Shaun McMillian

What are your top three priorities for enhancing economic growth opportunities throughout the city?

1) Building Western Fayetteville’s Third Spaces Collective As your City Council representative, I will make it a
priority to cultivate a Western Fayetteville Third Spaces Collective—a network of community-centered spaces
beyond home and work where neighbors can gather, collaborate, and thrive together. By partnering with small
businesses in Districts 7 and 8, I will encourage residents to patronize local establishments, support
entrepreneurs, and attract new businesses that improve our quality of life—like family cafés, co-working hubs, and
recreation venues. These third spaces will not only strengthen our sense of community, but also boost our local
economy and civic life. I will measure success by the number of businesses engaged, the new enterprises we
attract, and the growth in local sales and foot traffic throughout Western Fayetteville.

2) Advancing Upward Mobility through Measurable Strategies I know that true safety and prosperity require real
pathways out of poverty, so I will work to develop a city-level Upward Mobility Strategy with clear and measurable
progress markers. We will track: - Intergenerational Income Elasticity (IGE)- quantifying the degree to which a
child's income is dependent on their parents' income - Income Quintile Mobility: tracking the movement of
individuals between income quintiles (20% segments of the population) across generations. - Growth in median
household income in District 8 - Reduction in poverty rates, especially for families with children. - Increases in
homeownership rates in historically underinvested neighborhoods. - Gains in educational attainment, including
graduation and post-secondary enrollment. - Small business starts and survival rates, particularly among veterans,
women and black and brown entrepreneurs. Our approach will be targeted and place-based: mapping the
neighborhoods with the highest needs and channeling resources into housing stability, transit access, childcare,
and financial literacy. Every year, we will publish progress reports to make sure we are accountable. I will also fight
for participatory budgeting and resident-led advisory boards, so the people most impacted are helping to shape
and evaluate solutions. This strategy will meet people where they are and build tailored ladders of opportunity.

3) Workforce Development: Preparing Youth for Competitive Fields Connected to upward mobility, my third priority
is workforce development that nurtures our youth and connects them to competitive, high-wage careers.
Fayetteville’s young people deserve exposure to fields like clean energy, advanced manufacturing, healthcare,
information technology, and the arts. We will work with schools, community colleges, unions, and local employers
to expand apprenticeships, paid internships, and career-readiness programs.

This means bringing mentorship into recreation centers, ensuring high-school students visit and learn from local
industries, and connecting graduates to scholarships that keep talent here at home. We will measure success by
how many young people enroll in these programs, the job placement rates within a year, the average wages of
participants compared to the city median, and how many employers are investing in these partnerships. By linking
youth development to our broader economic strategy, I want to make sure that our children not only dream of
success, but also see clear, attainable pathways to achieve it right here in Fayetteville.

What are the most pressing issues facing the City of Fayetteville? How will you work to solve them?

When I look at Fayetteville, I see a city full of resilience and promise, but I also see a community weighed down by
some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For me, community safety is not just about policing—it’s about
building systems that lift people to safety, out of poverty, and away from crime. True safety begins with stability. It
begins with knowing your children have food on the table, a safe place to live, and a future that looks brighter than
today. Too often, our city has relied on reactive measures instead of addressing the root causes of harm. We
cannot police our way out of generational poverty. We must invest in preventative, community-driven solutions—
affordable housing, living-wage jobs, youth mentorship, and health resources—that make crime less likely in the
first place. When people are secure in their basic needs, safety follows. Right now, the housing and affordability
crises are hitting Fayetteville families hard. Too many neighbors are struggling to keep a roof over their heads as
rent and utility costs rise faster than wages. We need practical ways to mitigate harm immediately. That means
expanding emergency rental assistance, working with nonprofits to prevent evictions, increasing funding for
shelters, and accelerating programs that connect families to transitional housing. It also means creating
partnerships with local developers to prioritize affordable units instead of luxury-only projects. Every time we lose
another family to eviction, we make it harder for our city to thrive. But we also must prepare for what’s ahead.

Next year, nearly 37% of Fayetteville residents could be impacted by new restrictions on benefit programs. That’s
more than one in three of our neighbors—many of them children, seniors, and working families—who risk losing the
very support that helps them survive. If we do nothing, the result will be more hunger, more homelessness, and
more desperation that feeds cycles of crime and instability. We cannot wait for the crisis to hit. As your City
Council representative, I will push for a coordinated plan now—partnering with churches, food banks, and
community organizations to build a safety net strong enough to catch those who may fall through. We need to
expand workforce development programs so people aren’t just surviving, but climbing toward stability. We need to
grow third spaces where communities can come together for mutual aid and collective support. And we must use
our city’s budget to invest directly in the people who make Fayetteville strong, not only in systems that punish
them when they fall. Safety is not simply the absence of crime—it is the presence of justice, opportunity, and care.
By addressing poverty and affordability head-on, and by preparing for the looming impact of benefit cuts, we can
make Fayetteville a city where everyone is safe, not just a privileged few.

What makes you the best candidate to represent the City of Fayetteville?

Fayetteville deserves leadership rooted in accountability, transparency, and care for our community. I
was born and raised here, and my story is intertwined with the struggles and the strengths of this city.
As a veteran, teacher, and community organizer, I have seen firsthand how our people come together in
moments of crisis—and how much stronger we can be when our leaders stand with us. My vision for
District 8 is built on three core commitments. First, community-driven safety. I believe we keep us safe
when we address the root causes of crime—poverty, housing insecurity, lack of opportunity—not just
the symptoms. That means investing in affordable housing, living wages, and programs that give
young people real hope for their future. Second, transparency and accountability in government. I am
committed to ensuring that residents have a real voice in how decisions are made and how tax dollars
are spent. Through participatory budgeting and open governance, I will fight to make sure City Council
reflects the priorities of the people, not just the interests of a few. Third, empowerment, economic
justice and opportunity. I want to build ladders of mobility so that families in District 8 don’t just survive
—they thrive. That means supporting small businesses in Western Fayetteville, creating spaces where
our community can gather, and strengthening workforce development so our youth can step into
competitive, well-paying fields. I carry with me the memory of neighbors we have lost—people like Jada
Johnson and Jason Walker—whose lives remind me why accountability and systemic reform are not
optional, but necessary. I am motivated by their stories and by the countless families still struggling
against generational poverty, unaffordable housing, and a system that too often fails to hear them. I
believe in moral leadership. I believe in building a Fayetteville where every person has dignity, where
our children can grow up safe and proud, and where democracy is protected through transparency and
accountability. I am ready to bring both courage and compassion to City Hall, and to work side by side
with you to make District 8 stronger.