About KeithMany of us know how difficult it can be to make a living and to raise a family in Buncombe County. I know how people who love our community and care about its future make that struggle worthwhile. The importance of education in preparation for opportunity is at the core of my experience of living here. Moving to Buncombe County in 1980 at age 21 was an exciting time in my life. Although I wasn't born here, I got here as quick as I could. Working in construction to renovate buildings in downtown and homes in the older neighborhoods is something I will always remember. Building solar greenhouses, insulating old houses and installing window and door replacements was good work in a community with limited opportunity for jobs back then. In the mid-eighties, I started to take night classes at AB Tech and UNC Asheville, and later enrolled full time at UNC Asheville, graduating in 1989. I met my wife Nancy at school and we both graduated that year. Nancy and I married in 1990. She and I, and our two children, have lived at our house off of Barnard Ave. near UNC-A since 1994. My family has owned and operated SysAdmin Services, Inc. since 1996. Our firm planned, designed and hosted the very first website for Buncombe County government starting in 1997, contributing to improvement in the services of county government. We continue to provide computer network services to numerous local small businesses, professional offices, churches and non-profit groups who serve the community in many important ways. For the last eleven years, we have been very active in our school community. Nancy and I volunteered as District Coordinators for the Citizens' Committee for Better Schools, which campaigned for the 1999 county-wide School Bond Referendum that passed by overwhelming support in every precinct in Buncombe County. We have been very active in PTO activities, serving as PTO Presidents at Jones Elementary in years when great student achievement increases were credited in part to the family and community support for our children and their teachers that we worked hard to promote. I have attended Asheville City Board of Education work sessions, meetings and retreats regularly since 1999. Working as a volunteer with the Freshman Experience program at Asheville High School, I have seen growing success in helping students make the transition to high school, with hope for higher graduation rates. Our public schools are the backbone of economic opportunity for our next generation, and I am committed to continued improvement in their success. As a member, past president, and Mountain Musings Newsletter publisher, of the Asheville Civitan Club since 1998, I try to live up to the values of Civitan, in building citizenship and working for a better community. This year I am serving as Chairman of our Scholarship Committee that awards seven scholarships to graduating seniors for our high schools. As an founding member of the Asheville Buncombe Clean Air Community Trust, I worked to launch its mission of promoting economic development enlisting innovative technology to save money and energy and prevent pollution. Our children depend upon us to protect them and their health, and I am an optimist that together we can choose a path that will protect our environment and strengthen our economy. I hope you will support my campaign to bring my experience to serve the citizens of Buncombe County on YOUR County Commission. Keith's Volunteer Activities
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