By Briana Harris / Staff Writer

PELHAM – Pelham resident Kaneshia Sims said she and her husband often find themselves traveling to nearby Hoover or Alabaster to go to an ice cream parlor or to the movies.

Sims, 28, said a desire to bring more family oriented entertainment to Pelham is one of the reasons she decided to run for Place 1 of the Pelham City Council. She said there’s a lack of entertainment for younger families looking to enjoy a day out.

Sims, her husband and their 7 year-old son have lived in Pelham for five years and have developed a passion for the city.

“My husband and I moved to Pelham because we knew it would be a place we could call home,” she said. “My goal is to be the voice of the community. I know our city has needs and I want to help find solutions for those needs.”

The family enjoys swimming at the Pelham YMCA every weekend and eating at local restaurants on Friday nights, Sims said.

If elected, Sims said she would work to develop vacant retail spaces throughout the city.

“I want to see more family entertainment come to Pelham so that people will spend more of their dollars locally,” she said. “In addition to improving the quality of life here in Pelham, it would also help the economic status of the city.”

Sims, who works in public relations and marketing in Homewood, said her job allows her to work closely with business owners, so she’s confident in her ability to bring businesses to the city.

Sims said her job requires her to analyze data, strategically plan and make critical decisions, which she said are valuable skills for a member of the council to have.

Sims graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a Bachelor of Arts in mass communications and a minor in psychology. She is founder and CEO of the Southern PaSH Company LLC, a public relations and consulting firm.

She served as a junior board member of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Alabama, vice president of membership for Alabama Media Professionals and board member of the Young Executive Committee of the Birmingham-based Summit Club.

She has volunteered with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s “Light the Night” event, Operation Push for Blood’s “Arts for Life” event and “Music for Diabetes,” an event aimed at raising awareness of diabetes in the African-American community.