Week Two at Charlotte City Council

So far, Councilwoman Ajmera has put me in charge of her social media outreach as well as tracking what is being said about her in the media. I attend many different types of events in the city and take photos and videos of the councilwoman in action. I am also tasked with writing an op-ed and a wikipedia post of the councilwoman with the goal of it being published. My expectations for the summer is to meet more city officials in the fields of my interests. I also want to gain more skills in the area of communications and I hope to publish an article.

Attending my first city council meeting in the chamber was the highlight of my week. This council meeting was very important because the council was voting on if they would adopt the new $2.6 billion FY 2019 budget. I enjoyed the meeting because I got to hear and see all the city council members including the current mayor and mayor-elect. Also, I got to witness a few Charlotteans (residents of Charlotte) who brought their concerns to council and hear the responses of the council members. In this meeting I learned a lot about the issues that the council is working on– sustainability efforts, community safety, strengthening neighborhoods, to name a few.

Charlotte City Council votes on new FY 2019 Budget

I have already started to build professional relationships with collegues outside my area by using the techniques that I have learned from taking career courses. I introduce myself to the person who I want to learn more about. I follow-up with him/her in a email hoping to meet in-person to learn about his/her current position or career path in the form of an “informational interview.” In order to save these contacts, I store them in “google contacts” with a description of how I met him/her or what we talked about so that I remember the contact in the future. I also add them on LinkedIn.