The People of Matthews: Mayor Pro Tem John Higdon

We asked a few people who work for the community of Matthews to share their thoughts and hopes for 2019. Here’s what Mayor Pro Tem John Higdon told us:

Photo from MatthewsNC.gov

Do you have a New Year's resolution? Here is a clichéd response, but one I really hope I can follow through on - I want to take better care of my health through a concerted effort to exercise more in 2019.  My hectic schedule makes that difficult sometimes. 

What do you hope for in the new year? Less dissension.  I don't think I have seen America more divided in my lifetime, and the vitriol is particularly nasty from just about every political viewpoint.  I would like to see us listen to each other more instead of shouting one another down, and really try to find some common ground.  

What do you want to leave behind in the old year? The stalemate the town has with CMS.  We need to expand our schools or build new ones, and I favor a CMS solution rather than other options.  We have started meeting and communicating respectfully with one another.  That is a good first step. 

What do you see foresee for Matthews in the coming year? Through decades of careful planning we have built a wonderful town and now it seems everyone wants to live here.  We need to very carefully manage future growth in our few remaining large tracts of land and infill projects.  Making sure our infrastructure keeps pace with other growth will be a continuing challenge.  This past year we have witnessed lots of input from the public.  I feel confident that will continue in 2019, and that is a good thing.

Take Me To Your Leaders: Meet the Assistant Town Manager

This post is Part III of a series explaining the roles of our leadership within municipal government. Part I: Meet your commissioners, Part II: Meet your mayor , Part III: Meet the Town Manager

As explained in previous Take Me To Your Leaders posts, Matthews operates as a municipal government with council-manager leadership. Assistant Town Manager Becky Hawke supports and assists Town Manager Hazen Blodgett on a variety of town administrative tasks such as town-wide planning, special projects, and initiatives. Also serving as a back-up for the Town Manager, Ms. Hawke acts to fill Mr. Blodgett's seat in his absence.

What is the Assistant Town Manager's role? The Assistant Town Manager is part of the senior management team for the Town of Matthews. Ms. Hawke provides oversight and establishes standards with department heads of Finance, Information Technology, Human Resources, Safety/Risk Management, Communications, Fire/EMS, Police, Public Works, Parks and Rec, and Planning. Ms. Hawke also serves as staff liaison to the Town of Matthews Economic Development Advisory Committee (EDAC).

Who is the Town of Matthews Assistant Town Manager? Becky Hawke has served in local government for more than a decade and has been the assistant town manager for the Town of Matthews since 2016. Ms. Hawke pursued extensive education to prepare her for a role in municipal management. She earned an undergraduate B.A. in Communication Studies (minor in Sociology) from Hollins University, an M.S. in Corporate and Public Communication from Radford University, and a graduate certificate in Human Resources Management from Cornell University. She is also a graduate of the Public Executive Leadership Academy (PELA) of UNC-Chapel Hill. She retains active membership in several professional organizations including the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and the North Carolina City County Managers Association (NCCCMA).

In 2018 Ms. Hawke was recognized as one of the 50 Most Influential Women in the greater Mecklenburg County region by the Mecklenburg Times and one of the 25 Most Powerful Women by the Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly.

Ms. Hawke further serves the community as the Vice-President (2019 President-elect) of the Matthews Chamber of Commerce. She also sits on the boards of the Matthews HELP Center and Red Brick Partnership, is a member of the Matthews Rotary Club, and is a volunteer with dog rescue groups.

At home Ms. Hawke has a menagerie of pets, all of which are rescues. Among them are Titan (the blind 200-pond mastiff), Tank (a ridiculously-rotten English Bulldog), and four cats (Jenna, Ninja Cat, Geronimo, and Houdini).

According to Ms. Hawke, “Geronimo earned his name and gained local notoriety in Southwest Virginia in 2008 when, as a tiny stray kitten, he survived jumping off an eight-story tall bridge and landing in the parking lot below. I was working for the city where it happened and was able to adopt him prior to the ensuing media coverage. He isn't, perhaps, the sharpest cat but is otherwise perfectly healthy.”