Willie Robinson an early candidate for Gonzales Council division C seat
Willie Robinson may not be a lifelong resident of Gonzales, but he has planted some lifelong seeds since he arrived in 2005. After five years of being in Gonzales and coming from Baton Rouge prior to, Robinson said he felt the need to run for Gonzales Council during the 2012 election after riding around and seeing a lot of kids walking the streets with nothing positive to do. He ran but didn’t win. But he still feels victorious.
Robinson said coming from a single parent home he just has a “passion for people, and especially the youth.”
“I just believe in pouring into the next generation and if you show them and empower them,” Robinson said, who coaches for the Gonzales league and at the Ascension Christian School. “That’s what makes your community grow.”
On March 28, Robinson will again try to run for a Gonzales council seat, Division C, and he’s just going to use it to continue doing what he’s been doing for the people – be a serve the public.
“With the recall, the community stayed in the news and it wasn’t good. I want people to say I’m proud to be in Gonzales, to live in Gonzales and that wasn’t the case,” Robinson said. “And it hurt me. I had intentions on running in 2016 anyway. I have the opportunity now so I’m going to go ahead and do it.”
“I’m excited, and just to meet people. One smile, one word might bless somebody that day,” Robinson said, who is a local realtor.
Robinson, like the rest of the area, watched Gonzales’ council and mayor go at odds over zoning and budgeting in 2014. He said he learned personally within his family first how to budget well.
“You have money, but you just don’t want to blow money,” Robinson said. “And coming from a single parent home, I didn’t have a father. So when I became a father, all I wanted to do was give to my kids, and give, give, give because I wasn’t awarded that opportunity as a child. So I said, I’m going to give my kids everything – my time and what they want.”
“I had to learn you can’t just spend money, you have to be more conservative. So I’ve been through it personally so now I know how to manage money and be careful with spending money and when I’m sitting on the council seat and we’re going over budget we need to sit down collectively and figure out the best way to spend the money. If there is a need, fill the need. If it’s not a need let’s put that money somewhere and make sure it’s available so when the need comes take care of it.”
Robinson said he’s all for public safety and said in the instance of the Gonzales Police Department and Fire Department he’d do anything to “help them.”
“You want to help them because they serve us and without them the community is going to go down,” Robinson said. “You don’t want to take away from public service.”
Robinson said he knows the city is growing, and there is a lot of work to do.
Robinson added: “I’m going to do what’s right for the people. It’s about coming together and seeing and doing what’s best for the community, not Willie. I’m available to the community. I want to bring hope and life to the community.”