Priorities

The city seems to have taken a top-down approach, believing if we support rich developers then eventually it will help all of us. As the former Executive Director for Habitat for Humanity, I have seen elected officials talk about “trickle down housing.” It doesn’t work. Developers don’t make as much money off of affordable housing. We have to build the housing that people need. And when developers come with proposals for housing for the rich, we must demand that they include affordable units.

People are struggling with getting to work and affording car repairs because of our streets. This is not just an issue of bumpy roads, and we should not be in the position of putting cones in potholes to protect ourselves and our neighbors. While there are good people who work in the city, they need to be connected to where the need is greatest, and that’s exactly what a good city councilor should do. We should also look at how the city can better communicate its plans, so residents can at least know when to expect fixes.

Beyond just our streets, our neighborhoods are in disrepair. We’re losing community centers and seeing more trash in parks. This is not just in certain neighborhoods – this is a problem across our communities. I truly believe that the people providing these services in city government want to do good work, but I don’t think they are properly supported. I have seen this over and over again with the organizations that I’ve worked in. A district councilor needs to be plugged into the community and willing to take it to the city, and if it can’t be fixed there, fix the city so it does.