I want to start off by thanking the amazing people that have helped me along the way. This has been an amazing experience. I’ve met so many people that have had different life experiences than myself and some who come from different cultures. Being able to sit down with different people who have varying concerns has allowed me to reconsider what is really important to the people in this city, this state, this country, and in the world.
Through these enlightening conversations, I have become much more positive on my reasons for running and know just how important it is to make the world a better place for not only my children, but for yours as well. Every person that I’ve met, unbeknownst to them, has empowered me to keep going and to show Brookhaven that community, family, and servant leaders is what will help Brookhaven to continue growing and thriving in such an ugly world.
I am dedicated to this journey to help the City of Brookhaven realize its true potential by becoming Mayor. Many have heard about my experience and educational background, but many of you are meeting me for the first time. I want you to know that I have years of experience on the local, state, and federal levels. I have remained steadfast in my commitment to being the change that I wanted to see in the world.
An accountant by trade, I’ve been in the financial industry helping my community to become financially stable for over 15 years, and serving the Atlanta metro area since 2016. I’ve also worked in different aspects and on all levels of government, including the federal government where I am currently employed.
Throughout my time with the federal government, my most talked about experience was when I volunteered to deploy to the Covid-19 Vaccine Task Force. During that time I did so much amazing work and impacted so many lives because of my passion to lead and work on behalf of the American people. I lead 6 different jurisdictions and provided them with necessary guidance and resources to mitigate the challenges that many people were facing due to the pandemic. I worked with state and federal partners getting their risks and mitigations and reporting it to the White House for further guidance . I did this everyday, on behalf of this country. And believe it or not, Public Health impacts all of our lives on a daily basis, with available resources continuing to shrink.
I am a leader that understands not only business and how to lead, but I understand issues that impact our communities on a very large level.
Outside of my experience with the CDC, I currently serve on the ESLPOST committee for Dekalb county schools and the bylaws subcommittee. Most recently, I was elected to be a member of the Principal Advisory Council for the school district. Previously, I’ve served in various capacities on the PTO, including working as a community liaison.
From the beginning my desire has always been to seek out the needs and expectations of the community and provide resources, guidance, and support where necessary. I’m happy to have had countless opportunities to sit and speak with different communities throughout the city. I plan to bring the change that the city of Brookhaven needs.
Though I’m not Mayor yet, I tirelessly work to provide resources to families everyday who are facing homelessness, something that the leadership in Brookhaven has failed to do. This week alone I’ve assisted two families in finding housing. One was facing eviction and the other was already on the streets of Brookhaven, homeless.
I know what it takes to be a leader, even continuing to acknowledge other leaders in this state such as Mayor Lynn Deutsch of Dunwoody and Senator Jon Ossoff. They are great models when it comes constituency services and leadership. They are change leaders and truly work on behalf of the community and providing resources. That is the type of leadership that I plan to bring to Brookhaven. An administration with a team of people willing to work tirelessly to ensure that your needs are mitigated. Even when many feel it may be outside of the scope of the position, my goal is to ensure that all needs of our city are met.
I gave you my background because I want you to know that I am capable, knowledgeable, and ready to lead Brookhaven. I am not just here to talk and complain about current leadership and why I’d do a better job than them because I don’t agree with them. But I am actually showing you that I want to seek your guidance on what your expectations are and why my life’s experience and background has prepared me for a job such as this.
I came into this race with knowledge on everything except how to run a campaign. I’ve had various people temporarily assist me when they were able to. But a lot of the time, my work has been a solo journey. Someone previously managed my schedule and calendar, as the invitations to events had began to pile up. Some events were missed, my attendance was even confirmed for an event and I had to miss it because life happened in a major way and it was unavoidable. To say I wasn’t heartbroken and disappointed in a missed opportunity to meet with the people of this city whose vote I’m trying to earn would be an understatement. I know the importance of showing up and I don’t believe in trying to justify not being able to do the work it takes to win this race. For me, any missed opportunity is a major disappointment. I am being transparent with you and I hope that as you continue to watch me on this journey that I can gain or maintain your trust, your support, and your vote.
I truly want to bring change and transparency on all levels to Brookhaven. I want the citizens of this city to know that they have an elected official that has their back and human like they are. I want you to know that I am humble and will never take the people of this city for granted and will continue to value everything that all of us bring to Brookhaven to make it as unique as it is.
