Sean Davis for Astoria

This past week was another reminder that running for mayor is not just about speeches, signs, or campaign events. It is about showing up, listening, learning, and being part of the daily life of this community.

Last Thursday, I spent six hours riding along with Clatsop Community Action’s outreach team. I saw firsthand the difficult, compassionate work being done to help people experiencing homelessness move toward stability. I saw how urgently this work is needed, including efforts to help a pregnant woman get into housing as quickly as possible. It was a powerful reminder that behind every public debate about housing, shelter, and homelessness are real people, real stories, and real chances to make things better.

After a long week, I took Friday off to spend time with family. My nephew Jamison came to visit, and we went to Fort George for pizza. We sat down at one of the big community tables, and within a couple of minutes, State Senate candidate Rachel Armitage and her husband sat down next to us.

We had a good conversation about running for office and the work of public service. But I was careful not to talk too much about politics, because it was family time. I found it’s always important to make time for your family. It’s what keeps us sane and grounded.

The next morning, I woke Jamison up early so we could get out on the streets for Astoria’s Spring: Love Your Streets Day, organized by the Astoria Downtown Historic District Association. Dulcye and Janet put us right to work clipping plants and flowers in the pots along Duane and Commercial Streets.

There is something deeply hopeful about small acts of care in a town like ours. Trimming flowers, cleaning sidewalks, showing up early on a Saturday morning, these things may seem simple, but they say something important: this place is worth loving, and it is worth taking care of.

Later that day, because no visit to Astoria is complete without a climb that reminds your knees they are no longer twenty-five, the whole fam climbed the Astoria Column. From up there, you can see what makes this town so extraordinary: the river, the hills, the bridge, the working waterfront, the old neighborhoods, and the layers of history that make Astoria feel unlike anywhere else.

On Monday night, I was back at City Council. It was a good meeting and a meaningful one. The city recognized some of the people and institutions helping preserve Astoria’s history and heritage. Lums received recognition for remodeling and helping save the old Freemason’s Lodge. The Astoria Library was honored for its remodel. The Astoria Police Department was also recognized for National Police Week.

Those moments matter. A healthy city remembers its history, supports its public servants, invests in its institutions, and honors the people doing the work. 

Tonight, I’m headed out to give blood at the Fort George and American Red Cross blood drive (were coincidentally my niece is a phlebotomist) and then I’m headed to WineKraft for the Poets on the Pier open mic, celebrating the writers, readers, and artists who help make Astoria such a creative community. Tomorrow night, I will be at Trantlerfest at Clatsop Community College doing the same.

That has been the heart of this campaign so far: learning the city by being part of it. Meeting people where they are. Attending council meetings. Volunteering downtown. Listening to service providers. Spending time with family. Supporting the arts. Honoring our history. Talking with public servants. Climbing the Column with my nephew and remembering exactly why this place matters.

Astoria is not one thing. It is a working town, an arts town, a port town, a family town, a historic town, and a community that keeps showing up for itself.

That is what I want this campaign to be about.

Not just asking for your vote, but doing the work now. Not just talking about community, but participating in it. Not just pointing at problems, but recognizing the people already helping solve them.

Astoria is worth the work.

And this week, once again, I was grateful to be out there doing it.