Alicia Edwards has announced her candidacy to represent Ward 5 on the Jefferson City Council.
Edwards, who is executive director of Building Community Bridges and a local entrepreneur, is a Jefferson City native who graduated from Jefferson City High School and Merrell University.
Since 2017, she has been working with Building Community Bridges with her husband and BCB founder, Doug Wright. She also has her own beauty salon.
Following the May 2019 tornado, Edwards coordinated tornado relief efforts at BCB, which became a central hub for Jefferson City. She currently coordinates the weekly food pantry at the BCB Community Center as well as holiday community events.
As executive director at BCB, she has worked with Lincoln University graduates and current students and community leaders to implement programs that encourage youth involvement and help community youth find their passions.
Edwards said she has chosen to run for City Council to be an advocate for the people of the city.
She believes her life experiences, including growing up in foster care and having to use public housing, give her insight into how the council can help people who have been marginalized and disenfranchised because of extreme poverty.
"The City Council is a board of people that are representatives of the people in the city," Edwards said. "My life experiences bring a different aspect because I don't believe the voices of the people that are suffering are very heard in the city, so I'm bringing their voice to the City Council."
Assistance for low-income residents and the city's current housing concerns are two issues of importance to Edwards.
She would also like to see increased awareness of available resources in the community.
"There's several resources out there, but people being able to find out about the resources, and the resources having exposure so people can use them is a big thing of mine - getting the knowledge to the people," Edwards said.
The Ward 5 seat is currently held by Councilman Mark Schreiber. He was elected to his third term in 2019 and could run for a fourth and final term in 2021. As of Monday, he had not announced whether he will seek re-election.
One seat from each of the city's five wards will be on the ballot April 6, along with the municipal judge and city prosecutor.
Two other Jefferson City residents have announced their City Council candidacy as of Monday - Mary Schantz for Ward 3 and Derrick Spicer for Ward 4. Both seats will be open as the current council members are term-limited. Scott Evans has announced his intention to run for municipal judge.
Ward 1 Councilman David Kemna and Ward 2 Councilwoman Laura Ward can run for re-election, although neither had announced their intention as of Monday.
Official candidate filing for the municipal election opens at 8 a.m. today and closes Jan. 19.