Brookhaven is full of culture, with a neighborhood that is one of Metro Atlanta’s best kept secrets. Buford Highway is a diverse, polychromatic stretch of road that encompasses so much of many of the cultures that make up this world. Here, global culture meets Atlanta with a southern fused twist. There are restaurants here that represent almost 20 nations. This thriving community is one of the reasons so many people travel to Brookhaven throughout the week. The people in this community bring a brilliance to the diamond that Brookhaven already is.
As your Mayor I plan to mitigate homelessness and expand affordable housing programs by making it a city effort. It is an issue that affects so many black and brown families. Brookhaven has become a slush fund for developers to come into the city, raise rent, and simply displace families that are truly valued and wanted in this city. This has been a problem in Brookhaven for a very long time, one that has been exasperated by the pandemic. Focus needs to be placed across the entire city. Brookhaven is an attractive city to so many people, which leaves many of its long term residents in peril or displaced because of the attractiveness to businesses and the city’s leader’s desire to be known as the wealthy city next to Buckhead.
Do not let anyone fool you by telling you that resources are in place here because it simply isn’t. On Brookhaven’s website there is a plethora of links for residents to utilize should they find themselves in the unfortunate situation of possibly losing their homes. However, I’m here to tell you that, those resources are not provided by the city, nor do most of them actually exist. The list and the status of the programs are listed below:
2-1-1 – This is an easy way to access comprehensive information and referrals regarding community programs that’s already listed on the website.
Center for Pan Asian Community Services – Provides homeless counseling and no funding exists.
Housing Authority of DeKalb County - There is a years long wait list, no immediate assistance, if any will be eventually available at all.
DeKalb Rental Assistance - no longer exists.
Latin American Association - funding rarely available, if at all.
Georgia Rental Assistance - No longer exists.
Metro Fair Housing - takes you to a website that lists the same programs above.
Salvation Army - Provides a very long waiting period, never answers by phone. But will assist if possible.
Society of St. Vincent De Paul: They actually help. I’ve sent people to them.
BCM Georgia- Assists the entire state of GA. They helped previously when they were not a statewide program. Currently, no one that I’ve helped has been able get an appointment for funding.
Neighborhood Cooperative Ministries- This is a Gwinnett program that does not help Brookhaven residents.
As your Mayor, I plan to ensure that all families with special needs are assisted in the years long process of getting access to providers for diagnoses, assistance with better resources for treatments, and assistance for some of our basic necessities like access to foods that these families require. Currently, some families have been waiting more than a year just to get a diagnosis. That is, simply, not okay. I will make the process a whole lot smoother for so many families that are suffering in silence.
There has been so much talk about the cost of the new City Hall. As your incoming Mayor, I want you to know that there has been ways to stop it or put the build out on hold through referendum. Though it’s not happening on November’s ballot, there are ways to navigate that. If you don’t want it, we can go beyond talking about it on Facebook, an injunction can be done. Has anyone in the community that does not want this to happen consulted an attorney? Whether you agree with it or not, let’s think about what’s happening with “Cop City” in Atlanta. As so many people are opposed to what this would bring to their communities, they’re protesting everyday. They are fighting outside of and through the court system. This is what true community work is. As your future Mayor, if this is not something that the people of this city wants to pay for, do the work to slow it down and ensure it doesn’t happen. I’m not just going on a speaking tour to tell you about failed leadership or the problems that the city has or about its lack of transparency, I’m providing you with answers to circumvent a problem. Real community work happens in the community.
As your Mayor I plan to bring more mental health specialists to the police force. There is currently only one, and though I heard such amazing things about her, I can’t imagine the burden that it can bring by assisting the police in their work with just one person. Mental health specialists that are employed through the police department has a goal to prevent so many of the tragedies that we see every day. This can be done by decreasing the need for arrests and incarcerations for people with mental health issues by having a specialist on the scene when issues arise.
As I close out this letter, I want you to know that I have learned so much by listening to the people of this city, especially when they felt like their issues had been ignored. In fact, I’m doing a listening tour now. If you have an issue that you can’t seem to overcome or a question, please reach out. I promise, most times, it will be me who responds to you directly. I am honored to be on this mission to change things in our community and assist the people of this great city to live and thrive with transparency and honesty from their leaders and to be able to have input on how this city is ran every step of the way.
Thank you so much for taking time out your day to see where I stand in this race and why I am fighting so hard for the citizens of Brookhaven. I hope that I have earned your vote and if I haven’t, I hope that you will give me an opportunity to do so.
Sincerely,
Your future Mayor, Hilerie Lind
Comments