Don’t you want MOORE?

By Cheryl Smith, I Messenger Media L.L.C., Publisher/Editor

Between participating in media interviews, Christie K. Moore was out walking the streets of Mansfield, Texas recently, sharing her platform and garnering support. Passionate, committed, and smart are just a few of the words used to describe the entrepreneur, who is a candidate for the Mansfield city council, place 5.

This native Texan, in seeking her first public elective office, could make history if victorious in the May election over incumbent Julie Short, a realtor wife and grandmother. However, making history is not what Moore tends to focus on, although she would be following in the footsteps of Michael Evans who also made history when he was elected to the Council in 2020, making him the first African American mayor.

That win was significant in a city whereas it became more diverse the Council remained lacking in diversity. During an interview about her plans if elected, the two-time college graduate proudly talked about the wide range of support she is receiving and the positive reaction to the possibility of having a more inclusive and diverse Council.

Sharing her thoughts on the many elements that make “the little town with a big heart” a great place to live and work, she laid the foundation for why she chose to move to Mansfield and set up shop as the CEO and Director of Mansfield Funeral Home.

In addition to becoming excited and cheerful while discussing Mansfield, Moore could clearly be a walking advertisement for the city of just under 70,000 residents as she touted how nestled between two major cities, Mansfield “has managed to grow significantly, has a school district that is amazing, amazing arts council, great Chamber of Commerce, with amazing churches and nonprofits.”

Mansfield is about 30 miles west of where Moore was born and lived, in Oak Cliff, until moving away to go to college. Keep traveling west for another 20 miles and you’re in Fort Worth. According to Moore, Mansfield is a great place to raise your children and there are opportunities for businesses to grow and thrive.

However, in order to do so, Moore said she has been listening to the citizens who welcome a more diverse council especially when you look at the numbers pre-2020 Census, showing a population that is about (57%) White (Non-Hispanic); (17.6%) Black or African American (Non-Hispanic); (11.8 %) White (Hispanic), (4.33%) Asian (Non-Hispanic); and (3.91%) Other (Hispanic).

For Moore, “diversity is a strength and not a threat.” She said she enjoys having the opportunity to raise a child in a loving, caring and giving environment that “embraces the youthfulness of our children.” Living in various parts of the country and also working in environments that called for collaborating and working together with others from different backgrounds, cultures, etc.

Moore believes some of her greatest attributes are being a skilled communicator and her love of “all of God’s children,” as well as having a built a strong foundation of trust. She said she realizes that you can’t just look to ethnicity as an indicator of diversity; you also have to consider other elements; like age, sex, orientation, geography, if you want to be inclusive and supportive.

“My goal is for all residents to have another person on the council to ask questions about the city,” she continued, adding that she has been walking, sometimes as much as 30,000 steps daily, to spread her message of leadership, accountability, and inclusion, and she says the response has been favorable.

“They (citizens) want a more diverse leadership and the City Council should have people on the Council who understand business.” Businesswoman Demetria Bivens agrees. She loves her home in Mansfield and even opened it up last week for a meet and greet with Moore. Bivens also expressed her support of Moore, saying that she was smart, well prepared and would be good for the city.

Moore is a graduate of the School for the Talented and Gifted Magnet, which is one of the top high schools in the country, according to U.S. News and World Report. She went on to study Molecular Biology at Hampton University in Virginia.

It was at a young age, actually when she was nine years old, that she spoke her truth, which has led to a very successful career. As the family grieved the passing of their matriarch, at her grandmother’s funeral young Christie told relatives she wanted to do the work that she observed as the funeral home employees took care of her Granny. “I saw the love and attention to detail,” she recalled, adding that witnessing the employees at work helped her to better process the loss. “It had a huge impact on me.”

On May 1, 2021, she wants citizens of Mansfield to take into consideration her almost 30 years of service, education, community involvement, and other attributes when they go to the polls. She said elect her to use her voice, leadership skills, integrity, education, business acumen and visionary perspectives as a member of the seven-member council that will concentrate on growth, development, diversity, and inclusion, while showing the country what happens when the focus is on those areas.

According to Moore, while attending Hampton she worked at the VA Hospital as a morgue clerk and in the Fall of her senior year, accepted a full scholarship to another historically Black college and university (HBCU), Tennessee State University, as a member of their Masters/PhD. Bridge program.

When she graduated with a Master of Science (Endocrinology) degree in August 2002, her research was conducted in the Hypertension Laboratory at Meharry Medical College. She then headed back home, where in addition to working in the Dallas County Crime Division and Evergreen Funeral Home; she attended and taught at the Dallas Institute of Funeral Services.

Focused on the care of not only the deceased, but their family members too, Moore said she would lead just as she does in her business. Creating a balance in all of Mansfield, she says is important. “All neighborhoods would have a voice at City Hall.”

Further, after living through the pandemic and the challenges during the recent weather storm that displaced thousands across the state, Moore said she believes putting programs in place to aid small businesses would help in times of emergencies.

Clearly, she has plans and listening to her agenda, there’s no rock left unturned because she had ideas for the young and their growth, and she wants safety to be uppermost in folks’ minds, especially the elderly, when they think of Mansfield.

With 23 years as a mortician, in numerous areas, she’s serious about bringing one skill set to the Council: Although it is a Council Manager form of government, her inclusive and professional leadership will be important as key decisions are made based on taking into consideration the entire population.

“I approach every situation as if someone were my family,” said the member of Epsilon Nu Delta Embalming Fraternity and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Moore, who is a wife and mother, also believes in mentoring and hopes to attract more young people into careers as morticians, embalmers, and directors. She said she hopes they too will come to realize the significance of having a spirit of excellence and knowing that it is important to have “integrity, dignity and respect above all.”

Candidate Moore will be participating in a community event on April 24, 2021, from noon -3:00p.m. at the Lot, in downtown Mansfield. She said she will be sharing her message and encouraging voters to vote early and like many of her family members who have held political office, Moore wants citizens to know that she cares and is “campaigning to serve them, each and every one!”