I’m asking the voters of Lakewood to send me to City Hall to represent them on council. But I also believe that an equally important part of a council member’s job is spending time outside City Hall, in the community. Citizens shouldn’t have to pay council members, and do all the work of going to council on its schedule, just to speak for a few minutes.
The people’s representatives should be accessible throughout the community, for direct two-way dialogue.
That’s what I have been doing this year as a candidate. It’s what I will continue to do if I’m elected to City Council at-large.
It’s what I am continuing to do now, in fact. In June and July, my campaign held four Town Halls meetings, and I’m committed to continuing these. Meanwhile I have also held more public events each month. Nearly all these events have met the Town Hall Project’s five criteria of 1) free, 2) open to the public, 3) open questions, 4) an in-person appearance, and 5) sticking around for the whole event. (I took a couple of breaks during the Community Festival, and two candidate forums sponsored by other organizations screened questions in advance.)
June 10: Town Hall (Ward 1)
June 17: Town Hall (Ward 3)
July 8: Town Hall (Ward 4)
July 29: Town Hall (Ward 2)
Aug. 10: Open House at Goddess Blessed
Aug. 12: neighborhood event
Aug. 27: neighborhood event
Aug. 30: forum at the Westerly
Sept. 9: Community Festival booth
Sept. 20: forum at South Westerly
Sept. 23, 27 & 28: candidate forums
Oct. 19: candidate meet & greet
Oct. 25: open “office hours”
That’s well more than a dozen events, and while I haven’t covered every corner of the city yet, I’ve held events from north to south and in all four wards. (Plus I have knocked on many, many doors in every precinct.) If anyone wants me to come to your neighborhood next; hit me up. That’s a standing offer.
“There is no better way to influence your representatives than in-person conversations. Town halls are a longstanding American tradition—where our elected representatives must listen and respond to the concerns of their constituents.” – The Town Hall Project
