Communication
Information is crucial when it comes to managing our day to day. An informed public is key to a representative democratic society. My plan is to ensure all residents of District 1 have information available to them. I hope to foster space for everyone to feel comfortable to share their voice.
Bilingual Neighborhood-focused Town Halls: One thing I have learned from knocking on doors is that every neighborhood of District 1 College Park is unique. Whether you live in Autoville, Camden, Cherry Hill, Daniel’s Parks, Hollywood, or Sunnyside, I want to hear from you. I pledge to host at least two monthly town halls and adjust as needed - update residents on current items on the City’s agenda, forecast and showcase upcoming events, and meet on issues in English and Spanish.
Bilingual Mailing Lists: Many residents are accustomed to their weekly update from a number of established mailing lists. I hope to partner with the existing lists and the city publication to add bilingual components. I hope to be able to further identify additional languages that may be needed and maintain our consistent stride towards including everyone in the political process. This will allow residents to be informed and hold us accountable.
City Genius: The City of College Park has a number of resources available to its residents. Many of us just do not know how to use those resources or get the process started. I hope to begin a series of discussions I am calling City Genius where I invite in technical experts to teach us all how to flag maintenance requests, request compost bins or city trees, submit actions for petition, apply for grants, utilize facilities, join working committees, and become a more involved member of the community. I hope to build on the progress already accomplished. My vision is to host our first session on our city’s app, College Park Connect, for residents for our Residents who may not be comfortable using technology.
Education
Growing up in a Spanish speaking household, it was impressed upon me to always pursue an education. Along with my education experience, I have learned that the term “education” can be widely encompassing to include continuing education, or being life time learner. If elected I hope to prioritize education for our residents.
Establish Relationships Education Stakeholders: The education of the next generation is critical. I have heard multiple anecdotes from District 1 parents that when their children reach a certain age, they then have to decide whether to send their kids to other districts or home school due to existing challenges. My 16 year old brother and 13 year old sister, who both attend local public schools, often express concern about overcrowding, limited bus drivers, and other issues. We can certainly do better. I will meet with Parent Teacher Associations across our district, School Board leadership, and the public school leadership across our district to understand where we can enhance the system. I hope to invite them to our forums so we can better understand where we can all be more involved in finding solutions.
Financial Literacy and Education: It doesn't matter if you are in high school or a homeowning adult with a variety of assets. Understanding finance is instrumental to building multigenerational wealth. My plan is simple: work with the school board to better understand and provide high schoolers a baseline for understanding how to manage their finances.
For our residents no longer in school, I want to help close the financial literacy gap to help residents best understand how to enhance their own unique situations. From basic budgeting, optimally paying taxes, to financial investing we can all benefit from talking about our best financial practices. Financial stability is critical towards the advancement of our community and our daily lives. As your City Councilperson, I hope to partner with the experts in our city and those in the private sector to offer seminars on how to best navigate the changing economic landscape. I hope to work with the University’s established networks and others to bolster our efforts to strengthen the middle class and teach us how to be better stewards of our finances.
Student-College Park Internship: If elected, I will establish a City of College Park Internship. The program itself will be open to high schoolers and post-high schoolers seeking to better understand city government. I will work with others on the council to find apprenticeship opportunities. Upon completion of the internship, participants will better understand city programs, policy, processes, and resources that they can share with others in the city.
Representation
I am here to represent you and our city’s issues. Representation means capturing the interests of large groups of our residents and turning them into the change we want for our community.
More City Events: We have a number of exciting events in the city. I hope to further energize the city by hosting events that showcase our talented residents and showcase our local business and vendors. Specifically, my vision is to host more events that bring us all together - celebrate history and heritage months, host City karaoke nights, and provide more opportunities to show off our talented residents at a city talent show!
Explore Expanding Bike Paths Access: College Park has excellent bike paths and we have a large biking community. I, myself, ride into downtown D.C. and can’t think of a better way to enjoy the vibrant and diverse environment than a ride on our bike paths. While bike lanes on shared roads are great, I find that they can often present greater risks than riding on our paths. In our efforts for continuous improvement, I hope to explore the construction of a bike path connecting our Autoville neighborhood to the nearby Paint Branch Bike path, especially during this busy construction season!
Continue the Green Initiative: College Park is known to everyone as a city that values its green initiatives. I want to continue this trend and explore additional methods of sustainability practices that can bolster our environmentally conscious way of life. I would like to explore ways the City can assist in reducing entry costs to install solar panels. Additionally, I want to work with the city and other surrounding communities to prioritize green infrastructure in new developments, remodels, and along public roads. Specifically, we should aim to incentivize infrastructure that supports native plants, pollinator friendly habitats, and stormwater management.