This is a man on a mission.
That’s what I kept thinking while spending a little more than 90 minutes with High Point’s new mayor, Cyril Jefferson, recently.
Perhaps it’s because the words “equity” and “engagement” kept popping up in just about every answer to every question I asked. I think it has a lot to do with the journey he’s made just to get here. More on that in a few paragraphs.
At just 31 years old, he’s the youngest mayor in the modern-day history of High Point. He’s approaching this job in a unique way.
I know. I’ve interviewed every person who’s been High Point’s mayor during the last 40+ years.
“There is a real energy and a real atmosphere here in the city that is looking forward to its future,” he told me. “We are ready for growth.”
Jefferson knows a lot about personal growth.
“Prior to age 14, I grew up in Winston-Salem. Not too far from here,” he said. “My mother remarried and my stepfather, who’s actually a furniture upholsterer, was located here in the city. And so, like many people, furniture brought me to High Point.”