Sidewalks to nowhere
Friends –
Can you believe it’s almost July? Even though we’re not on the Primary Election ballot, the campaign is kicking into high gear since ballots will be in mailboxes in a few weeks and more people will be paying attention. One of the things we’ll be doing is sending out a weekly update email like this to keep you up to date on what I’m up to, what events are coming up, and how you can help.
The end of the month also means that we are up against another month-end fundraising deadline. Campaigns aren’t cheap and I need everyone invested in this race for it to be successful. Please consider making a secure online contribution of any amount, even just $5 or $10 right now, to help us keep the momentum going.
All my best,
John
Knock, knock!
I’d like to invite you to come along with me! We’re planning to have a canvassing event on Saturday, July 20. We’ll be meeting at the Starbucks at Westgate (2405 N Pearl St) at 9:15am to get everyone setup with walking lists on their mobile phones or with paper lists, if you prefer. We’ll go out and doorbell for a few hours after. Please email [email protected] if you’re interested in helping out.
National Night Out
Kelsey and I are excited to host a neighborhood BBQ on August 6 for National Night Out. For those of you who don’t know, National Night Out is an annual community building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships. This informal event will be a chance for the community to come together and talk with some of our community’s police officers about how we can all work together to keep our community safe and thriving.
There won’t be any political speeches or asks for donations, this is just a good old-fashioned community BBQ. All of the details are in the invite below. Please let us know if you plan to attend by RSVPing at: https://hinesfortacoma.org/nationalnightout
Story from the Trail
Last week I had a long conversation with a neighbor named Bradley. He and I talked about his sidewalk and how it basically led to nowhere. His wife suffers from MS and needs a motorized scooter to get around. The “sidewalk to nowhere” and the crosswalk with no curb cuts are a barrier to her mobility.
As a father who regularly pushes a stroller, these are an inconvenience, but for someone in a wheel chair or a power scooter, like Brad’s wife, these things are what stands in the way of living a full life.
The city is doing a great job fixing our roads and I see more progress every day as I am going through the neighborhood. Streets I took pictures of that were pitted with potholes are now being repaved. Yet we still have a long way to go.
On the council, you can expect me to focus on the basics, to ensure that when we build our city, we build it for everyone.
A week later, when I dropped off his yard sign (Brad asked for one after our conversation) he was excitedly telling his neighbor about “my friend John” and about my focus on the council. It was a good reminder to me, and my campaign, that city government is about building relationships and solving the small, daily problems that impact lives in our community. I hope I can fix Brad’s sidewalk soon.
