Life & Work with TJ Cawley

Today we’d like to introduce you to TJ Cawley.

Hi TJ, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story. 
I grew up in Westchester County, New York, and attended the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia. I moved to Morrisville in 2007 with my wife and three children. We decided to have me be a stay-at-home father, which I enjoyed greatly, volunteering at their schools, coaching their sports teams, and supporting various causes. I joined a number of town resident advisory committees and ran for council in 2011. I learned a lot during my first political candidacy. I ran again two years later and was elected to our town council. Four years later, I was elected mayor, and it has been an honor to represent the 32,000 residents and countless businesses, large and small, here in Morrisville. I look forward to continuing to advocate for sustainability, parks and greenways, mobility improvements, and public safety investments, which will keep Morrisville an All-America City and one of the best places to Live, Learn, Work, and Play in the United States. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It took me a while to decide that Wake County, and eventually Morrisville, was where I wanted to raise our family. I have lived in Washington, DC, Portland, OR, Lexington, KY, and Los Angeles, CA, to name a few cities. Morrisville has the best quality of life and educational system, and I am very happy to be here with my family. 

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar with what you do, what can you tell them about what you do?
As an elected official, I am grateful for the opportunity to learn what our residents are concerned about and how I can help them directly or connect them to the information and resources they need to address their issues. I seek out such opportunities by asking, “What can we be doing better or differently for you here in Morrisville to make life for you and your family better?” I am fortunate to be a full-time mayor and have the ability and desire to be out in the community interacting with people each and every day, which sets me apart from others in so far as I am simply a friendly neighbor from down the street, who happens to also be the mayor of this great town of Morrisville. I am most proud of how most people describe me as being very accessible and approachable. I am having a lot of fun being mayor, and I think people recognize it. 

Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Simply what I share when I deliver remarks to people in kindergarten all the way up to our active living communities, my favorite four words are “How can I help?”. When each of us sincerely ask that question of our colleagues, friends, neighbors, family members, even people we simply run into who may be having a tough day, we open up the opportunity to help someone else improve their day. In return, we each gain the satisfaction of doing a good deed and strengthening the bonds within our community. That is a win-win and a recipe for an even more friendly and welcoming community filled with happy, smiling faces. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.morrisvillenc.gov/government/meet-your-town-council/mayor-tj-cawley
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/msvmayortj/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MSVMayorTJ/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/msvmayortj/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/MSVMayorTJ

Image Credits
Keenan Hairston