Growth & Grace

Wesley Knight 0:00
This is a KU NB studios original program. The following program is underwritten by Crawford management group and Chris glow, and does not reflect the views or opinions of 91.5 Jaz and Moore the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, or the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education.

Music 0:18
Even better than that was the last time, baby we back and

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we back and we back and we back and we back and we back. And I was the last to eat that better

Music 0:42
than I was the last time.

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Hey,

Leaha Crawford 0:44
good morning Las Vegas. This is Leah Crawford. This is Julian Rosato, and you are listening to growth and grace, where we bring just a whole variety of people, where we have conference good conversations on Saturday morning, hopefully to get your day off to an amazing start. How was your week? School is back

Julian Rosado 1:01
in session? Yes, yes. So. And did you

Leaha Crawford 1:04
watch football at all? No, I didn't watch football this week. Well,

Julian Rosado 1:07
they got shadour Sanders. No, he was the fifth round draft pick. Okay. He was originally supposed to be number one draft pick, number one overall. Okay, he dropped to the fifth round. Okay, I'll tell you, that's a whole nother. That's a

Leaha Crawford 1:18
whole nother discussion, yeah, but so, but I thought football didn't start for another two weeks. It's pretty season, it's preseason, yeah, because I know the Eagles are playing the Cowboys, that's the game I'm waiting for. Yeah, you know, you know, um, that's the game I am.

Julian Rosado 1:30
So he had his preseason game, right? Blew out everyone's minds. He had the game of what team is he playing for, the browns, okay, so, you know, I'm not. Oh, that's Cleveland, yeah, okay, yeah. All right, yeah. So Dion, everybody, and he, that's

Leaha Crawford 1:45
the conversation this weekend. And exactly, that's the conversation. Got it, all right? Well, all the people that talk about the NFL, you know, I'm only the Eagles, because I was okay. So I was, I'm on social media, not much, but I watched one of the Eagles practice games. Yeah, and it looked like a regular game because the stadium is packed. The stadium, I'm like, and I'm like, E, H, E, L,

Julian Rosado 2:12
E, S, is it free to go to a practice game? I have no

Leaha Crawford 2:15
idea. I don't know. I don't know, but I know the stadium was packed, and my sister was there. So I just know the stadium was packed. But today, y'all, we have someone special that I have been asking her for very long time to come on the show, because I think it's very important for us to understand what is going on in our community, but to talk to the people that are actually in the room, in the room, and able to impact the decisions, especially people, when they care about our community. We have community. We have Councilwoman Chandra summers Armstrong in the building. Good morning. Councilwoman,

Shondra Summers-Armstrong 2:51
good morning. Lea Julius, good morning. How are you very good. How are you I'm doing really well. It's a beautiful day outside.

Leaha Crawford 2:58
It's a beautiful day outside. So first of all, I want to congratulations. Thank you so much, because I know you went from the state assembly to now, City of Las Vegas, city council. Sometimes that's a hard you know, it's a different type of work, work, but it's still work, right? Work, because you went from work, you know, working concentrated six months now, to all year long,

Shondra Summers-Armstrong 3:20
correct? But I'm sure for those folks who live in Ward five, they know that I ran, had no idea what I was doing in 2007, years and years ago, as I was doing some community work and the position came open, I put my name in, y'all, I didn't know what I was doing okay, and didn't win, but wasn't dissuaded, because the community work still needs to be done, and I love that advocacy and community work, the boots on the ground stuff. Then in 2018 I ran again, so that's two and did not win was each time the field was over, 10 people in the field. So in 2018 I was unsuccessful. But in 2019 I was asked to consider the assembly. And so I said, Well, you know, it's a way to serve, not my initial preference, but certainly a way to be helpful. And so I put my name in that the hat I ran was successful and served in the United States, the State Assembly, wow, for two terms. That's just that was a mistake. That's a mistake. Go ahead. So I served in the Nevada State Assembly for Assembly District Six, which represents parts of Las Vegas and a little of North Las Vegas, okay, in the 2021 and again, in the 2023 legislative sessions. And then the big decision had to be made in 2023 After the session was over, we knew that the city council seat would be open again. So here's the third time. Do you have the courage to try once again, give up my Assembly seat to run or to stay put, and after lots of conversations with my husband, Carl, with a K, my life partner, and my family, I decided to run again, and grateful that we were successful, and I was sworn in on December 4, 2024 as the city council woman for Ward five, Las Vegas. Oh, wow,

