Lincoln City Council will have two new members this year, both serving as elected officials for the first time.
Terry Bryson will represent Ward 2, Position 2 on the City Council. He was unopposed for the position in the November general election. Bryson ran for the position formerly held by Doug Hutchens, who was elected mayor of Lincoln.
Pam Christian will represent Ward 1, Position 2. She also was unopposed for office. Christian ran for the position formerly held by Robin Moore, who did not run for re-election.
Bryson is retired from Anheuser-Busch in Jacksonville, Fla., and moved to Morrow in 2000 and then to Lincoln in 2007. He has owned a poultry farm and also worked as a truck driver. Bryson's wife is a retired teacher from Lincoln Elementary School and both of his children graduated from Lincoln High.
Bryson said he began attending City Council members when he retired so he could learn what was going on in the city.
"The more involved I became, the more interested I became in being on the City Council," Bryson said.
Bryson has served as a member of Lincoln Planning Commission and Lincoln Board of Adjustments since early 2017.
He said he's learned that most people do not know what all is involved in getting something done in the city.
"People don't realize the laws involved, the money involved and the procedures involved," Bryson said. "Planning and legwork is required to get something done."
As a Council member, Bryson said his goals include cleaning up the city, updating infrastructure and dealing with any drug problems in the community.
Lincoln is projected to grow by 500 homes over the next five to 10 years and keep growing on the same pace for about 30 years, Bryson said.
"We need to have the infrastructure ready for growth that might come in the next five to 10 years," Bryson said.
Christian has lived most of her life in Lincoln. She grew up in Lincoln, graduated from Lincoln High and moved away before returning to her home town.
She said her only experience to be a City Council member is what she has gained from attending Council meetings to see what's going on. She ran for office, she said, because she did not want to be one of those people "sitting back and complaining."
She said she ran for office to "help make a difference."
Christian owns To the Touch Massage Therapy in Farmington and also has worked as a supervisor for the women's prison in Fayetteville.
As a Council member, Christian said one goal will be to help bring people back to Lincoln. She's already involved in ways to create more interest in the community. One is a Neighborhood Watch and she is organizing a new committee to come up with ideas for events and activities on Lincoln Square.
"I would love to see more residences come to Lincoln and more businesses come back into Lincoln," Christian said.
Traffic going through town has declined and Christian would like to see this go back up.
Christian said she believes her interaction and training in dealing with people will help her as a Council member. When she worked for the women's prison, she said she attended training sessions on working with the public.
"I want everyone involved with the town, not just the City Council and the mayor," Christian said.
General News on 01/09/2019