Candidates
Tenisha Mack
Garfield Heights City Council, Ward 2
Northeast Ohio, Local
Tenisha Mack has dedicated her life to serving and uplifting the community. She currently sits on the Cuyahoga County Central Precinct Committee and she is pursuing a PhD in Criminal Justice. Tenisha is actively involved in her community. Last year she established the Ward 2 Garfield Heights Community Club. If elected, Tenisha will be the first woman of color to sit on the Garfield Heights City Council.
FacebookMeet the Candidate
Can you tell our members a little bit about your journey to filing as a candidate?
I started my journey in 2008 when I opened up my Facebook account. I saw a few Judges’ advertising their campaigns and I wanted to get involved. I started volunteering and I became more and more interested. Later that year I bought my house and knew I would live in Garfield Heights while raising my children. I noticed I’ve never seen or heard of any city council members in my city, so I started going to city council meetings. Some years later I started telling people I was going to run for city council and I wanted to help make a difference in my community and I believe I could be the voice to help make change in the community. So I planned for a couple years and ran in 2015 and only got 36% of the vote. I stayed involved and decided to run again in 2017, I lost again but that time by 29 votes. In 2018 I established the Ward 2 Garfield Heights Community Club for residents to meet every other month on Sunday for 1 hour. The purpose of the group is for residents to come together and talk about the issues in the city, good and bad. So here it is 2019 and I’m running again. I’m ready to take my seat at the council table in November of this year. Moreover we don’t have any women that sit on city council in my city and we have never had a woman of color on city council. I’m a fighter and I believe in equality for all people and I am the woman for the job.
Tell our members about a friend or family member who inspired you to become a leader.
In my situation, I’ve always been the one who inspires my friends and family members to get involved and become leaders. No one inspired me to become a leader. It pretty much came out of nowhere. I want to be that voice that will speak for the people and stand up for their concerns. That was one of the reasons I wanted to run and get involved in the community.
Some of you are military veterans, some small business owners, some professionals, some mothers and grandmothers, some homemakers. How did one of these experiences shape who you are as a person and leader?
Going back to college and obtaining my double Bachelor’s and Master’s degree and now finishing up my PhD is what shaped me to be the person and leader I am today. Education opened my eyes to a whole other world. It helped mold me into the woman I am today. Since going back to school I have established my own business, M.A.C.K Community Support Services LLC, which stand for Motivating And Connecting Knowledge. I teach anger management and theft prevention to individuals who need it. And I hold support groups for loved ones in jail and people who have been released from jail, and I help with job preparation.
The Matriots PAC has a goal to see 50% of all elected offices in Ohio held by women by 2028. What is your vision for Ohio in 2028?
My vision for my community is to see more women elected and involved politically and more diversity within our city leaders. We have a voice and we deserved to be heard and respected.
Tip O’Neill famously said that “all politics is local.” What are the top-two issues your community or our state face today?
Public safety is always a top priority for any city. When I talk to the residents, this has been many of their biggest concerns. Trying to alleviate crime and keeping community residents safe is one of the most critical components. Visibility of the police is very important and making sure they stay visible as much as possible is something I will push for. Police presence cause deterrence for many people. Our youth is another issue our community faces today. Learning how to relate to the youth can be a difficult task. My experience with our youth is amazing. I get to hear all the new trends and issues that our youth face from my children. I have 4 children 19, 18, 16, and 15. There is never a dull moment. Our city deals with lots of incidents regarding the youth. We need more programing in the city for the youth. We need a recreation center in our city that is family friendly that all residents can enjoy.
Tell us something personal about yourself.
I have been a vegetarian for almost 2 months. I’ve also established the Ward 2 Garfield Heights Community Club and I have my own business, M.A.C.K Community Support Services LLC which stand for motivating and connecting knowledge.