Friends,

This is the time.

The time for D3 to come together.  To collaborate and put differences behind.  And to unify around a new beginning for our community’s politics.

I’m talking, of course, about the sad collapse of local faith for our elected councilmember, Omar Torres.  His authority as our representative has been fundamentally compromised by revelations of deeply unethical personal and financial activity.

So it’s our job, as a community, to set things right. This is our district. The councilmember works for us. And it’s our responsibility to restore functional governance for our D3 neighborhoods and businesses.

That’s why I strongly support efforts to Recall Omar, and I urge my D3 neighbors to do the same. 

But as we begin this process, let me suggest a few guidelines that will help us be successful–not just recalling Omar, but also getting us on track to be a more unified, fair, and caring district.

1. No finger-pointing. I ran against Omar for the D3 council seat and came in second–Omar won convincingly with 64% of the vote.  I walked the district and knocked on what has to be every door and let me assure you: people voted for Omar because they believed in him personally and politically. They were completely unaware of the personal shortcomings that have led to his downfall and should not be shamed nor held responsible for Omar’s behavior. At this point, we are no longer Omar vs Irene, we are all D3. 
2. The process behind this Recall effort should be open and transparent. Council seats are political positions, so guess what? There’s a lot of maneuvering going on. Even so, I feel that now is not the time for politics. So, I hope that during the Recall process, our community leaders are up front with us about their intentions. Full disclosure from me: While I am very interested in running for the D3 seat again, I will make zero decisions nor take on any organized Recall action until the Recall election is approved by D3. 
3. Unity.  When a door is closed, sometimes a window opens. So, too, with D3 and our current situation. I firmly believe that we can reframe our current troubles into an opportunity to be an example for the rest of the city.  How we can put aside the tired old Business vs Labor Divisions. Do away with the identity-politics-driven tropes and wild name-calling. And instead, organize as an independent community around fair-minded debate, a search for consensus, and caring for each other as neighbors and friends. 

Let’s turn today’s troubles into tomorrow’s opportunities. 

I’m sure there will be a lot to talk about and observe as this process plays out: Feel free to email me any questions or concerns that you may have regarding my take on the Recall effort and the status of D3 issues.  

Together,

Irene