Virginia L. Mobley

Tell us a little about yourself.
Please provide a brief background or bio, including any relevant experiences or interests. 

A lifelong resident of the neighborhood, I founded the original Thomas Square Neighborhood Association in the late 1980s. I led the fight to keep the Bull Street Library, wrote the grant, and received the funds to renovate Thomas Square Park. I spearheaded the effort to obtain historic designation at both the state and national levels, becoming the first neighborhood of the landmark district to receive local designation. I set out to change the to match the historic district, and after meetings, the original Mid-City Zoning was adopted. I established the City’s first neighborhood watch block. Following that, I served as an officer of the Crime Control Collaborative, a city program to address crime. I was asked to establish a volunteer program for the Savannah Police Department when they adopted community policing. I designed and implemented the Citizens Police Academy and a volunteer Neighborhood Watch with over 400 members. I also established a chapter of Christmas in April, a national housing rehabilitation program in Savannah, completing over $2 million in repairs during the five years the program was active. I served as Chairman of the Park and Tree Commission and the city’s Traffic Calming Committee, where I collaborated with another member to rewrite the Traffic Calming ordinance make it a working document. I currently serve on the Historic Preservation Commission, having been chair for two terms.

I am a mother of three, grandmother of four, and great-grandmother of six. My hobbies include gardening, painting,, and cooking. I own two restaurants in the Athens, GA area and was the executive chef for Holiday Inn in Madison, GA.

How long have you lived in the Thomas Square neighborhood?
Please provide some details about your story in respect to how you came to live in our community. 

I have hung my clothes in Thomas Sq for almost 81 years.

What do you do professionally?
Please share a bit about your profession and how it impacts you and your relationship with the community. 

I own Oglethorpe Marble and Granite, founded in 1907, which creates private and public monuments. I actively run the office and design both public and private monuments daily. I work closely with city to add new historical markers and restore cemeteries. Additionally, I help people who are handling the loss of loved ones.

Why are you interested in serving on the TSNA Board of Directors?
Explain what drew you to make this decision to volunteer to serve your community on the TSNA board.

The neighborhood boundaries have changed, but some of same problems that the original Thomas Square faced are still present in the expanded area. I have decided to return to the board of the association because I saw the residents being removed from what is happening in neighborhood. I would like to use my knowledge and contacts to make the entire neighborhood a place where people want to live and feel like part of the community.

What do you see as the top challenges for our neighborhood, and how do you think the board should address them? 
Some examples we see as top issues facing our neighborhood in the coming years are the potential expansion of Savannah’s To-Go Cup district, hotel development, the ongoing affordable housing crisis, rising property taxes due to property value inflation, and increasing crime & homelessness challenges.

These items are important to residents in several neighborhoods and some issues pertain to every citizen in the city. I think that opportunities to receive information, ask questions, and voice personal opinions should happen on the neighborhood level. As a resident, I want to address things that affect my everyday quality of life. Affordable housing is a national problem, and yes, I am concerned; it will take a workable solution on many levels to solve. But what affects my daily living is “I cannot park on my block” or “my neighborhood park is not a place I want to enjoy because of the activity that goes on there.” Let’s work on those concerns first. Safe streets, sidewalks in good repair, and maintained property are some of the issues that affect my daily living.

What steps would you take to bring the community together, inspire engagement, bolster membership & attendance at meetings, and give residents a stronger voice?
Community involvement has always been a cornerstone of the Thomas Square neighborhood, but there is much room to inspire more participation and engagement moving forward.  

We as a board have got to listen to the residents, learn their concerns, and take the steps to address them. I would first have one or more meetings to listen to the residents, to provide them with information about how things work in addressing their concerns. Engaging members outside of the board to take ownership of projects like putting together a spring festival in the park or working to get better street lighting. I think talking, listening, and working for solutions will build a better neighborhood association. One thing I would do would be to work with the City’s recreation program to bring activities to the Delaware Center that our residents would take part in. Right now, the center is used more by people from outside of the neighborhood that are brought in, not by the residents that can walk there.