Leaha Crawford 5:38
amazing. I mean, so who is Chandra? Because you talk about advocacy. You talk about, I mean, are you from Las Vegas? Where are you from? How did you get there to even have that community, to be about the community, and to do the community work. You know, before you were an elected

Shondra Summers-Armstrong 5:55
official. So Chandra is actually not very complicated. I come from a family of four girls. My dad's a preacher. My mom is the daughter of a preacher, and community service has basically been bred in us. We served in our church. I sang in the choir. I sang with my sisters. We were the Coleman sisters. We thought we were the Clark Sisters of the Bay Area. We harmonized. What are you talking about? We know how to do that thing, but what we witnessed as children, all of our youth, is that service was number one. So we worked in our church. We served our community, our church community, we fed, we visited senior citizens, cleaned people's houses, raised money, made sure people had clothes, provided shelter when people you know, came into town. And so these are the things that I was born and raised with. Okay? And so it made sense when I got to Las Vegas in 1990 to sort of get back into the same thing. So when I first got here with two young children, Brandon and Dexter Summers, who are my two older boys, was trying to figure out how I was going to survive. My marriage was on the rocks. I was married to a military member. It was a it had turned into a disaster, and I wanted to go home, back to the Bay Area, and that didn't work out. I had one of those conversations with God driving my little red Nissan Sentra, four door, roll up windows, five, speed, okay, east on the 95 to work the Charleston exit, and I told, God, I really want to go home. I want to be with my family. This is a lonely place for me. It's not home. And it was as if he was sitting in the passenger seat. And as clear as our conversation right now, he said to me, are you going to trust me? Are you going to trust your mom? Oh, my God. I don't even know how I got home. So the tears just started calling. I was mad and frustrated. And I don't know about you all if you're believers, but when I talk to God, it's like a conversation. And I just said, it's not funny. You know, I don't want to be here. This is not home. And again, are you going to trust me? Are you going to trust your mom? And so I had to stand on faith. You can't claim to be a believer if you're not going to do what Believers do, which is walk out on faith. And I decided then that this was going to be my home, and I was going to have to figure it out. Okay, so shortly after that, I was, I'm a legal secretary by trade. I was working in a law firm. I got a phone call from a lawyer that I had worked for some years before, and said, Hey, this guy, this judge named Adelia D guy, the third is looking for a secretary. His secretary of 20 years is retiring. I thought about you, would you consider? And I said, Sure, I put my name in. I got the job, okay? And that started me in government and getting to see how this system works and doesn't work for our communities. And married Carl, we moved into or adjacent to historic West Las Vegas, and that really started my journey in activism, talking with neighbors about our wall, initially walking around with my my little book and notarizing documents for neighbors and going to city council and planning commission meetings and just doing the work on the ground, the stuff that is really, just really community oriented. How do we protect the neighborhoods that we have? And that was the genesis, and things have just progressed, and, oh, my. Goodness, here I am. Oh, wow. I can't believe it most of the time. Well,

Leaha Crawford 10:06
you wouldn't sometimes when you sit back because, some because people are that are just meeting you now, see you now. And I remember someone saying, you know, I'm a 20 year overnight success. 30 year overnight success. I have been doing this work for a long time. Before. You know, I wasn't popular. I wasn't, you know, I just was doing the

Shondra Summers-Armstrong 10:24
work. No one knew who I was. I was that chick. I didn't. I had red glasses, but they didn't look like this. I've worn black ones, tortoise shell, all kinds, because I can't see so cute glasses are a necessity. But I've been doing this work all along. You know, nobody knew who I was. They didn't care. They were just excited and supportive of someone who would have the courage to speak to city council on these issues, and that was articulate. Well, you know, convey the message. Convey the message. I have the courage. A lot of times, people don't want to be out in front. I don't necessarily, didn't necessarily like it initially, but you know, again, going harkening back to my my faith roots, my dad would always tell us that your gift will make room for you. And so even when I wanted to be in the background, I still somehow was at the mic during the F Street reopening conversations when we were having issues with one of our large land owners that's near the neighborhood that I live, people always say, Well, you go say it. You know how to say it. And I'd be like, Wow. Come on, somebody. No, no, no, you go and, you know, it's just like, you know, here I am, Lord send me. So

