By Vice Mayor Sasha Naiman
I am grateful to be part of such a civically engaged Montgomery community, where residents feel empowered to voice different perspectives at Council meetings, write to the City with their ideas, and participate in open dialogue about the issues that matter most to them. The decisions made by the Council and City Administration must balance a range of sometimes-opposing viewpoints—and this is why your engagement is so critical. It is especially exciting when residents express interest in elected, appointed, and volunteer opportunities within Montgomery or when they get involved beyond our City limits. This community’s civic participation makes a real difference in shaping our shared future. I am sure of this.
Since we are such a civically engaged community, many of us are still experiencing the reverberations of Election Day. The principles, aspirations, and concerns that fueled months of public discourse and private conversations continue to resonate long after the final ballots were cast. While the election may have ended, the work of shaping our future continues.
We now face a question, as individuals and as a collective. How do we want to live in the 364 days until the next Election Day and the 1,463 days until voting in another Presidential Election year? When each of us feels ready, in our own time, we have a chance to step into these days with renewed energy, compassion, grace for one another, determination, and bravery.
The recent election certainly sets a trajectory for leadership at every level, from federal to local, from elected offices to businesses and public agencies. In our diverse community, that means residents celebrated victories in some races and mourned losses in others. Yet democracy gives us a unique gift: it allows us to adapt, to keep evolving, and to never tie a neat, final “bow” in our leadership. The calendar didn’t stop on November 5, and neither should we!
As a member of the Council, I’ve seen firsthand how Montgomery values innovation, inclusion, kindness, thoughtfulness, and honesty. While every City decision cannot satisfy every resident, I hope our community knows how seriously the Council and City Administration take the input we receive. We are a community that comes together to find solutions, and we can continue to do so.
Please consider the monumental impact you can have through your voice, your daily actions, and your community involvement, including toward setting the trajectory for our Montgomery. Your engagement makes a difference every day, not just on Election Day. And, in a year, when you cast your vote for Council members—or maybe you run for Council yourself—that’s incredibly important, too! How can you best engage in Montgomery?