MANY THANKS to Kalamazoo voters for returning me to the City Commission and for voting in such impressive numbers. Your level of engagement and willingness to step up illustrate Kalamazoo's strongest asset - the can-do spirit of its residents. I look forward to representing you in the coming term.
With appreciation, David Anderson
A note about YARD SIGNS: We're already picking them up all around town (even the ones soaked by this rainy autumn, and the wires - which we can reuse). If we're too slow getting yours, please email us. And thanks again for your support of this campaign!
"I believe we can develop workable solutions to civic challenges.
Kalamazoo needs thoughtful, experienced, pragmatic people to participate in setting policy and direction."
- David Anderson
CIVIC LEADERSHIP
As a City Commissioner, David Anderson takes the lead in addressing complicated issues. Anderson helped craft the City Commission's ethics Code and chaired the subcommittee that invited community members to discuss and shape Kalamazoo's Anti-Discrimination ordinance. "The political environment, even at the local level, encourages people talking at rather than with each other," Anderson says. "We need connections that knit us together across neighborhoods and interest groups. Civic leaders have an active role to play in that process."
PUBLIC PRIORITIES
"If our streets are not safe - or if they are crumbling - it will be impossible to attract development," Anderson says. "So the best way to promote Kalamazoo's economic vitality is to maintain core services within budget constraints." In the next few years, the City Commission will need clear priorities to guide fiscal choices. "The safety of our neighborhoods and downtown is essential," says Anderson. "And the stability of our infrastructure, including parks, water and streets, must be maintained."
COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS
A longtime city resident with decades of volunteer experience, Anderson knows that community process is crucial to civic deliberations. "When people feel cut out of the process, they opt out," Anderson says. "But when people get a chance to express what they think, it changes the dynamic. That's why I'm committed to fostering respectful dialogue in community conversations. I think the quality of our conversations has everything to do with the kind of city we create."
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