Sean Davis for Astoria

Showing Up, Listening, and Doing the Work – 4/19 to 4/26

This week started with breakfast at Inferno Lounge on Pier 11 with an old Army buddy. We talked about the things Army buddies talk about, which is probably best left between veterans and our Bloody Marys. 

A close-up of a colorful Bloody Mary cocktail garnished with celery, shrimp, olives, pickles, and a lime wedge, sitting on a lace doily with a scenic view of the water in the background.

But we also talked about my run for mayor. He asked me a fair question: Why did I announce so early? After all, I can’t officially file until June 3rd.

The answer is simple. I want people to see the work.

I don’t want to show up a few months before Election Day with a slogan, a sign, and a handshake. Astoria deserves more than that. If I am going to ask people for their trust on November 3rd, then I need to earn it long before then.

That means showing up. It means attending City Council meetings, County Commission meetings, Port Commission meetings, candidate forums, community events, and conversations that do not fit neatly on a calendar. It means talking with elected officials, business owners, nonprofit leaders, workers, veterans, longtime Astorians whose family roots go back five or six generations, and people who have only recently decided to call this place home.

I want to know Astoria from the inside out.

Campaign banner for Sean Davis for Astoria Mayor, featuring a fish, a fishing boat, a truck carrying logs, and a bridge in the background.

Also, for the record, Inferno Lounge serves breakfast on Sundays, and it is phenomenal. Civic engagement is important, but so is good breakfast. We are not animals.

Weekly Update: 

MONDAY

  • Met with Port Commission Vice-Chair Robert “Steve” Stevens and talked about the Waterfront Master Plan jointly created by the City and the Port. 
  • Attended the City Council meeting where the designated camping area proposal drew a large crowd and serious concern. It became clear quickly that the two options presented by the city were not going to work. 
  • Met with Quinn, the Executive Director of the Astoria Downtown Historic District Association. We talked about the new Arts & Culture Committee, which I recently joined. 
A panel discussion taking place indoors with a diverse audience seated in front of a stage. Panelists, including five individuals, are seated behind a table with microphones, while large screens display visuals. American flags and a professional setting are visible in the background.

Tuesday

Joined a Zoom orientation for new vendors at the Astoria Sunday Market. The nonprofit I co-founded, Rogue Cell, which works to fight veteran suicide by building community and connection, will have a tent at the market three times this summer.

Attended the candidate forum at the high school. 

A public forum featuring a panel of speakers at a table, with an audience seated in front. The panel includes four individuals, two women and two men, discussing various topics. A backdrop of curtains is visible behind the speakers.

Wednesday

Taught Wounded Warrior through the Writers Guild Initiative. I do this once or twice a quarter, usually for three Wednesdays in a row. It is always one of the best parts of my schedule. Helping veterans tell their stories reminds me why this work matters in the first place.

Thursday 

Went to veterans coffee at the Elks, followed by Rogue Cell Radio on KMUN. Both are part of the same mission: building community, reducing isolation, and reminding veterans that they still have a place and a purpose.

Friday & SATURDAY

Met with a candidate for county commission. We talked about living-wage jobs, the future of Astoria’s economy, and the need for new solutions on the North Coast. We cannot simply admire our problems and call that leadership. At some point, we have to get people around the table and start building practical answers.

Promotional graphic for the 44th Annual Astoria Crab & Wine Fest, scheduled for April 24-26, 2026, at the Clatsop County Fair & Expo Center, Warrenton, Oregon.

Later tonight and tomorrow, I will be volunteering at the Crab, Seafood & Wine Festival. If you see me there, please say hello.

Sunday

I will be in Tillamook as Rogue Cell’s creative director and documentary filmmaker for a screening of our film Battlegrounds & Backroads at the Tillamook Coliseum Theater. The film is about rural veterans, isolation, and the long road toward connection. In many ways, it is also about why I believe so strongly in showing up for people before they fall through the cracks.

That has been the theme of this week: showing up.

Showing up for the Port. Showing up for downtown. Showing up for veterans. Showing up at council meetings. Showing up for hard conversations about homelessness. Showing up for working people and local businesses. Showing up for Astoria’s culture, its economy, its history, and its future.

By November 3rd, I want voters to know that I did not wait for the campaign season to care about this town.

I was already here doing the work.

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