Henderson Mayor Melissa Elliott can be found at the city building on Rose Avenue for monthly Council meetings, but you’re also likely to spot her most anywhere across town in any number of places promoting the city and supporting its residents.
Elliott was at the Senior Center Thursday morning to help senior adults create “vision boards.”
And on Tuesday, Feb 11, she’ll be the speaker at the Community Information Series at Baskerville Funeral Home.
The title of the program, which runs from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., is “Understanding City Government.”
“There are a lot of things that people don’t understand about city government,” Elliott said on Thursday’s TownTalk. She wants everyone to understand that no one person makes all the decisions or all the rules.
“We work as a team,” she said of herself, Council members and city staff, “and that’s how we pass law…(and) govern the city.
She said the elected officials need to be available to their constituents. “We want to hear what people have to say,” she added.
The business of government is about people, Elliott emphasized. The whole business of governing IS people, she said, and it’s important for the city to invest in its people.
“We are in the business of helping people and moving a community forward,” she said, even when resources are scarce.
The vision board activity is part of the mayor’s health and wellness initiative, and it’s one way to invest in people.
Today, it’s senior adults, and a month ago, she spent time with a bunch of teens as they created their own vision boards. It’s a way to focus on positive mental health practices, she noted. Participants create a collage of how they want to “see” themselves – healthy and happy and secure.
Spending time with folks as they create these boards is also a way Elliott gets to interact with constituents
“You put on your board what you want to look like and what you want your city to look like,” she said.
She said she welcomes people’s comments because their voice matters – whether it’s a complaint or praise.
Reach out to Elliott at 252.425.5220 or call the city clerk at 252.430.5705 to learn more.
Listen to the entire interview at wizs.com to learn more about the various mental health initiatives available.
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