Mayoral Candidate Profile: Cedrick Valrie
Age: 42
Profession: Professor of Practical Theology at Southeastern University
Political affiliation: Republican Party of Florida
Civic involvement: Board member at Church for the One, active member of the Florida Parents Education Association
Family: Married to Sarah, father to four children
Conversation edited for length and clarity.
The Lakelander
Let’s start with the basics. Tell me why we are sitting here talking about a November 4 election that has your name on the ballot. Why are you running for mayor?
Cedrick Valrie
I'm running for mayor because I love people. People are at the heart and core of whatever we do. I get the privilege of teaching 18 to 22 year-olds at Southeastern University, and it's amazing to sit down and listen to them as they talk about their giftings, their talent, their passion, and the results they'd like to see, how it impacts the people that they're working with now and want to work with in the future. Empowering people matters. It helps them to see that you care, you listen, and that you have a feel for where they are. I want to be that type of mayor with a personal touch—the type of mayor that says, ‘OK, yes, I can lead, but I realize I lead alongside and with the people and with the team of commissioners.’
I think that's what sets Lakeland's city leadership apart, that we're not a strong mayor [system] but that we're a team-driven leadership. And part of that team also involves the people that we serve; we can listen to them and understand their perspective, even if we disagree, even if we do agree. [The question is] can they walk away from that meeting, whether it's one-on-one, or in a community setting saying, I felt heard and understood? I believe that given an opportunity to share where I'm coming from, that this team, this city leadership, will move toward the best interest that's good for everyone, but with my perspective in mind as well. I'm running for the people to have that voice that says, ‘We hear you, we speak for you, we also lead alongside you, we lead together.’
Capacity leadership means a lot to me because it shows that I can validate someone's humanity and at the same time still lead and get the job done. I think sometimes that's where leadership experience can be blurred. It knows the system in the way that it's always been and can be blind sometimes [to] the new opportunities that arise, given the current challenges, and sometimes in slowing down to listen to our constituents, they may spark something in us about a particular topic that we need to explore further, and it just may be the game-changing thought to help us move forward as a city.
The Lakelander
Our city has nearly 3,000 employees, and like you mentioned, Lakeland operates within a weak mayor system. Every vote on the commission counts and you’re working closely with the city manager, department heads, etc. to make our city run. What is it about your leadership abilities and style that you think fits well within that?
Cedrick
Having healthy dynamic relationships with all of them I think makes a difference with Lakeland overall. We realize the city manager at the end of the day is the CEO of the city. And I think continuing to empower, to encourage not only those who are making the decisions, but men and women who are in the downlines, we want them to feel good about where they work. We not only want them to live, learn, play and work here in Lakeland, but we want them to love coming to work because of a new culture and atmosphere where people do feel appreciated.
I think that translates into how they treat the citizens overall and their perspective to their work as they get up each morning. I want to create a place where the culture is healthy and vibrant and the citizens feel good about their interaction with city employees, whether it's a lineman, whether it's emailing a city clerk or emailing Lakeland electorate, that they feel good not only about the responses, but they feel like [they have] been heard, [they have] been seen, and that we care.
The Lakelander
What, if anything, would you change about how the city engages with constituents to ensure that there is easy and open access to important information as the commission makes decisions?
Cedrick
I think that our city is doing a good job as far as the current level of communication, whether you go into the website or whether you're at one of the public commission meetings on a Monday. I'm just not sure how many citizens are actually able to attend those current commission meetings or are going to the website for such information. I think there would be an opportunity to explore how do we maximize that so that we have more informed citizens as far as how we're growing, what our challenges are and our approach and to invite that feedback. I think that with the current communications department, who [is] doing a really good job, that we continue to create avenues to hear from our citizens directly.
The Lakelander
The City Manager said earlier this year at an event at the Dream Center that it’s inevitable that in the near future the City of Lakeland, in order to maintain a balanced budget, will need to put all options on the table. What steps would you take as mayor to ensure the city is operating at a balanced budget while also offering the types of and level of services that the residents deserve?
Cedrick
Again, I think hearing from the citizens also impacts that discussion. You know, ‘What are the services that are vital?’, ‘Where are the greatest needs in our community?’ Currently…Lakeland has one of the lowest millage rates there is, and we want to do our best to keep it that way. So I think it's vital that we do our best to gather [input] from the citizens on what some of the greatest needs are and what are even some of the approaches that you think that we should look at.
We have our everyday citizens who are retired, love [Lakeland], who have poured their lives into making a contribution—and this is home, we want them to speak. We want to hear from the single mom or single father, we want to hear from the realtors, the businessmen, and businesswomen. We want to hear from those who call Lakeland home, but are still looking for affordable housing to say, ‘OK, here's what we're up against…and here's some approaches that we're thinking about. What do you say?’ Let's not only be mindful of our challenges, but let's work together on a common solution and figuring out the resolve to help us move forward that we feel good about now and for generations to come.
The Lakelander
You talk about affordable housing. What is your perspective on the current demand for affordable housing here, which obviously continues to grow? What do you think the city's responsibility is in terms of being able to meet that growing demand?
