By Lisa Herbold
District 1 Councilmember Elect

A full 35 days from election night, this long campaign is finally over. But before I shift gears away from campaigning and towards representation and policy-making, I have some thoughts from the heart to share.

This campaign has been the most humbling and among the most rewarding of my life experiences. From the very first day in late January when the idea of running was pitched to me by others (you know who you are!), to building an organization of volunteers, to asking those volunteers to work an extra month to secure my lead, the spirit and number of people lending their energy to our effort has been such an incredible affirmation of our shared values and aspirations.

As for Nick Licata, my teacher for the last 18 years, he embodies all of the best qualities of a dedicated and tireless public servant, egoless leader, and a brilliant creative strategist. I do not hope to fill his shoes, but will be honored to walk in his footsteps, while also making my own path.

Of course, the person with whom I shared the stage between August and November deserves extra-special recognition for her integrity, energy, and knowledge. I was privileged to run with Shannon Braddock as my opponent and campaign partner. I have boundless admiration for Shannon's commitment to our community and I sincerely look forward to working with her in the future.

Together with the issues, our campaign focused upon the values that led us last year to overwhelmingly pass District elections. We wanted a Council more accountable to the voters.

Of course early in the campaign these values became an even bigger focus because an Independent Expenditure (IE) campaign made a record-busting investment against me. Their donations were not subject to financial limits like our donations are. This District 1 $230,000 IE was more than all IEs combined in citywide Council races in the last 3 election cycles combined.

But maybe now we can ensure that the influence of IEs will not become the new "politics as usual. It's not everyday that a candidate outspent 3-1 wins her election. Hasn't this election proven to us that if we continue to work together like we have over the last 10 months we can make sure that all voices are represented and that we can challenge those who would maintain the status quo?

Let's use the outcome of this campaign and the new district system to pass laws that ensure that those who benefit most from our prosperity invest in a fair deal for our city. Like we said on the campaign trail, let's pass developer impact fees to improve mobility, laws so development includes truly affordable housing, and new regulations that protect renters from some of the excesses in a hot housing market. We also have to be persistent advocates for responsive and accountable policing for all of our communities and enforcement of our groundbreaking labor laws.

I say "we" because I've only gotten this far with the help of my supports. This election belongs to all of us. I'll only be able to succeed with you by my side. I want you there to push me, to correct me, to redirect me, to back me up, and help to move us all forward.

Lisa Herbold can be reached via email at d1forlisa@gmail.com