Sean Davis for Astoria

Tuesday started with Veterans Coffee at American Legion Post 12. We have a good, growing group that comes in each week to drink coffee, talk about our community, tell a few stories, and check in with one another. It’s simple, but it matters.

Afterward, I was invited to the Female Veterans of the North Coast monthly luncheon, where I met some remarkable women, including Betty, a World War II veteran who is still out there living her best life. Spending time with veterans from different generations always reminds me how much experience, strength, and history exists right here in our community.

That afternoon I headed to Tongue Point to visit the Hyak Maritime Training Center and Job Corps. People talk a lot about the potential of Tongue Point, but I wanted to see it for myself. What I found was one of Astoria’s greatest assets.

Job Corps gives young people who are homeless, struggling, or simply searching for direction a chance to build a future. Students can live on campus, receive counseling and support, earn certifications, learn trades, and get hands-on job experience. I’ve seen Job Corps students working at Clatsop Community College and with Public Works, learning real skills while completing real projects.

That mission is personal to me. When I was 17, my dad went to jail and I found myself without much support. For a time, I was homeless. Someone from my church rented me a small mother-in-law cottage for $100 a month. I went to school during the day, stocked grocery shelves at night, and somehow finished high school. After graduation, I had no idea what came next.

The Army gave me a path. It gave me skills, discipline, purpose, and eventually the opportunity to serve others. I’m proud of that service, but the military isn’t the right answer for every young person. Job Corps can be another answer.

And there is a practical reason Astoria should care. When we help young people become electricians, carpenters, welders, health care workers, and other skilled professionals, we are not simply helping one individual. We are building the workforce our region needs and helping create a stronger local economy. We have a huge trades deficit. We need workers in the kind of jobs this facility trains for.

Tuesday evening I attended the Astoria City Council meeting, where Mayor Fitzpatrick presented Mayor’s Awards recognizing people who have contributed to our community. I always appreciate seeing the people who quietly do the work of making Astoria better receive some recognition.

The lawn signs finally arrived Wednesday. I put together more than a hundred of them and spent the day delivering signs around Astoria. What surprised me most were the messages from people I had never even met asking for one. That means something to me. Putting a campaign sign in your yard is a public statement that you believe in someone enough to stand beside them. I don’t take that support for granted.

The best part of delivering the signs was getting another chance to talk with Astorians about their neighborhoods, their concerns, and what they want from their city government. Wednesday evening I joined several veterans at the Astoria Public Library for the American Conversation Project, led by Library Director Suzanne Harold. We talked about our experiences, our community, and how people with different perspectives can still sit together, listen, and find common ground.

We need more of that. Politics gets nasty sometimes, and people will start labeling others or even demonize them. I believe we can disagree and still be civil and respectful.

Today I’ll be delivering more signs before meeting with the city to continue planning the 100th anniversary celebration of the Doughboy monument in Uniontown, honoring Clatsop County’s World War I veterans.

Tonight at 5 p.m., we’ll have a campaign volunteer gathering at Astoria Brewing Company. We’ll put together signs, talk about canvassing neighborhoods, and prepare volunteers to knock on doors, but the most important part of door knocking isn’t talking. It’s listening.

Tomorrow morning Brad and I will travel to the Portland VA’s 2026 Mental Health Summit, where we’ll receive a community outreach award for our work with veterans. I’m deeply honored by that. I don’t work with veterans for awards. I do it because staying connected, helping others, and having a mission has helped me, but to be recognized is pretty amazing. Sometimes service is simply what keeps people connected to the world around them.

Then it’s back home. Saturday morning I’ll be pulling weeds downtown with the Astoria Downtown Historic District Association, and Saturday night Kelly and I will be at the Liberty Theatre Gala.

And somewhere in between all of that, apparently assembling a ridiculous number of lawn signs.

If you’d like a Sean Davis for Astoria Mayor sign in your yard, send me a message. I’m genuinely honored every time someone asks for one. Let’s get to work.