Twins Push For Change In Aliquippa By Running For Office
ALIQUIPPA (KDKA) – For a long timE, empty store fronts looked like the future of the city of Aliquippa.
But now one man believes he can make a difference, with the help of his twin brother, and he's using today's election to prove it.
Meet identical twins Dwan and Donald Walker. They are 36-years old and they were raised in Aliquippa, Beaver County. They love this town and they believe in it.
But it was the murder of their sister Deidre – two years ago – that made Dwan want to make a difference, so he is running for mayor.
"It's time for Aliquippa to change, and my dad said the only way you can make it change son, is if you get out and do something," Dwan Walker said.
And for Dwan, who better to do it with than the man he has spent his whole life with, so Donald is running for City Council.
"His dream became my fight," said Donald Walker.
Running unopposed for mayor, Dwan Walker is poised to make history as the first African-American mayor of this Beaver County town. But the challenge of taking over a city with high unemployment, crime, and a long list of problems don't scare these twins – it excites them.
"I want to build Aliquippa back up based on the second and fourth generations of Aliquippa," Dwan Walker said.
"You ever see Lebron James when he plays basketball and he throws up his hands and says 'bear witness?' They'll bear witness to this -- they'll see," Donald Walker said.
Walker said he's not naïve. He understands his city didn't get this way overnight, so it's going to take a while before he can impact any real change. But he said he's committed for the long-haul.
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