April 17, 2025
You're Invited!
Recently I was invited to participate in a truly refreshing conversation.
The discussion, sponsored by Friends of the Mississippi River and WSCO, was about legislation to regulate development along the Mississippi River to protect its environment and natural beauty. The event brought together a group of people who care deeply about an important topic, and created an open environment where they were free to discuss their thoughts, ask questions, debate and learn. Rather than shooting emails back and forth at one another or spatting on social media, we were getting to know one another and exchanging ideas in a way that could lead to real understanding.
It was the kind of gathering that makes my job so rewarding - and creating more of those opportunities was one of the reasons why I ran for office in the first place. These events not only help us make better decisions for our community; they help build the trust and connection that make community possible.
Today, that need to build trust and connection is stronger than ever. The turmoil being wrought by our federal government, the prospect of a diminishing state budget, and decisions made here at the local level without genuine respect for community input - all of these lead to a loss of trust in our institutions and an anxiety that can make us feel isolated from one another.
It couldn’t be a better time for our Ward 2 Annual Meeting.
We’ve been coming together as Ward 2 neighbors for the past three years now to celebrate success, anticipate exciting developments ahead, meet one another, engage directly with city staff on important issues and - maybe most importantly - learn how to get involved.
This year, not only do we have a deep need to connect, we also have important decisions in front of us - on climate, tenant protections, rent stabilization, tree preservation, economic development, fighting the fentanyl crisis, taxes and more. We’ll dive into all of these at the meeting, in small-group discussions that give you a chance to really engage with your neighbors and city staff. We’ll also meet folks from District Councils and other neighborhood groups that are doing great work and need our help.
As you’ve often heard me say, our city’s superpower is our people and the thick networks of social capital that bind us together. Our Ward 2 Annual Meeting is a chance to unleash that power for the year ahead. I hope you’ll join us, click here to RSVP today!