MICHELLE CHAMBERS (D) At-Large Candidate
We are living in a nation on edge. From Wall Street to Main Street, shocking headlines and breaking news stories are causing political and emotional uneasiness and dare I say racial division like many of us have never seen.
As I walk door to door across our city – friends, neighbors and business leaders often ask me, why are you running for political office? My initial response is, Why not? Fact is, it is much deeper than that and is rooted in the lessons of community and public service taught to me as a young girl growing up in Fort Wayne. My passion and dedication for service has been the cornerstone that has guided me as an African American woman, wife, daughter, sister, aunt and business owner for more than 25 years. Simply put, I have embraced my family’s legacy as a servant leader. An unspoken truth which says, be the change you want to see…not a complainer, but a part of the solution. That is why I am running.
While uncertainty and even fear may hold many in our country hostage, my focus, today and always, is on the working families of Fort Wayne who are demanding bigger and bolder ideas and most of all gender diversity in our City Council. Why is this important?
Study after study show racial and gender diversity in representative government opens the door for a greater appreciation of the kitchen table issue facing voters and provide for more creative solutions. Unfortunately, this has not been our experience in Fort Wayne.
Since 2012 Fort Wayne has been led by an all-male, mostly white City Council. This would not be unusual except for the fact we, as the second most populous city in Indiana with 265,000 residents, are 51% women. Pause for a minute and let that sink in – 51% of our community are women. Women we trust to teach our children, care for our parents, lead businesses – but not represent us on city council. This is unacceptable.
As shocking as this may be, voters in Fort Wayne will have the opportunity to right this wrong in November. As a candidate for a City Council At-Large seat I ask for your vote and therefore the opportunity to bring a new voice and a new vision to our local government. A vision that will put people over politics, a vision that will start with proactive and consistent community engagement and a vision that will work towards solutions that recognize the social and economic hurdles of those often forgotten in the decision making process.
Fort Wayne is an amazing city filled with neighborhoods of hardworking people who call it home and raise their children here. Like any other city, however, we have our challenges that at times can seem overwhelming. These challenges can only be solved when we decide to elect leaders with diverse experiences, a passion for public service and a willingness to build coalitions for a stronger, more inclusive Fort Wayne.
I hope you will join me on this journey – because this is why I am running.
Publisher’s Note: In the interest of public education of local politics and to encourage voting, The Waynedale News offered all of the candidates in the upcoming primary election the opportunity to share their biography and goals for the office that they are running for. This came with the stipulations that they were not allowed to degrade other candidates or current policy, and they were required a minimum advertising budget for The Waynedale News area. Staying true to our non-bias news and positive outlook, we do not endorse or recommend any of the candidates on this page further than any other candidates running for office. But, these are the candidates wanting to be seen by you. Our recommendation is to use these pages as a reference when researching candidates for the upcoming primary election, make educated decisions on who you would like to see in office and most importantly VOTE on November 5 at your predestinated voting location. More information: www.allencounty.us/election-board
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