Candidate for Orange County Commission, District 6, Derrick Wallace, hosted a meet and greet with area residents at his sprawling lake side home on Ortman Road on Saturday afternoon, and discussed many issues affecting the district.
Ethel Rawls, one of the organizers of the event said, the purpose of bringing together about 100 people, was to hear directly from Wallace and get a better understanding of his priorities for the district. She said members of several churches, sororities, fraternities and other organizations had been invited.
During the meet and greet, several topics came up, including jobs and economic development and expanding education opportunities. Wallace, who qualified by petition in September 2013, told the gathering that, he decided to run for Orange County Commissioner for several reasons.
“I am a lifelong resident of District 6 and have a passion for this community and its people,” he said. “I bring more than 30 years of proven leadership, business success and the ability to bring diverse elements in the community together.”
Wallace, who has built perhaps the largest African-American construction company in Florida, also told the group that, he understands the needs of the community.
In addition to jobs and expanded education opportunities, Wallace has made neighborhood safety, affordable housing and enhanced transportation infrastructure, priorities of his campaign.
“I am committed to making a difference for the people in District 6 who have been neglected for so long,” he said. “There is no other candidate who will work as hard as I will work.”
And Wallace’s mother, charming Theressa Williams, firmly agrees.
Williams said, because she doesn’t like politics, she was somewhat surprised when her son told her he had decided to run again for office, but not totally.
“I am not surprised at anything Derrick does, even mounting another campaign,” she said. “He loves his neighborhood and believes he can be more effective in government. And that’s okay with me. I want him to have what he wants.”
He was always a hard worker; even at the tender age of 6 years, he was always trying to make money, Williams said, of her first child whom she describes as “special.”
Rawls, a retired Orange County classroom teacher, echoed many of the issues Wallace spoke about, including the expansion of education opportunities.
“Derrick Wallace has stayed with the community all his life and is known for his hard work,” said Rawls, who does volunteer tutoring at Siloh Baptist Church on Jackson Street. “He even built his office in the ‘bad’ part of the community, Ivey Lane. He is a community builder who has worked all his life in the district and has built many schools in Orange County, including the famous Jones High School.”
If elected, the first thing Wallace said needs to be done is develop a plan for District 6. “We need to develop a comprehensive plan on the way forward, and that will require engaging everyone on the issues,” he said.
In addition to Rawls, the meet and greet, which featured food from a local restaurant and a DJ, was organized by Shirley Richardson, Delores Salsby and Adele Wallace, among others.
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