(This letter published Oct. 13 in The Republic.)
From David Spear
Columbus
This year, I have had the opportunity to attend many civic and and public social events in the Columbus area. I have been impressed with how many times I have seen City Council at-large candidate Grace Kestler at these events talking to voters like myself. Grace is working on solutions to provide affordable and safe housing for all individuals and families. She also supports improving public safety through neighborhood relationships and advocates for Columbus to continue the work on being an inclusive and welcoming community.
I have seen Grace personally talking to Columbus citizens of all political beliefs, ages, and abilities at events including the Mill Race Senior Fair, the Bartholomew County Fair, the Columbus Pride festival, the Mill Race Marathon, the State Street Association Annual Street Fair, Parkside Courts, the Grace Kestler Community Blood Drive, the Down Syndrome Buddy Walk, the Bartholomew County Landlords Association September meeting, the Ninth Street Neighborhood Watch meetings, the ground breaking for the Ganesh temple, the Columbus Annual Human Rights Commission Dinner and many many more events I can’t even count. No candidate in Columbus has done more to get out and meet the people and find out what is important to all of us.
Grace decided to run for public office for many reasons. When she looked at local commissions, committees and boards she saw very few people who looked like her or might have had similar life perspectives. She didn’t see many women or many young people and definitely didn’t see anyone with a visible disability. While many of these individuals are making fine decisions, she felt the overall perspective coming from city council wasn’t representative of all individuals of our community. We must have individuals of all backgrounds representing our community. Not until we have this diverse representation are we going to make real change that affects our community.
She believes that we must be creative in finding solutions and it’s important to benchmark other communities who are doing well in areas we strive to improve.
Grace is out there working hard to earn my vote. I believe she will work even harder as a member of the city council to make our community the best.
(Editor’s note: This letter is paid content.)
