Why in the world am I running for Mayor?  For too long we have heard defeated voices say, “That's just Shaker being Shaker,” or  “Shaker will never change.”  For those of us who have been blessed to find success in business leadership, that type of outward apathy is an obvious sign that our culture is broken. Our city's leadership must be able to listen to our community and really hear what we are saying. There is no doubt that long term economic strategy is important, however focusing on long view goals cannot keep us from improving life in Shaker today.  We must remove the barriers that keep our city from taking quick action when it is right and proper.  Better responsiveness will show our community that we hear them, and we care. Often in Shaker, outdated policy supports the easy “no”, and our entire community is left shaking our heads while the good ideas go to bureaucratic committees to die.  Let’s build trust with our school district, our library, our private sector, and our citizens.  Let’s lean into our issues and listen to one another to find solutions together.  Let’s start today and increase our pace of progress in Shaker!