Pete announces his run for Mayor at the Blacksburg Town Council Meeting

Hi, my name is Pete Macedo — and I want to talk a little bit about listening.

One of the first customers we had at Blacksburg Bagels came in to buy our newest product: pitas. The second time she got them, she came back and said:

“There weren’t any pockets in my pitas.”

At first, we were frustrated.

We were hand-making everything from scratch, waking up in the middle of the night to bake. But we took her feedback seriously. The next batch? They had pockets.

Every time she returned, she’d ask:

“Do these have pockets in them?”

And we’d set them aside for her—“These are for Lois.”

We thought she was just picky.

Then one day she told us:

“I need them to have pockets because my husband is blind. If he eats a regular sandwich, everything falls out.”

That moment stuck with me.

What started as annoyance turned into a lesson about listening—really listening.

When people keep talking to you about something, they’re hoping you’re listening—and they’re hoping you’ll make a change.

After 12 years of baking in this town, that’s one of the most important things I’ve learned: how to listen to people. To their feedback, their frustrations, their hopes.

Recently, people started talking to me about something else:

Running for Town Council.

I wasn’t interested. I want to be a baker.

But I listened—to them, and to how our current Council has responded to important issues in the community.

And honestly?

I don’t feel that this Council is truly representative of Blacksburg.

So this morning, I found out that over 125 signatures were collected in support.

And I’m running for Mayor of Blacksburg.