By james art Our city’s economy thrives on parents who get up early, put in a hard day’s work, and gather for family dinners. Workers build the foundation for generations to come. And too many workers in our city feel like they’ve been left behind.
I’ve spoken to hundreds of door-to-door people over the past few months, and so many of them are struggling. They struggle to afford decent housing. They struggle to find good jobs. They struggle to understand why there is a focus on downtown, which is for 24-hour entertainment, instead of downtown and neighborhoods, which are for families and small businesses.
That’s actually what inspired me to run in the first place: We need a city councilman who is focused on making things better for workers, families and seniors. I’m running to make real improvements to our neighborhoods and improve our quality of life. I know the work that needs to be done, and I bring to this race the independence that ensures I am accountable only to you, the people who live here.
I have dedicated my entire life to serving families and local businesses. I am focused on how to help small corner abuelo and abuelita shops thrive in our community. We help them thrive by cleaning the streets and keeping the public safe. We help them thrive by addressing the neighborhood issue so people feel safe walking the few blocks to the store. We help them thrive by ensuring that small businesses can afford to operate.
We also help families and small businesses by going out and talking to them, and more importantly, listening to them. We need a councilor who we know will go out and talk to residents and small businesses about what they need and who can communicate with them from a place of understanding and familiarity with their lives and their neighborhood. In a city council district with a diverse majority-minority population, it is important to note that I am the only candidate with extensive experience working directly with these diverse communities.
It’s time for Reno to ask for more. Ward 1 deserves a representative who understands the hardships of living paycheck to paycheck and knows firsthand how important a thriving local economy is to our businesses and families.
I raised the funds for my campaign without relying on developers or corporate donors. I owe nothing to anyone except a commitment to serve the people of this community. I have consistently stood up for our families, not out-of-state corporate interests. I am proud to have the support of unions and Democrats like former Lt. Gov. Kate Marshall, Assemblywoman Angie Taylor and Commissioner Mariluz Garcia. I am proud to stand with them in this fight for working families.
This election, let’s vote to build a thriving small business community, make our neighborhoods safer, and put our working-class children and families first. My name is Frank Perez and I am working to earn your vote for the Reno City Council.
Frank Perez is a community leader, father and husband, University of Nevada graduate, code enforcement officer and candidate for Reno City Council District 1.