What does smart growth have to do with public safety?

I’ve been thinking a lot about public safety lately.

Partly because I recently had the opportunity to sit down with both the Fayetteville Police Department and the Fayetteville Fire Department as part of my campaign. I was able to listen, ask questions, and better understand what our first responders need from our city.

Those conversations got me thinking about how we talk about safety, and how it fits into the larger conversation we’re having about growth in Fayetteville.

We’ve talked a lot about smart growth. I believe thoughtfully planned infill and greater density can be better for our environment, make better use of the infrastructure we already have, strengthen neighborhoods, and potentially make better use of taxpayer dollars.

But there’s another question we need to ask:

How do we make sure that growth is safe?

For example, when we build more housing within the city, we have to think carefully about fire safety. Are our buildings meeting the right fire codes? Can emergency responders access them quickly? Do our streets, infrastructure, and development patterns allow our fire department to do its job effectively?

Smart growth has to include those questions.

Public safety also means thinking beyond police presence.

I want Fayetteville to be a city where people know their neighbors. Where we look out for one another. Where children have safe places to play, older adults feel connected to their communities, and people have relationships they can rely on when they need help.

Strong communities are safer communities.

When people know and trust one another, they can offer support before a crisis ever reaches the point where a police officer needs to respond. That doesn’t mean we don’t need police. We absolutely do. It means that public safety is something we can build together, not something we should expect our police department to carry entirely on its shoulders.

And I want to say something else clearly: I think our police and fire departments are among Fayetteville’s greatest assets.

The people I’ve met in these departments are good people who care deeply about this community. They do difficult work, often under tremendous pressure, and they deserve our respect and support. They can acknowledge mistakes, learn from them, and keep moving forward. That kind of honesty and willingness to grow matters.

Supporting our first responders also means making sure they can afford to live here.

The people we ask to run toward emergencies, protect our neighborhoods, respond to fires, and sometimes put their own lives on the line for us should be able to build a stable life in the community they serve. We need to make sure our police officers and firefighters are compensated fairly enough to live here, care for their families, and have some breathing room in their own lives.

Financial stress doesn’t disappear when someone puts on a uniform. Our first responders are people, too. They have mortgages or rent, groceries, childcare, medical bills, and families who depend on them. If we want them to be able to bring their best selves to incredibly demanding work, we have a responsibility to make sure they aren’t struggling just to make ends meet.

Taking care of the people who take care of us is public safety.

And when I think about public safety, I think about our youngest Fayettevillians, too.

Investing in early childhood education is an investment in public safety.

When children have access to safe, nurturing environments and high-quality early education, families are better supported. Parents can work. Children have opportunities to learn, build relationships, and develop the skills they need to thrive. We are strengthening the foundation of our community long before a crisis ever occurs.

That’s what I mean when I talk about growing together.

Smart growth isn’t simply about how many homes we build or where we put them. It’s about building a city where people can afford to stay, where our infrastructure can keep up, where our first responders can do their jobs safely, where neighbors know one another, and where children and families have what they need to thrive.

Public safety is part of smart growth.

And if I have the opportunity to serve Ward 3 on the Fayetteville City Council, I want to make sure we keep asking the right questions as our city grows:

Are we building responsibly?

Are we supporting our first responders?

Can the people who serve this city afford to live here?

Are we strengthening our neighborhoods?

Are we investing in our children and families?

Are we creating a Fayetteville where people can feel safe, connected, and at home?

I believe we can do all of those things.

Rooted in Fayetteville. Growing Together.