Dear friends and neighbors,
Thank you. 60 days, 240 endorsements, 350 yard signs, and 2,880 votes cast on Election Day. Every step of the way, this campaign was made possible by neighbors like you who chose to open their doors, open their inboxes, and open their minds to a new approach to U City politics.
This was a Special Election. Normally City Council races take place in April, and less than 20% of our ward comes out to vote. In the last regular Ward 1 election, 2,329 votes were cast for both candidates combined.
By contrast, this race appeared on the federal ballot. It brought in thousands of new neighbors who had never before cast their vote in a City Council race, myself included. In the words of my longtime-inspiration Gabe Fleischer, this race represented a “huge opportunity to involve new people in local elections and create positive change for University City.”
We didn’t win the election, but we created that positive change. We grew beyond the bitter entrenched battle lines that have stood in the way of a balanced, impartial view of the issues. We brought in new perspectives.
I met young neighbors going to Flynn Park and U City High who asked in surprise: “Are we allowed to be in politics?” Answer: We are allowed. Our skills and voices are needed. I met neighbors who said they’d never paid attention to local politics before, but now are thinking about running for office themselves.
This campaign brought many different people together. Which, really, is exactly what U City politics should be about.
We all chose to live in University City because we share U City values: community, progress, inclusiveness. Those values brought us together and held U City together through decades of social and economic change.
Now, U City politics need to reflect those values. On the Council, on social media, and above all in our neighborhoods.
I am grateful and humbled by all of your support in the campaign. I look forward to keep working with you to move U City forward, together.
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