Sean Davis for Astoria

Kelly and I started the week at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Astoria Downtown Historic District Association office, and everywhere we looked there were familiar faces. That’s one of the best things about spending the past seven… no, eight months now doing the research, showing up, and talking with community leaders: I’ve made some truly amazing friends along the way.

Quinn and Colleen are spectacular human beings, and the work they put into the ADHDA to make downtown Astoria stronger is exactly the kind of community service I admire. Over these months, I’ve also gotten to know Janet, who leads the ADHDA Arts & Culture Committee I serve on, Kevin with CEDR, David with the Chamber, and so many other people who spend their days working to make this town better. I love this town, and I love the people who live here.

That evening, Kell and I headed to the Liberty Theatre to see Horse Feathers, an amazing local band. While we were there, I met several new people, including someone who works at Tongue Point Job Corps. Naturally, we ended up talking about all the good work happening out there and the opportunities Job Corps creates for young people.

Saturday was packed. I started with an executive board meeting at American Legion Post 12, where I serve as vice commander. We’ve been working hard to turn the Post around, with tremendous help from Brian and Donna, both Air Force veterans and the new owners of WineKraft, Nancy Harms, Klyde Thompson, and many others. For years, the Post lost money month after month. For the past five months, we’ve been in the black.

We didn’t accomplish that by closing ourselves off. We did it by opening the doors wider and working with the community through concerts, pool leagues, events, and partnerships. There’s a lesson in that. Organizations, and cities, get stronger when they stop operating in isolation and start bringing people together.

After the meeting, I hurried down to meet Kelly, Luna, and Bombur, our two enormous Great Pyrenees, for the Rogue Cell Saturday Dog Walk along the Riverwalk. We meet every Saturday at 10 a.m. at Pier 12, and every week there seem to be new faces and new snouts joining us. You don’t need to be a veteran to join us. Just bring a cup of coffee and good conversation. 

At 2 p.m., we headed to the Astoria Library to hear local poet Juleen Eun Sun Johnson read alongside a visiting poet from Los Angeles, Adam Stutz. In so much of Juleen’s work, the environment becomes a character of its own, reminding us that we’re only one small part of a much larger system. It was beautiful.

That evening, I attended the Working Families Party monthly meeting. I’m proud to be part of the Working Families Party, and I’m proud to have their endorsement. I’ve heard a rumor floating around that the WFP has some grand plan for Astoria, along with a cartoon suggesting Astoria is somehow a stepping stone to higher political office. Normally, I don’t spend much time answering internet nonsense. Life is short and Facebook already has enough unpaid fiction writers, but this one is easy to answer. My plan has been the same since I announced my campaign in February: I would like to serve two terms as mayor and then retire from politics.

I say two terms because I want enough time to see major projects through to completion. During my research, I’ve read too many master plans that the city paid consultants to create, only to watch the plans eventually lose momentum. The Waterfront Master Plan and Advance Astoria are two examples of plans containing good ideas that deserve continued attention and follow-through. I want us to stay the course, finish things, and build institutional momentum instead of starting over every few years, and when my time is done, whether voters give me one term or two, I’ll do everything I can to help whoever comes next succeed. Public service should be about leaving the place better prepared for the next person, not building an individual legacy. When you serve well, you serve the community, not your ego.

Sunday morning, Josh Davis and I called BINGO at the American Legion. Josh is a combat veteran and former Clatsop County Veterans Service Officer, and despite the shared last name, we are not related. We had a blast calling games, joking with the crowd, and talking with people about Astoria and its future.

That evening, Kell and I went to the Charlene Larsen Center for the Performing Arts to hear Clinton Fearon play a solo acoustic reggae show. We were lucky enough to sit next to Charlene Larsen herself. What a wonderful venue. Places like that demonstrate just how important art is to Astoria. Art creates community, gives people a place to gather, and helps us understand one another and the place we call home. I’m proud to live in a town that values it. 

After the show we stopped into Xanadu for a couple of cocktails and pizza. I just have to say this, Xanadu is such a welcoming bar. Everyone there treats you and each other like a friend. They really support each other. There’s an older woman who comes to play BINGO at the Legion, and she was there Sunday singing karaoke. She may have picked a song that was a little out of her skillset, but Scott Justus, the owner of Xanadu jumped up on stage, put his arm around her, and sang with her. That is community. I will be frequenting Xanadu a lot more, especially trivia nights. Also, I want everyone who loves pizza to know that they make their dough from scratch every day, and in my opinion, it’s the best pizza in town right now.

Monday, I met with Jay from The Astorian. He is interviewing the candidates running for office in Astoria, and we had a thoughtful conversation about who I am, where I came from, why I’m running, and why I’ve come to love Astoria so much. That story should be coming out soon.

Today is devoted to the less glamorous side of campaigning. Paperwork. I’m acting as my own campaign treasurer, which means making sure everything in ORESTAR is accurate and current. I encourage voters to look at the ORESTAR accounts for every candidate. Campaign finance records are public for a reason. They show you where campaigns get their money and who is financially supporting them. I’m proud that my campaign has been supported by regular people who believe in what we’re trying to accomplish together.

Eight months into this campaign, I’m still learning, still listening, still showing up, and still doing the work. I love this town.

Let’s get to work.