I met Andray recently; he was a speaker on a Why Should I Care chat about municipal policy and at-risk youth. I thought he was informed, got the issues, knew how to articulate them and had that secret sauce of charisma that makes it so much easier to listen to policy discussions.
After the event, we chatted a bit about youth engagement, entrepreneurship and some of the cool things happening in this city that could, if united under a single banner, make a positive structural difference in the GTA.
To my surprise, I got an invite to come meet him at his office in Rexdale this week. I assumed it would be about his campaign. Having some political background and no particular allegiance to any camp this time out, I get such asks periodically.
Instead, I had the extreme pleasure of hearing more about his vision for a Youth Entrepreneurship Centre that provides resources, training, mentorship, etc. to youth in his community.
It's a solid vision that just happens to fit perfectly as that pot that partners ranging from Microsoft to CSI to PUSH Elite can add their green to.
“It’s not just for kids to play basketball or read, but to create a pipeline into different industries,” he explains. “If you start investing in infrastructure to build libraries and fix roads, you attract more businesses out to the area, you’re also attracting blue-collar jobs.”
I walked away from Andray Domise's office wanting the guy to win because I knew he'd be great at the job but even more than that, because I know just how powerful his vision and ability to unite stakeholders is.
He never sold me on himself; he empowered me with a vision of what we could create together. I want him to win - not to stop someone else, but because I can clearly see what people like me can do with representation like him at the Council table.
That, friends, is what leadership is.
Learn more about Andray here.
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