. I have always been impressed with and grateful for Kelly’s energetic interest and commitment for building a continuously better Decatur community. My wife, Weny, and I have lived in Decatur for over 35 years, raised our now-grown children here and plan to be here for the duration. I am continuously grateful that Weny and I found our way to Decatur in 1979 and have always found a great deal of satisfaction, pleasure and purpose in finding ways to contribute toward making Decatur the wonderful community that it is. And that is how I first met Kelly.

As a fellow member of the Decatur Active Living Advisory Board, I was impressed by Kelly’s energy and enthusiasm from the day she joined the Board. In her second year as a board member, she accepted the responsibilities of serving as Chair. Once again, I was impressed — with her ability to run a well-organized, collaborative and inclusive meeting; with her ability to bring focus and purpose to our work; and with the dedication and seriousness she brought to her role.

In addition to her contributions to the Active Living Advisory Board, Kelly has used her leadership and organizational skills to take on numerous other important formal and informal leadership roles in our Decatur community. In several of those leadership roles, she has shown an innate understanding of and dedication to our schools and our school system that is unmatched in experience by any of the other candidates. During her children’s time at Clairemont Elementary, the school my two children attended, Kelly made significant contributions of her time and talents as PTA Co-Chair. As a PTA liaison to the Decatur Education Foundation, Kelly has shown her understanding of the important role the DEF plays. As the organizer of the Fifth Avenue 5K & Mayors’ Mile, Kelly has invested untold hours toward creating a fun, community-building event that has raised significant funds for the Fifth Avenue PTA. Because cooperation and coordination between the city and the school system is more critically important than ever, the relationships Kelly has built within the school system will be a valuable asset in her role as commissioner.

One of Kelly’s most significant traits is her ability to identify and apply outside-the-box solutions to challenging opportunities. She is a problem-solver who can analyze, evaluate and communicate effectively about complicated issues. Kelly works hard to earn the respect of those around her, building relationships and influence along the way. Kelly believes that the best solutions come from respectful, collaborative, creative conversation. Those traits will make her a uniquely valuable City Commissioner.

Please click on the link below to hear Kelly in her own words and hear her vision for the future of Decatur.

A message from Kelly

I encourage everyone in Decatur’s District 1 (north of the railroad tracks) to Vote for Kelly Walsh on November 7th.

– Michael Harbin, Decatur Active Living Advisory Board member; Chair, Decatur Farmers Market Community Advisory Group

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