Leaha Crawford 11:47
here I am, Lord send me. Send me. Well, you Oh, wow. And I'm sure, thank you for sharing. That's all right, thank you for sharing, because getting to know you know the person, because, I mean, you're real, I mean, you had real life issues, and to have that conversation, because I can, I can somebody probably listening to us now that is going through something and they don't know what they should do, but being able to trust, to have the faith, to be able to trust that you are doing the right thing, I want to

Shondra Summers-Armstrong 12:16
keep going. Yes. I think people again. I think what you said about being a 20 year overnight sensation. You know there are only a few people, because I'm not a super social person in my regular life. Don't know only a few people in town. Remember me in the 90s, the early 90s, when I lived on the east side little, teeny house. Love this place. When I couldn't afford a babysitter and I had to pay my babysitter. Hey, Tracy and Rochelle, who doesn't live in the state anymore, they were college students here at UNLV. And if I wanted a night out, just to go dance, just to go see a movie. Didn't have any money, and I would pay my babysitters with food, so I would make a good lasagna or spaghetti or baked chicken, and that was the exchange. That's how I got a babysitter. I People don't know that. When I was legal secretary as a single mom after I divorced my first husband, electricity was expensive for me, and I would not I would turn my air conditioning up to 85 degrees, and it would be hot in the house while I was at work. And I'd pick the boys up, and when they got home, when I pick them up from daycare, I would let them go outside and play, oh, make a big deal out of it, basketball, riding our bikes, because I let the house cool down. I turned the air down to 78 and let it cool down before bedtime. That's how broke out was so but these experiences, my mom always says that you don't have a testimony without a test. And so when I said yes to God that I would stay in Vegas, I had to go through all these things, the test, the test, plural, plural. I was a coupon clipping, Penny in the jar nickels and quarters in the jar. Kind of chick, right? Thank God for my experience having beautiful, strong women who showed me how to struggle with grace. And somehow we made it.

Leaha Crawford 14:38
Somehow you made it. Now you are listening to growth and grace. I am Leah Crawford, this is Julia, miss, and we have Councilwoman Chandra summers Armstrong on here today sharing her story. Well, we talked about you. You're in Ward five now. How has Ward five changed over the years? You've been in the district for

