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When I decided to run for office, I made a commitment to knock on the door of every voter in the 7th District. It seems to me that if I’m going to ask the members of this community to trust me as their representative, I have to give them the chance to ask me questions face to face.
In the 7th District, those voters live in tens of thousands of homes that stretch from Tierrasanta and San Carlos to Oak Park and Redwood Village. There are many hills, and it’s quite a bit of territory to cover – as my worn shoes attest to!
Since I kicked off my campaign, I’ve already knocked on well over 2,000 doors and have spoken to hundreds of people. I’ve walked at least one precinct in most neighborhoods so far, and several in many. The experience of talking to dozens of people every day is like no other I’ve ever had. I’m learning a lot about specific local concerns and concerns that the community shares as a whole.
After people recover from the surprise of learning I’m not selling something, they are almost always very friendly and very open … and they have definite and clear views about what is going on at City Hall and how it is impacting their neighborhoods.
Largely, in the district as a whole, the biggest single concern I hear at the door involves the crumbling roads, sidewalks, pipes and lagging services. Even before the bridge tragedy in Minneapolis or the steam pipe rupture in New York, their sense of urgency was evident.
I feel the same way about my particular neighborhood. And, like me, the folks I talk to clearly lay the blame for their deteriorating neighborhoods on City Hall for spending beyond their means and being unwilling to get their financial house in order. Let me repeat: the average person I speak to is fully aware of the fact that City Hall has been spending beyond their means and that we need to get back to basics.
From what I can tell from my conversations, the people of this community are looking for someone who understands the budget, is not afraid to tell them the truth about where this city stands, and will offer real solutions, not just more bunk written by political consultants. It’s clear they are sick of the bickering and sick of the grandstanding.
Oddly, they also seem to be relieved that I am a CPA – I thought voters would find that boring. OK, I’m open to your questions …
— APRIL BOLING