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College Student to Become Youngest City CommissionerBy Amber Lester Kennedy Saturday, December 10, 2011 College of William and Mary freshman Chris Connolly now has an official title to add before his name: commissioner. Connolly, 19, became the youngest member appointed to the Williamsburg Planning Commission when City Council unanimously approved his appointment on Thursday. He will serve a four-year term, beginning in January and ending Dec. 31, 2015. Connolly was one of eight applicants to fill two seats on the commission; the other seat will be filled by Demetrios Florakis. Connolly has lived in the city for six years, since the eighth grade. He was interested in serving on Planning Commission because of his unique perspective as a representative of students, the college community and residents. Council members were impressed with the amount of preparation he did prior to the interview. Connolly said he met with several city government employees, along with William and Mary law student Scott Foster, who was elected to City Council in his senior year. Connolly read the 2006 Strategic Plan and in his interview, mentioned ways the city could improve upon it in the upcoming 2012 Strategic Plan. “I put a lot of time into learning about the inner workings of the city – what helps the city and what hurts the city,” he said Friday. “I talked to people, accumulated knowledge on my own and synthesized it for the interview.” At the start of the school year, he was looking for a way to get involved in the community and felt a student’s voice could be beneficial on the Planning Commission, which focuses on land usage. He started attending Planning Commission, City Council and Neighborhood Council meetings to get a sense of the land use issues in the city. “Obviously, there’s a learning curve involved and I think council was aware of that when they appointed me,” he said. “But on a four-year term, I’ll be learning the ins and outs.” He is particularly excited about contributing ideas for the Strategic Plan. He would like to see a more modernized and accessible transportation system in the city; would like to boost the young professional population by figuring out how to entice them to stay; and wants to make sure the city is working with the college to address demands for student housing, both on and off campus. Connolly, who is considering double majoring in government and finance, has long had a passion for government service. His father, Mike Connolly, serves as William and Mary’s director of federal relations, and introduced his son to local government at a young age. As a junior at Hampton Roads Academy, he spent part of the year as a page in the U.S. House of Representatives (read about his experience here). While many of his peers may harbor dreams of someday walking the halls of Congress, Connolly is focused on the immediate tasks at hand. “I just want to do a good job on the Planning Commission,” he said. “This actively fills a position where a student’s voice will really benefit both the city and the college.” |
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Comments
Uhhmm... - they are sort of rebuilding monticello... I don't know if it's a good idea or not (I think newtown is poorly located and rather tacky, myself) - but it's not like that traffic is the new normal, either - it's entirely because of roadwork that should wrap up sooner or later. Just saying...
Here we should feel privileged to live in a community college town, where one student has accomplished just that...principl es and values...to give him a chance at becoming one of our youngest City Commissioners.. working with the City Planning Council..will give this man/student a chance of gaining that experience..he must have had the credentials for the job,to have been voted in.
We hear so much bad in the news; about violence..drugs ...gangs...kill ings.. robberies..in today's world..lets hear a shout of victory for this hard working student..who has managed to come this far. "Good Job" Chris Connolly, excuse me Commissioner Chris Connolly.
This is a joke for a community to feel it needs the "experience" of a kid. If you had a family business that you had worked hard to build over 100 years, would you trust the planning to a 19 yr old with no experience? I believe strongly that life experience is important, whether it be military, business or homemaking.
I am honestly ashamed our city could not do better.