Working in television news and living across the globe has allowed Casey Curry to engage with everyday people who face similar challenges and issues as herself. Casey truly believes that to be an effective city leader, one must be willing to connect with every community. Her time in TV news served as invaluable training for her new role as a candidate for Houston City Council and knows the huge importance of sharing people’s stories and understanding the diverse perspectives within a city.
As a military kid, she was born in Panama in Central America, and her family lived in various parts of the world. She attended nine different elementary schools, which provided her with an expansive and multicultural upbringing. Her television career has given her a unique perspective outside of a traditional political perspective. She sees herself as having the perspective of the people, having worked in television news and interacting with everyday individuals from diverse backgrounds facing similar challenges and issues.
Casey believes that effective leadership involves being present in every community and advocating for the concerns and problems of the people. Her experience as a meteorologist has highlighted the disparities in how different parts of the city are affected by severe weather events. She’s aware that certain areas have not received the necessary investment and are more vulnerable during devastating floods like Harvey in 2017. She’s committed herself to disaster relief being at the forefront of city efforts.
She believes the lack of female representation in political office as a significant issue. She firmly believes that having more women in political roles can bring about positive change in their city and better address the community’s concerns.
She remembers one particular incident where she was at a screening interview with an organization who endorses candidates. The group’s leadership consisted mostly of men, with only a few women present. The first question for her in the interview was “so do you want to give us a weather forecast?”
Casey almost quit her campaign that day because of that incident. She thought, “Is this really how you’re going to treat me?” She was furious, but she persisted and thankfully these incidents have not been the norm. That particular incident has stuck with her throughout the campaign. It serves as a reminder that despite the supportive and encouraging men and women she has worked with in her recent career, such incidents can still occur.
She has faced challenges before but this shocked her the most. She can only imagine how it might affect someone younger or less experienced, or someone without a strong support system to guide her through such situations and remind her that not everyone behaves that way.
For her, it became one more reason to persevere in her campaign and not give up. She acknowledges that not everyone has that kind of support, and not everyone has a group of people who can provide honest discussions about these challenges.
When asked how she balances being a mother and a candidate, Casey says she has started to intertwine both. She says that one thing that has made a transformative difference is she started bringing her 9-year daughter Winnie with her to meetings and campaign stops. Casey has loved seeing Winnie make strong connections to the other women on the campaign trail, and she even has a few favorites among them.
So how does Casey Curry stay motivated? Well, she reminds herself of her why. Her why is her love for Houston, and the belief that her skills and knowledge can contribute to positive change. Her goal is to enhance the well-being of people, improve the city, enhance safety, and ensure that those who have been overlooked also benefit. Playing a role in making life better for everyone is what truly matters to her, and that is why she will always go back to her “why.”
