Brother Aaron, for City Council!

It is with great pride that I write to support Aaron O’Grady to represent Ward 3 on the City Council. I was born and spent much of my
childhood in Ward 3, and since a large part of my family still resides there, it is the part of our city where I feel most at home.

That family includes Aaron. He’s my older brother and while we have different fathers and last names, we weren’t raised to draw distinctions between half or full siblings. That’s part of coming from a family that deviates from the “social norm.”

We grew up on Oak Street, in the second adaptation of the house our mother and her eight siblings were raised in and the same house where our 86 year old grandmother lives today. We never met our grandfather, he died in 1975 three days before my mother graduated from BFA. Yet with little money and not nearly enough time together, our grandparents were able to instill in their children a deep desire to serve and an unwavering commitment to our community.

That dedication to St. Albans has been passed on to our generation.

I offer this background for one simple reason: if you’ve been somewhere long enough, you know the ups and downs better than anyone, because you’ve lived them.

Recent history hasn’t been kind to this part of the city. Economic activity on Lake Street has declined substantially; once vibrant shops and restaurants are now empty store fronts and “for lease” signs. Streets and sidewalks have fallen into disrepair, while property taxes have nearly doubled in the last ten years.

The insinuation that, if given more time a twelve year incumbent could gain more traction and be a stronger voice for the neighborhood, is fatally flawed.

Our city is at a crossroads. We’ve lost nearly 10 percent of our population in ten years. In order to grow our city, our tax base, our downtown and a stronger community, we need fresh ideas to challenge the status quo.

Aaron’s candidacy offers that challenge. He understands the difficulties of growing a business and a family here, because he’s doing it, right now.

I urge those of you in Ward 3, who want a strong voice to represent the history of our part of the city and work towards a better future for it, to support Aaron O’Grady on Town Meeting Day.

Rep. Dustin Allard Degree
St. Albans City