Cedrick
Man, it would be nice to say that the city's able to just give out vouchers for everyone. ‘Here you go. You get a house and you get a house!’ But that's not the reality. I think in working in tandem with our federal, state and local partners [and] with our developers and with our realtors…let's hear from them as well. What's available funding wise from a federal level, from the state level and what are the needs based on realtors who are meeting and working with everyday Lakelanders to help them figure out the next step towards affordable housing? Because sometimes the very phrase affordable housing can mean different definitions to different people. While we want those who work here to also live in a place that they enjoy and that they can afford, we also want to be sure to take care of those who may be at a disadvantage in income to make sure needs and services are there as well.
When it comes to affordable housing we do our best to look at the different metrics to say, OK, within this category of affordable housing, maybe it's for the single-parent family who's working two or three jobs, maybe it's for the family [with parents that have] a college education and they're raising their young family, but yet they find themselves in a pinch regarding rent or food…or maybe it's that college student who's like, ‘I love Lakeland, I love what it has to offer, I’d love to stay here to raise a family one day.’ We want to look at the options that are on the table and say, ‘OK, here's what can be done and move in a direction along with our developers, along with our constituents to say, OK, what can we do to make Lakeland affordable for everyone where they are?’
The Lakelander
If you’re the mayor and have a voice at the table, how do you look at meeting the needs of the transient and homeless population that is ever present and will always be here while also considering the revitalization of corridors like Memorial Blvd? How do you tackle that challenge and you provide the leadership that takes into account all the different factors?
Cedrick
When it comes to services and when it comes to serving those who are in the homeless community— they're a part of who we are and we understand that there needs to be a level of support there. And I think that support also comes with accountability. There are nonprofits who are doing a really good job in helping to help the city even understand the needs among the homeless population. While there may be some in the homeless community who may not want a particular type of shelter or certain responsibilities to help support that I think for those who do want it that we do our best when it comes to funds that we're allowed to allocate toward that to help support but make sure that accountability piece is there as well.
It shows that Lakeland is for everyone—that place to live, work, and play—and that we all have a role in making that happen both with our with our giftings and our talent, as well as with the wages that we earn because these wages also have to pay for these services as well. So it's both seeing the need and doing our best to meet the need, but realizing that it takes all of us to help make a contribution, including the ones who are in need.
The Lakelander
You are part of the great higher education culture we have with colleges and universities right here in Lakeland and Polk County. What do you say whenever a young person says, ‘What hope do I have that I can actually not just grow here, but stay here, be planted here and make a difference long term?’
Cedrick
I think when students find themselves attaining the skills and the insight, the knowledge, the need to make a contribution wherever they are…I think we want to do our best to have jobs that are available [where] they can earn wages so that they can live here as well. I know that many families will want to live closer to each other…so I think we continue to work with businesses and colleges to bridge internships early on so that there's already a connection and some some familiarity for both the student as well as the company…and they also realize the work ethic of this individual.
I think Lakeland is an ideal place to live, work and play. And I think that when it comes to the high skills, we also provide the high wages, and that will help to offset some of the expenses of affordable housing for the young people who are saying, ‘I love this place, I want to live here for the rest of my life, want to work [here] for the rest of my life.’ We say, ‘Welcome, we have a place for you.’
The Lakelander
With all the conversations you have had with the locals this year, you probably have a clearer picture than ever before about where the city is headed. What do you see as potential threats to the way of life and the quality of life for Lakelanders in the next five to 10 years? And how would you go about putting preventive measures in place because you see that we're headed down a road that we need to be mindful of?
Cedrick
There are a lot of great things about Lakeland. I so appreciate that this is a place where we have amazing parks, we have amazing neighborhoods, we have awesome restaurants, and we have a vibrant city life. I think that overall, current Lakelanders love and enjoy where they live. At the same time, we also see that with influx, with growth, there comes challenges. I think…a couple of the challenges that we will have to meet down the road have to do with infrastructure—sidewalk, streets, roads, underground piping, all of these things impact not only us today, but future generations.
Another one of these things is that with growth comes more people, and I just wonder sometimes—you know, we're great when it comes to services for the orphans and the widows and the homeless. I just wonder, Biblically speaking, if we have kind of overlooked the immigrants. I do think that there are many of our brothers and sisters who have immigrated here, who love Lakeland, who want to find a pathway for their families to live a better life, to get an education, live, love, work, play here and who are making a contribution. So in that, I say we want to do our best to make sure that the jobs that these men and women are doing are still available, as well as help them with citizenship because Lakeland has grown. Let's help them, let's help bridge the gap with citizenship there. Let Lakeland lead the way and working in tandem with the state, the federal government and say, ‘Hey, here's a model that can work’, so that they continue to make a contribution so that they continue to build healthy relationships with law enforcement and their neighbors and are proud of this place.
The Lakelander
Anything else that we haven’t covered that you would like to say?
Cedrick
I care about people. I care about their needs and what they're facing. And while I understand that I can't meet all those needs, the city can't meet all those needs, we can genuinely listen and understand and do our best to target some of those needs, and the ones that we can target immediately, we will, and the ones that we can target over time, we will. [We will let them] know that we respect the dignity of their humanity and that we will continue to do our best to fight for them, to speak up, for them, to stand up for them. But most of all, we'll think not only of making decisions for the moment, but also for generations to come so that some of the challenges, frustrations and worries that they're facing now, that we can do our best to offset some of that for the next generation.
Learn More About Cedrick and Follow His Campaign
FB: cedrick4lkld
Contact him: campaign@cedrickvalrie.com