After the polls closed last night and the votes were tallied, the results were not in my favor. Kerry Devine and Matt Kelly were re-elected to the Fredericksburg City Council. I want to thank them for running strong issue-focused, positive campaigns. And I am certain the City is in good hands moving forward with them and Mayor Mary Katherine Greenlaw at the helm.
I would be remiss if I did not thank Marc Hoffman, the City’s Voter Registrar, for his leadership, and his staff, the Electoral Board, other City staff and election volunteers for all the work they did during a very atypical and complicated election. It was amazingly well-organized and made this voting effort look easy when we know it was anything but.
I want to also tip my FredNats cap to the voters in the City who went the extra mile to cast their ballots. We’ve been called “The Little City that Votes” and we lived up to that reputation. We broke the record for the number of votes in previous City At-Large elections. All of that under crazy ‘socially-distant’ conditions… amazing!
I am disappointed.
But I am also so proud to have the privilege to run for this office, to speak and listen to your concerns and your ideas, to share my vision for the City’s future. I may not be a member of the City Council – but I’m not going to hide away. There is work to be done and I plan on doing my part.
I am grateful. I have had the support of so many people – they have shared their time, their talent, their insight and their contributions. This community is the most wonderful place, with the most amazing, loving people. From the very beginning, I knew Fredericksburg was my home, my spot. I’ve met even more amazing people during the last six months – so I am richer for this experience.
And, I want you all to know that my Campaign Team was the best team any candidate ever had. They way they pivoted when COVID-19 came to town and devoted their incredible talents to this campaign was remarkable. Mitzi, Carolyn Lawson, Mona Lutnes, Leah Courtnage, Joan Diaz-Mendez worked miracles. And, the Team at Dead Hand Design (Kevin Handy and Anna Lesperance) – the masters of my website and branding – are just geniuses at what they do. I also want to thank Pete Morelewitz (Print Jazz) for the perfect graphics he designed.
They are all friends for life.
I hope you know that I’d still like to chat with you, hear how things are going. You will certainly be seeing me in the neighborhood, on the streets – or on the river.
Meanwhile, take care … and be good to each other.
PS – We’ll be picking up signs over the next couple of days. Don’t be alarmed when yours goes missing!
Your servant,