Shondra Summers-Armstrong 14:59
a very long time now? Have lived in here Ward five for 26 years. Okay. How has it changed? It has changed significantly. But then not so significantly. It's, you know, half of one dozen. And however they say it, you know, six in one hand, and yes, half a dozen or the other. So Ward five is huge. All of our wards are, because we are now up to serving about 110,000 residents in each ward. And so Ward five, if you can just imagine the 95 to the south over by as it entered, let's see, by Symphony Park. So we have a portion of Symphony Park, and also Fremont Street, East Fremont Street, and then we go over to Bruce. So on one side the 95 over to Bruce, and then up into almost Centennial at Lone Mountain Road. Oh, wow. So it is a huge district. So when you're talking about Ward five, we hear a lot about historic West Las Vegas, and there's a reason for that. It is the cultural mecca for black people. This is where folks were forced to live at the turn of the century. There was segregation in Jim Crow in Las Vegas and in Nevada, if y'all didn't know. And so it has it. People speak of it of a lot because of what has happened historically in that community. But as Ward five is way larger than that, much, much larger, and we have seen very nice development in the north from Lone Mountain Road heading south, we have lovely housing developments. We have businesses, big and small commerce in those communities. But as you head south into the area of historic West Las Vegas, you have the area that has been plagued with what we've seen in most large cities across the nation, when you come to black and brown communities, first the freeway was cut through, and then so that broke up a community. There was segregation even before the freeway, and then we had all of the social services were placed in Ward five, in historic West Las Vegas, portion of Ward five, the congregate housing, your shade tree, your Salvation Army, Salvation Army, Catholic services, Catholic charity. Yes, all those places were placed in that neighborhood and on top of the remnants of segregation, you get what you get, right? But we've seen wonderful things like the Smith Center and all the development AC Marriott, I took a tour of they've got their fit and finishes in Listen, folks, if you want to stay someplace that doesn't have gaming, family oriented, that place is lovely. And so we have that, and we have southern land has condominiums going up. There are condominiums and apartments in the symphony Park area. So we are seeing growth and beautification in the in the area, we are just really diligently working to see that respectfully ease north into historic West Las Vegas, so that we can get more development there. That was the whole purpose of the fight for the reopening of F Street, so that we would not be cut off because we knew what was coming, or we suspected that good things were going to be coming. Okay, all right. Well, F Street is still open. F Street is open. So we do have a gateway from the historic neighborhood into the business center and the work center of the North strip area in Symphony Park. And so we just need to see more of that type of growth housing. So we've got things happening. We have the West Side Education and Training Center, which will be having a soft groundbreaking soon. It's right adjacent to the historic West Side school, and so we will have a training in it, in construction management, all kinds of jobs of the future. So that's wet sea next door to that. We have the share product from Sam cherry is going in. Already broke ground, so we'll have housing there, yes, and on the bottom floor, there'll be a business incubator for restaurant tours, nice small businesses, and then some other business space down there. And then the Jackson Street Alliance is working diligently, with the assistance of an EDA grant in the city of Las Vegas, to reimagine Jackson Street. So we are excited that. People haven't given up. And then you have the library too, and the library, beautiful new library on Martin Luther King and Mount Moriah, which is adjacent to legacy Park, which was put in to honor the stallworths and the pioneers of historic West Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Valley. So there's a lot of really good things. I'm sure I've forgotten something. Please do not be offended folks if I forgotten something, because I'm speaking off the cuff. But what we want folks to know is one more thing, marble manner,

Leaha Crawford 20:37
I was, I was I was, I was, you know, I was on, I actually was on a call with, with the with the developer, yes, architect, Mel green, with Mel green, and he showed us the project. It's beautiful. It's absolutely

Shondra Summers-Armstrong 20:56
gorgeous. Unbelievable. What we are, what the housing authority under the leadership of Lewis Jordan and that amazing staff he has, what they are showing our community is that we do not need to be afraid of affordable housing, that those are your neighbors. And they are designing a development, a housing community that is going to be an example to our valley that you can live right next door to someone who makes 50% of the area median income and not even know it, that you can live near regular people. And here's something that we learned little American history. During segregation, black people were forced to live in communities, and we live next to doctors, lawyers, teachers, accountants, Miss Leah and all other types of professionals, nurses lived next door to people who were groundskeepers, maids, housekeepers, babysitters, worked in canneries. We lived in the same communities, and we will see that with this development to bring back respect, respectful living for people of all income levels will be available at the new and improved marble manner, you will be able to live there making up to, I believe, 150% of the area and median income, which means that people that are making $150,000 can rent an apartment over there, and they could be living next door to someone who's at 50% area median income, 35,000

Leaha Crawford 22:41
it creates a different conversation. Yes, it creates a different conversation. And it puts you first of all when you when you talk about history and you talk about, you know, housing. Yes, I remember my mentor telling us that in back east that doctors and lawyers were living in the projects at one time because they were living there, but when they first got out of college and then, but they only stayed there a couple of years, and it moved on to the next family and the next. That was your starting point. It just became generational housing later,

Shondra Summers-Armstrong 23:14
absolutely, and we have to recognize that the projects, I hate that term, and I was trying not to, yeah, I don't, I don't, I don't, I don't like it. It has so many negative connotations. But housing is what where people have to begin. It is the number one resource that we need to have stable living for ourselves and our children. It's the place to begin, and when we respect and honor and put emphasis on the necessity for good housing, I think that that changes the conversation people think about public housing and affordable housing from the perspective of projects. Why did projects get such a bad name when things are not kept up, when we don't invest in their maintenance? That's what you get, and it doesn't necessarily have to come from the government. We have private developers who don't keep their stuff up, right, right? What we have to. But

Leaha Crawford 24:19
you can see the difference, though, because you can be anywhere in the valley, and if you are not investing back into that property, it shows

Shondra Summers-Armstrong 24:26
absolutely and so what we what I want to see, what I'm asking the city staff to help me with, is that every time someone is approved for a multi family housing unit in Ward five, there are stipulations that are attached to that development and that land use, and one of them is maintenance,

Leaha Crawford 24:48
and one of them is maintenance. No, that's important because I, in buying a home, was very careful. I wanted to live on a block with all homeowners, because homeowners tend to take care. Care of their houses differently than someone a landlord, absolutely and and I just was always particular. I want to live around a whole bunch of homeowners just just a different pride.

