Common Ground: Why I'm Running on an Independent Line This November

I am a lifelong registered Democrat, and I'm proud of it. That part of who I am hasn't changed.

What has also never changed is my willingness to listen. Some of the most valuable conversations I've had in this community came from people who see things differently than I do. Those conversations didn't weaken my convictions. They sharpened them. They reminded me that good ideas can come from anywhere, and that listening is not the same as agreeing.

Our country was built on that kind of exchange. Our forefathers argued, debated, and disagreed before they ever reached consensus. That friction wasn't a flaw in the system. It was the system. Democracy has never been about everyone thinking the same thing. It's about everyone having a voice, and a willingness to hear each other out.

That's why, this November, you'll see my name on an independent line: Common Ground.

Local politics should not be decided by party control. It should be decided by neighbors talking to neighbors about the things that actually affect our town: our roads, our schools, our services, our shared future. When we let party labels do the thinking for us, we lose sight of what local government is actually supposed to do.

Common Ground is a line on the ballot, but it's also a statement. It says that who you vote for shouldn't be determined solely by party affiliation, and that representing this community means representing all of it.