Birmingham District 3 councilor-elect Josh Vasa plans to carry on legacy of listening

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - For the first time in more than two decades a new council member will be listening to Birmingham District 3 residents and attending meetings on their behalf.

It’s listening and showing up that councilor-elect Josh Vasa believes propelled him to a lopsided victory in Tuesday’s municipal election.

“I feel like that win comes from a lot of hard work, comes from knocking on doors and talking to residents and really hearing from them,” says Vasa.

Vasa says through the campaign process, he learned what is important to people who live in District 3.

“What we’ve heard from folks is that they care about public safety, they want to feel safe in the streets,” Vasa continued, “They care about public infrastructure, so what do reliable city services look like right? Want to make sure that sidewalks and potholes and streets are taken care of.”

District 3 includes all or part of neighborhoods like Highland and Forest Parks, Glen Iris, and Five Points South.

Vasa says District 3 is known for being walkable and well-kept, “what residents say is how can we make sure that infrastructure is taken care of, that we have a city that works well for its residents, and that is reliable, and again feels safe.”

Vasa will take over from Councilor Valerie Abbott, who is retiring, in October. Abbott endorsed Vasa ahead of election day.

“The advice I saw is really what I observed. That she made sure that she was there, she was present, and she was receptive to the needs of the community,” said Vasa of Abbott.

Vasa said when he was campaigning potential voters often brought up Abbott’s dedication, “that in those 23 years she only missed 2 or 3 city council meetings.”

He hopes his background in non-profit work will help him serve the people of District 3, “I’m excited about continuing that work in what I see as a leveling up in the community work that I’ve been doing, so that looks like beginning with community feedback, listening to residents, understanding what their needs are and saying hey what can we do to address at least the lowest hanging fruits, and beyond that some things that might be systemically a little tougher.”

“If there is nothing I do beyond showing up, I’m at least going to make sure I’m there listening to folks, putting in the work, and I think the outcomes will speak to themselves as long as we follow the process,” said Vasa.

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