The More You Know
In the fall of 2021, upon hearing that Ian Thomas was not to run for re-election in Ward 4, I immediately thought that this was my time. I love my city. I had grown quite interested over the last several years in issues important to our city like affordable housing, policing, social issues including the complex nature of how best to help our unsheltered population, and many more.
If having all my companies named after my fair city weren’t enough to prove to you that I was a helpless nerd about all things COMO, then my idea to run for city council would surely have done it.
Running for political office was a very interesting and painful experience. I learned many things. I learned that there were people that were knowledgeable about the real issues our cities faced and no one listened to them. I learned that there were people who knew nothing about what was really happening, and everyone listened to them. I learned that even though our politics at the city level are non-partisan, no one believed that.
Then there was the never-ending game of personal attacks by people I’ve never even met, because I dare be a businessperson who loves social issues and helping people and capitalism at the same time. I found out firsthand that keyboard warriors will say a lot online but never to your face. I also learned that being honest even if it was very unpopular wasn’t a good way to win an election. I refused to sign a commitment that said I wouldn’t support any new development even though all of the other candidates did and have since supported new development. I was screamed at and chased out of a forum because I suggested that all potential solutions to our struggling trash service should be considered including privatization because I believed that good problem solving included reviewing every potential solution.
The best thing about running for office, though, was the opportunity to meet so many interesting and caring people…specifically the class I was running with. I found most of them to be truly interested in helping Columbia be a better place. The second-best thing about running for office was that I lost to Nick Foster who I found to be a kind, caring, and honorable man. The third best thing was that I got to see behind the curtain. As I worked with unions, other politicians, businesspeople, fundraisers, consultants, city employees, and volunteers, I became acutely aware of what and why things were able to happen as they do.
When I first lost the race, I was angry. I was angry that so few people turned out to vote. I was angry that more people didn’t care about the things that impacted our lives every day.
But after being angry, I became determined. I thought the apathy a massive majority of our city showed was because they didn’t know about promises made and not kept, about voters approving and paying for things that never happened, that the loudest, meanest voices truly were those of the minority opinion.
I decided that if I had a platform that people listened to, that I would continue to use it to inform people of what was truly happening around them. I would take what I learned during the election and continue to write about it ensuring that more people were aware and that I wasn’t complicit in the apathy.
That is why, dear gentle readers of Columbia, that I present to you our first ever “City” issue. We strive in each issue to teach you something important about what is happening around us. With this issue, every story is dedicated to that end. I hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed making it. There was so much left to tell. Maybe we’ll do another one? Please enjoy!
And as ever, if you want to share your thoughts with me, your emails are always welcome.
