West Side Forum

Upon reflecting on the reason she unwittingly stopped reading fiction, a friend of mine concluded that life is currently more frightening than fiction. Hearing her say that made me think of two things. First, I totally get what she means, and second, I am grateful to be working alongside her in this effort to create lasting political change because the magnitude of this job requires an organized concerted effort. (more…)

Last year, on a camping trip near Carbondale, CO, I had the good fortune of a special
encounter that offered a quality perspective on my life. Carolyn and I chatted at length about
our nation’s current socio-political state of affairs – Why is society in its current shape?
What is going on politically and what are we doing about it? As I told Carolyn about the many
wonderful people I am working with on this journey to transform the essence of civic
engagement in my hometown, she asked me a pointed question: “Do you think you have
found your tribe?” My answer was, and is, a beautifully satisfying “Yes.” (more…)

“What will it look like when you’re done?” A young reporter asked that question regarding work being done to transform our democracy into a more inclusive and responsive system. My answer to that question was that we do not know what it will look like because we need to include more people in its design. We, the people, need to represent. Your voice and your vote, and your neighbors’ voices and votes are needed to remake our democracy. (more…)