Jennifer Hensley announces bid for reelection to Hendersonville City Council

Hendersonville City Councilwoman Jennifer Hensley announced Dec. 3 in an email to the Times-News that she will be seeking reelection.

Hensley, who moved to Hendersonville in 2003, was elected in 2019. She is the owner of Well-Adjusted Chiropractic, Acupuncture and Massage.

To kick off her campaign, she wrote the following letter to the city's residents:

Dear Hendersonville,

When I was elected as a councilwoman four years ago, I had no idea how much more my love for this community could grow. I first fell in love with this special place while visiting family here as a child. Twenty years ago, I moved to Hendersonville as a recent college graduate, met the love of my life, have had two amazing children, and with the support of this community, have created asuccessful small business. My children also get to see their mom help lead one of the best cities in the U.S.

I am grateful but want to continue to make them proud. I am honored to be a role model for my children and this community’s children so they know that women can do it all. Many of us have come to Hendersonville within the last five, 10 or 20 years, like myself, or are lucky enough to have been born here. We may be different in many ways, but we all share our love for this community.

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Truth is, I’m not finished. I have spearheaded several projects and as a leader, want to see them through and come to fruition. We are beginning the third of four phases of our Comprehensive Plan. This entails planning how to manage our growing community, while also maintaining the beauty, character, safety and high quality of life that we are all fortunate enough to enjoy. A major component of our Comprehensive Plan is the Parks and Recreation Master Plan. My vision is to keep Hendersonville green and provide opportunities for active and healthy lifestyles for generations to come.

Our first Splash Pad is being built next year with plans being finalized as I speak. We have allocated funds to build pickleball courts in Patton Park. The construction of Ecusta Trail has begun and will continue with the opening of this landmark project set for 2024. We have approved several workforce housing developments, and I will continue pursuing partnerships with Henderson County and other organizations such as Housing Assistance Corporation, so that our police, firefighters, gas station employees, teachers, nurses and single parents can afford to live and work here. I plan to establish an affordable housing conservation program to help folks get a start in the American dream of home ownership.

Scheduled Infrastructure improvements include upgrading our roads and sidewalks. ChurchStreet is on DOT’s paving schedule for 2024, and King St, another DOT project, is being completed this winter. I serve as vice chair of the French Broad Metropolitan Planning Organization, and my advocacy on that board helps keep Hendersonville at the table with regional funding opportunities for our local community.

Our amazing city staff is pursuing grants for stormwater management and water/sewer improvements. I want to continue supporting them in their efforts to seek, procure and implement strategic and impactful upgrades to our existing public works systems. Construction of our city’s newest fire station is underway, and I am excited to see it open for operation in 2024. This project will allow our first responders to better serve the residents of Hendersonville.

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I applaud and will continue to support our technologically-advanced media and public communications team in their mission to expand reporting to the public with transparency and accuracy. Our city staff work so diligently, and I will always advocate for them to be paid fairly andequitably to allow them the opportunity to live, work and prosper here in Hendersonville.

I plan to continue working with other elected leaders to give more opportunities to our children. Ihelped to establish a program with partnerships from the Henderson County Public school system, YMCA and Henderson County to ensure every second grader in Henderson County learns how to swim for free.

My position on the North Carolina Board of Social Services allows me to fight for those who cannot advocate for themselves. Those folks are our precious children, elderly and disabled, and they deserve a leader who will show up for them every single day.

On the state level, I am a proponent for diversification of our city’s revenue sources. I want the people who enjoy visiting Hendersonville to contribute and support our budget for services andto reduce the tax impact for our residents. I helped establish the animal services advisory committee to review and update ordinances and policies to protect and support our furry friends and the residents who love them.

I will continue my support of The Partnership for Economic Development to support smallbusinesses and bring healthy industry and higher paying jobs to Hendersonville and HendersonCounty.

Since being elected to the City of Hendersonville City Council in 2019, my family, small business and life have continued to grow, with grace and many blessings ... so has the city of Hendersonville. With growth comes challenges. I am asking you to allow me to continue guiding this growth by serving Hendersonville for four more years as your City Council member. I promise to work hard for you every single day.

With highest regards,Dr. Jennifer HensleyWife, Mom, Chiropractor, and Hendersonville City Councilwoman

This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Jennifer Hensley seeks another Hendersonville City Council term