A Record of the Work

Preparation for public office does not begin on Election Day. Mine has been built over years of doing the work: digging through public records, tracing decisions across agendas and meetings, studying ordinances and resolutions, following issues long after the headlines disappear, listening to residents, asking difficult questions, developing practical proposals, speaking before government bodies, and explaining what I find so other citizens can understand it too.

Along the way, I have made it a priority to learn how a city actually runs — not just what happens at a Council meeting. I have studied how decisions move through departments, boards and commissions before they ever reach the Council; how planning, utilities, infrastructure, development, budgets and public policy intersect; how ordinances and resolutions become action; and how decisions made years ago can shape the choices available today. I continue that education every day. There is always another issue to understand, another record to read, another question to ask and another part of municipal government to learn.

I have learned Independence government from the citizen's side of the dais — where decisions become consequences for neighborhoods, families, businesses and taxpayers. That perspective has taught me not only how City Hall works, but how important it is for an elected official to arrive prepared, know the history behind the vote, ask what hasn't been answered, understand what a proposal will actually do, and remember who will live with the result.

I haven't held a City Council seat. I have spent years preparing myself to be worthy of one. This is the record of that work — including the research, service, leadership, proposals, reporting, public participation and follow-through behind it. And the work continues.