In December of 2020, Lynwood Trustee and resident Jada Curry announced her bid in the Feb 23, 2021 election for Mayor of the Village of Lynwood, IL. Curry defeated incumbent Eugene Williams who held the seat of mayor for 16 years and became the first Black woman to become mayor of the suburb. History was made, especially during Black History Month.
Curry takes office in May and wants to work on several things, including transparency and economic development. Curry said her first priority after taking over will be taking a deep dive into the inner workings of the village, looking at the financials, going through a forensic, and audit sitting down with existing employees to understand their roles.
The mother of two and wife of a police officer was inspired to run for mayor almost two years ago, only after a month or two into her term as trustee. She said she began to pay attention to the inner workings of the (then) current administration and was a little disenchanted and realized it was time for a change.
N’DIGO sat down with Mayor Curry to discuss and plans and visions as the next mayor of Lynwood, IL.
N’DIGO: You are the first woman to ever be elected as Mayor for the Village of Lynwood. How will your mayorship be different than others?
Jada Curry: My leadership style is very different from the current administration. I am very collaborative in my approach and will to include the residents as we create plans for the future of Lynwood. I like to use data and facts to drive my decisions and not emotions which is why we will launch a strategic planning process that will allow us to make informed decisions.
You have had a career of public service – as a village trustee, as village president, and as a board member of the Sunnybrook School District, and eventually Board President. How will these roles help you as Mayor?
All of these roles have required me to have very thick skin. I’ve learned to not take things personally. I learned that everyone will not always like the decisions that are made but it’s important for me to explain the why. I also strengthened my belief in the team concept. When you are on a school and trustee board it requires a majority vote on everything. I had to figure out a way to come to an agreement even when I originally may not have agreed with a decision.
You are married to a law enforcement officer, how do you balance life?
We laugh a lot at home. It’s the only way to maintain our sanity. We’ve learned to keep things light between us because the worlds that we work in can be mentally taxing. Our shared faith also keeps us aligned and grounded.
You have also been an entrepreneur as a search firm for one of the world’s leading providers of early childhood education. How will entrepreneurship help you as Mayor?
I learned to be bold and fearless as an entrepreneur. I’m not afraid to approach any client or potential client and my drive to close deals is very high. That fearlessness is what gave me the strength to even run for Mayor. I will continue to be bold and fearless for the Village of Lynwood. I believe that the sky’s the limit and we’re going to transform our town.
What are your top priorities as mayor?Economic Development, Public Safety, Intergenerational Programs, Increased Communication and Establishing a Sense of Community.
What are the top three problems of Lynwood that you would like to solve?
Lynwood is not self-sustaining. We don’t have businesses that can accommodate all of our residents’ needs. Our residents do not feel connected or informed. Public Safety officers need to immerse themselves into this community and they need more training.
What attracted you to run for Mayor, to politics?
I just wanted more for the village that I live in. I didn’t want to see more divisive leadership. I want to see Lynwood thrive and we were not on this path so I decided to step in to see what I could do to move us forward.
You ran on a platform of “servant leadership.” Define what you mean.
Leadership is not about a title or office. It is not about sitting high and looking low. It is about serving the people. For me, it’s about serving our residents. Every decision that I make has to be based on the thought of doing what’s best for Lynwood.
Do you cook dinner?
I love to cook. I actually cook about 5 times a week and Sundays are big family dinner days.
What do you do for recreation?
I’m very into home decor so I’m constantly changing things in the house. I literally came home one day last week and was feeling a little stressed so I painted my family room. I was exhausted but the quiet time was very therapeutic for me.
What’s on your playlist?
Well, you will probably laugh but I am Johnny Gill’s biggest fan so I literally listen to his Pandora station for most of the day. My favorites that are on repeat are Lady Dujour, Mastersuite, Quiet Time to Play, and You for Me. I’m a gospel music fan and listen to a lot of worship music. I’m also balanced so I love old-school rap music.
What is the last book you read?
A Deeper Love Inside by Sister Souljah. She has a way of writing that makes me feel like I’m watching the scene play out while reading.
I’m currently rereading First, Break All The Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman.
How do you want to be remembered?
There’s a quote by Helen Keller that I’ll reference: “I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still, I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.”
Like Helen Keller, I will never stop searching for that one thing that I can do to make the world a better place.
