“ I started with advocacy and following legislation and understanding how government decisions affected individual businesses and business owners ,” Gove said . “ And I was teaching business owners how to do market analysis and how to understand their customers , so they could serve them better . In my eyes , these same businesses are customers of the government , but I wasn ’ t seeing government doing things to serve them better , so I just thought maybe it ’ s my turn . Maybe I could do this better . Maybe I could bring all of these skills that I ’ ve developed in all these other communities and just dedicate them to the community I care so much about because for me , local government is not about politics . It ’ s about people , and we need to serve the people who live here and just be more responsive .”
Gove ’ s first campaign was a grassroots affair that relied heavily on door-knocking and a handful of volunteers . She greeted customers in coffee shops and held Q & A sessions in local homes , and her servantleadership ideology and her devotion to her hometown struck a chord with the citizens of Amesbury .
She was elected to her first term in November of 2019 . She started her first term in January 2020 . Less than three months later , COVID swept across the county , and her beloved community looked to her for guidance . In response , she launched a daily Facebook Live broadcast , that kept her in touch , albeit virtually , with the town ; delivered timely information ; and featured guest speakers who helped make sense of the rapidly evolving situation . It was during one of these broadcasts that she announced the town ’ s first COVID fatality .
“ I cried ,” she remembered . “ It was hard , but we were all going through it . We were in it together and processing it together .”
Gove still holds a weekly Facebook Live session . She has since won her second election , and she started her second term in
I truly feel like I ’ m here to make everybody ’ s job
" easier and to give everyone in my town the tools they need to be the most successful they can be . I think the environment JU creates has made that possible .
Kassandra Gove ' 07
January 2022 . In quieter moments , she often reflects on the winding road that brought her to her current post , and those thoughts inevitably turn to Jacksonville University .
“ I need to get back there sometime ,” she said wistfully . “ I miss the people and my classmates and the immersive experience I had . I was so fortunate to leave this area and to attend a school in a city that is so diverse in race , culture and socioeconomic status but that still felt like a home away from home .”
There was a time when Gove ’ s wanderlust and a desire to dance led her to a Dolphin family that is so very proud of her and her accomplishments , but her heart will always belong to Amesbury . When asked what she loves most about being the mayor of the town where she grew up , and where her father attended the same schools she did , and where everybody knows everybody , and the streets are full of friends instead of strangers , her answer was swift and sure .
“ Everything ,” she responded with a smile in her voice . “ I love it all .”