What makes Stuart special to all of us? As a longtime resident and current City Commissioner, I’ve asked thousands of residents their views, and the themes are consistent and clear: keeping us a small town with clean water and excellent public amenities.

But, there are big challenges coming that we’ll have to address in order to keep Stuart special — challenges like rising costs of housing and insurance, the sprawl creeping up from the south, the pollutants that increasingly threaten our waterways.

With serious and thoughtful leadership, it is my belief that Stuart can not only emerge from these challenges while retaining what makes it special, but find ways to be a better Stuart for the families who will call Stuart home for generations. A better Stuart means safer streets, walkable communities, better parks, more local businesses, and a more vibrant downtown. It also means that we’ll need to listen to residents, work with the county, and partner with other agencies and our state representatives.

Serving as your Commissioner has been a responsibility that I take seriously. Let’s keep working together to make Stuart the best it can be.