To the Editor-

I hope District 9 voters will reelect Mary McComb to keep serving as their alderperson and that voters in District 1 will elect Tori Jennings to join Mary and me on the Council.

Mary McComb has been a valued colleague for her fellow alders and a strong leader for our community. When we were considering a resolution to condemn a recent series of hateful acts against minorities, and the draft prompted free speech concerns, Mary provided a crucial revision to the resolution’s language.

Mary consistently works to uphold our values as a community that looks out for one another, which is why she fought to preserve Edgewater Manor as affordable housing for seniors. And I saw first-hand Alder McComb’s support for our police officers, fire fighters, sheriff’s deputies, and dispatchers when we took the 12-session Citizens Academy course last fall.

Tori Jennings comes to this election having already built a record of leadership—and results—for Stevens Point. As chair of the Bike and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, Tori worked closely with City staff to draw up a successful grant proposal that will fund a more robust and usable system of bike lanes.

Making our community more bike-able and walkable is essential in order to stay up-to-date and lure the next generation of workers and businesses to make their homes in Stevens Point. Through her work as a deeply engaged citizen and leader, Tori has become quite knowledgeable about the keys to smart growth for cities like ours (check out her videos about traffic on Division Street and the conversion from four to three lanes of a main road in Tomahawk, Wis.).

As I’ve followed Tori’s efforts, I know there are engineers who consider her almost like a fellow professional. And I also know that Tori Jennings would serve the 1st District well on the City Council.

David Shorr
2nd District Alderperson