"Good morning. I am Jennifer McKeever and I am running for Charlottesville City Council. I am running because I love Charlottesville and I am passionate about making Charlottesville great for all of its residents. As your City Councilor, I will find ways to connect communities to opportunities, I will do this with a fresh voice and an outside perspective of what can be accomplished. My campaign will focus on community, opportunity and CONNECTION.

For those who dont know me, I am proud to have grown up here in Charlottesville and fortunate to have taken advantage of opportunities available in our community. After high school it was not obvious I would be able to succeed, I had a lot stacked against me and to be honest a lot of it was my own doing. But something changed when I began to study at Piedmont Virginia Community College. I had the great opportunity to work with committed professors and wonderful students who helped me see what could be achieved. Slowly I became more confident. Then I was accepted to the University of Virginia, a possibility so remote at the time I graduated as to be laughable. So I recognize Piedmont as a KEY resource to connecting residents to a bright economic future.

While studying at the University of Virginia, I had the great honor to work with (state) Senator Emily Couric. Senator Couric's values of integrity, cooperation and the art of compromise gave me my roots in public service. During law school I returned to every summer to work at the Legal Aid Justice Center. This work for the residents in the area cemented my commitment to service and to providing opportunities for people in Charlottesville.

Now I am a mother, a business owner and a public servant in Charlottesville. My experiences in these roles have given me a unique perspective of the community.

As a mother, I have seen how great services have real impact on families- this is especially true with respect to schools and parks- two areas I have a particular interest since I have two young children, who constantly use our parks and will attend public schools. I want to make these services work for residents and families. I will ensure the City is responsive to the needs of the Community.

As a business owner, I understand how the lack of affordable housing impacts our economic vitality, or how traffic congestion erodes our quality of life and makes doing business very difficult. I will make transit and affordable housing top priorities. As a business owner, I need results. I, along with my dedicated law partner determine our businesses priorities, we set our budget, frequently cut our business' budget and then we implement the action plan to get the results we need. I will bring a results driven agenda to Council to ensure citizens get what they need from the City in a timely fashion.

As a public servant, I will do more with less, by collaborating with others to maximize efficiency, grow at a measured pace, a pace that takes into account the burden households face. I have begun with the work I do on the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and Community Development Block Grant task force. I connect government with non-profits, citizens, businesses, and other areas of the government. Once the connections are made, we can leverage our strengths to come up with the best possible solution – this so my children, your children and future generations will all have the same opportunities to succeed and so Charlottesville can become a place where all may thrive.

It is shameful that in this world class city, the number 1 place to live in America, is a place where people who grow up here can't afford to live here, so they have to leave. I want to bring the opportunity to thrive here to all our residents.

I ask for your support, come to the democratic convention at the County office building on June 2, 2007 at 1PM and vote for me, Jennifer McKeever. " (Jennifer McKeever, speech delivered on March 6, 2007 in front of Charlottesville City Hall)