Shondra Summers-Armstrong 25:10
It's a different pride, and it changes the the vibe of the community. So one of the things that we're also very cognizant of as people are coming into Ward five and they want to build whatever they want to build most of it now where people are coming to do multifamily rental? Yes, and I've been very particular, it is important to me that we have an equitable mix. Yes, we need to have rental Absolutely. Everybody is not ready to buy a house, nor does everybody want to but we have an opportunity for home buying opportunities in the community, and we should be doing that affordable housing, housing that is deed restricted, so that it remains affordable for years to come. We can influence that, but we have to find that it is important, and we have to be intentional about how we're talking to developers and who we are inviting, right? And talking to people when they come to us and telling them what it is we're looking for. I'm not trying to build from my own perspective. I want to build a community. I love it, and a community is a mix of all of that. And so we are just talking to people from different places about all of that. We're not just talking to people who want to build apartments. We're also talking to and inviting people who want to build homes for sale. So let me because we only have a few minutes left. Yes, ma'am, I've talked so much. I'm so sorry. It's no, no, it's good

Leaha Crawford 26:41
information. Talk more, right, right? Because he's over here. He's like, wow, you've been in office now for eight months. Yes, ma'am. The biggest lesson you've learned being in this office, in this position that you this is third time around. Now you have it. You are the Councilwoman. Biggest lesson you've learned in the past eight months,

Shondra Summers-Armstrong 27:02
the importance of intentionality, the importance of being to understanding how the city works. I'm grateful to city staff. We have briefings every week, learning what's happening in all the departments. Who does what? I will just share this with people. When you get to a new place,

Leaha Crawford 27:24
be quiet and listen. Hmm, say that again. No, say that again.

Shondra Summers-Armstrong 27:27
When you get to a new place, be quiet and listen. My mother taught me this years ago, and it's I think it was, she's so wise. You know how you think your mother is just whatever. Let me tell you, listen to your mama. So when we got when I got there, just all the briefings and getting the information, then you know where to go to get assistance for the people that you care about and how systems work. The city is a system. Our government is a system. The county is a system. The state is a system. A dear friend of mine says that we need to learn the systems. We need to conquer these systems, really understand them in order to be able to change anything about them. And so that's been my experience, is we have to be intentional about learning, intentional about conquering meaning, learning as much as you can, and really understanding that will help us to be intentional about making changes.

Leaha Crawford 28:25
I want to say thank you, because you just left a word All right. You have been listening to growth and Grace again. We had the amazing Councilwoman Chandra summers Armstrong on the show. Thank you for accepting my invitation. I have to bring you back, especially as you are, please, especially as things are developing in Ward five, and keep us abreast of what's going on.

Shondra Summers-Armstrong 28:47
Can I just interject? Yes, come on. I do have social media. Okay, I'm at Chandra for Vegas on Facebook. I g, n, x, we do have a newsletter in our ward this bi weekly all weekend for more information. Yes, for more information. And we also are have access Las Vegas show once every six weeks. Um, so these are ways for you to learn more, and you're always welcome to call 702-229-5443 which is the office or stay

Leaha Crawford 29:19
that one more time. Say it slower. 702-229-5443,

Shondra Summers-Armstrong 29:25
for assistance, or you can email us at Ward five, the number five, Ward five at Las Vegas, Nevada, dot govt, and we do our best to be responsive to the community. I

Leaha Crawford 29:40
appreciate that. All right. Well, that ends our show for today. Y'all have be cool out there because it's still 100 and some odd degrees and Clark County School District, congratulations on week one under your belt until next week. I am Leah Crawford, this is Julian mazzao. Have a blessed day. Bye.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai