There’s so much to be grateful for today, Election Day.
- First, that we live in a country where we are free to choose. Having grown up in South Africa under the oppression of apartheid, watching from the sidelines, I will never take that freedom for granted. Here in America, voting is a profound opportunity to express my opinion in a way that counts.
- I’m also grateful for the slate of new municipal candidates who stepped up. Win or lose today — and no matter what you may have heard to the contrary — I assure you Carey Sue Beasley, Beth Pence, Jesse Price, and Jonathon Smith have campaigned with honesty, integrity, and transparency. They’ve demanded the same from City Hall. Often, that meant filing Open Records Requests to obtain information that Sky Valley residents, taxpayers, and voters deserve — information that should have been readily available to anyone.
- I’m grateful for the open, respectful process of our campaigns. We participated in Meet-and-Greets, a town hall, and a candidate forum. If you don’t know what the candidates stand for, it isn’t for lack of trying. We’ve been accessible, not through proxies, but through personal outreach, door-knocking, yard signs, and flyers.
Because of that process, important issues are now out in the open. Without these candidacies, developers’ plans for the old ski slope and lodge might have been rubberstamped. The septic-to-sewer project might have advanced without challenge.
And now, no matter who wins today, one thing is certain: Transparency, communication, and community discussion are the new normal.
We’ve all learned so much throughout this journey, and we’ll continue to learn together. Most importantly, we’ve realized that while we are a community of citizens with diverse needs, we share common goals: to preserve our serenity, protect our security, and maintain our affordability.
As we move beyond this election, let’s carry that spirit forward. After all, no matter today’s results, tomorrow we are still neighbors, united by our love for home: the city of Sky Valley. Thank you for your time, your support and your indulgence throughout my campaign for mayor of Sky Valley.