As we approach election day, I want to share something that I hope will stay with us long after the votes are counted.  Whether you voted for me or for my opponent, and regardless of who wins on Tuesday, I believe we all want the same thing at the end of the day: a better Takoma Park.

During this campaign, one thing has become increasingly clear to me: too often, we don't all have access to the same information. We hear bits and pieces about a city project, a budget decision, or a proposed policy. We ask questions, sometimes get conflicting answers, and before long we're debating what happened rather than discussing what we should do next.

I believe we need to start with a shared foundation of good information.

We need to understand what the city is proposing, what it will cost, what alternatives exist, what the consequences might be, and what opportunities we have to influence the outcome. That information should be available to everyone, not just those who have the time to attend every Council meeting or dig through hundreds of pages of staff reports.

As a candidate for City Council, I've hoped to help provide that information through Doug's Digest, my website, and conversations with neighbors. If elected, I would consider that one of my most important responsibilities. But even if I'm not elected, I believe Ward 1 still needs it.

We aren't going to agree about everything. Some of us will support a particular development, while others will oppose it. Some will want to fund one project, while others will have different priorities. That's democracy, and there is nothing wrong with it.  But we ought to be able to disagree about what to do while agreeing on the facts we're using to make those decisions.

I think some of the division we've experienced in Ward 1 comes from not having that common starting point. And sometimes, whether intentionally or not, information gets presented in ways that encourage a particular conclusion instead of helping people understand the whole issue. I'd like us to change that.

I'd like our neighborhood listservs, newsletters, community meetings, and conversations to become places where we help one another get better informed. Where we ask questions before drawing conclusions. Where we share what we know, acknowledge what we don't, and work together to find answers.

Not because we're all going to agree, but because we'll be better equipped to make decisions and advocate for the things that matter to us.

We can be better informed, better organized, and better at communicating with one another. And I believe that would make Ward 1 a stronger voice in the city.

Made in Takoma Park

Finally, I want to say what an honor it has been to run for City Council.

If I'm not the person you choose, I understand. A little competition, a few new ideas, and some hope for the future are good things for a community. I hope this campaign has contributed something worthwhile, regardless of the outcome.

I love Takoma Park. It's the place where I grew up. It's the schools I attended, the parks I played in, the swimming pool, the skate park, and the dog park. It's the wonderfully strange public art that I sometimes don't understand, the wacky parades, the Folk Festival, the music, and the celebrations that somehow bring all of us together.

It's our restaurants, from vegan and vegetarian food to pupusas and pizzas. It's our neighborhoods, our traditions, our languages, and all the wonderfully different people who have made this little city what it is.

I spent years living elsewhere. I could have settled in any number of places. But I chose to come back to Takoma Park.

Because this is home.

Hecho en Takoma Park. Crecí aquí. Takoma Park es mi hogar.

Made in Takoma Park. I grew up here. Takoma Park is my home.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be part of this election, for sharing your thoughts with me, and for caring so much about the future of our city.

Whatever happens on Tuesday, I hope we keep talking, keep asking questions, and keep working together to make Takoma Park better.

— Doug