I love my neighborhood. And I'm not alone. Everywhere I go in our district, everyone I talk to – there's one thing I hear consistently. "This is a great neighborhood." Sometimes that's followed by a reason, sometimes by a way it could be better, but the sentiment is the same. It reaffirms for me the importance of the work I've done in our neighborhoods to make them stronger and safer. I'm also really impressed with the depth of commitment that the folks in neighborhood associations have. The leadership of my neighborhood association is a group I'm proud to be part of.

Today, the Eken Park and Emerson East Neighborhood Associations held a District 12 candidate forum. There was a great turnout, and lots of really thoughtful, interesting questions from the audience. I really appreciate people taking time out of their weekends to come learn about the candidates and to share their questions and concerns. And I appreciated the chance to talk about my experience in our community and my vision for our neighborhoods.

After the forum, I headed out to knock on doors and talk with more of our neighbors. I really value talking with people directly about our neighborhoods and the issues they care about. I know they can't always make a meeting, so I'm making a big effort to reach them at home and let them know how to find me. Talking to people everyday around the district reaffirms my desire to be a hardworking, active and accessible representative for our district.