I served two terms as a member of the City of Bryan’s Community Development Advisory Committee. As a committee members our main duty was to help staff allocate federal Community Development Block Grant funds. Each year we had to review applications for funding from non-profit developers as well as service providers. Moreover, our work included ensuring first time homebuyers not only had access to proper banking products, but also down payment assistance and credit counseling. While no one will argue this is the most glamorous part of real estate development, it is vital for continual stabilized growth in communities where area median income is below the national average 

However, one of the biggest civic issues I faced during the time period between 2014-2018 when I was most active in the Bryan community came in 2014. The council members representing Single Member Districts 1 & 2 used to be engaged in a civil war of sorts with SMD 3-5 and the mayor. As a result, Council sought to dissolve single member districts in Bryan and only have five at-large seats. Considering no African America has ever won an at-large race since the city's inception in 1836, I knew this would not only silence the current council members in SMD 1 & 2, but also the voice of the neighborhood I grew up. 

While I do agree while well intentioned, the council members at the time were in over their head. However, it was unethical in my eyes to stripe the community as a whole of its voice for the foreseeable future and force the minority population to be taxed without representation. With this in mind, I went before council to lay my case out along with other concerned community members. The date was July 8, 2014. I spoke last that night. As a result of the collective effort from the community to organize the measure was scrapped. 

I would later go on to manage the campaign of the individual who unseated the council member who previously fought tooth and nail against the rest of council and the mayor.