As a dedicated policymaker, I’ve always been passionate about making a difference in my community. I was born in Lincoln, Nebraska; a first-generation American raised in New Jersey by a working-class mother. I survived violence, destitution, and emotional abuse, grew up in the church, and eventually won the most votes for a City Councilor in Westminster’s history.
I am a left-of-center public servant with private-and-public sector business experience that champions empathy and transparency to address the historic distrust in our political system, center the needs of marginalized communities and enhance the education and economic security of working families and small businesses.
I am also deeply involved in community service, serving on the boards of several nonprofits and engaging in initiatives that support our most vulnerable residents. Whether it's through policy-making, community updates, or personal reflections, I aim to provide transparency and inspire hope.
I’ve participated in countless town halls, civic meetings, and conversations with constituents during my tenure as an elected official. Throughout my term, I have communicated with you across all social media channels, during my open office hours at City Hall, and in many others ways. I want to continue that conversation and deepen my connection with the people I represent.
I’m launching this newsletter because transparency is good in and of itself and you should expect more than you get from people in my position. But there’s another reason: If we’re going to turn the page on a pretty dark chapter in American politics, we need more people in my position to use their platforms to inform, not just provoke. I’m a member of a party, I have a political perspective, and I’m certainly fallible. But I’m not nuts and I’m not dishonest. No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, you should be able to read my updates and not have them ring your B.S. alarm. And that’s a healthy contribution to the political discourse in a moment when it really needs some rehabilitation.
But it goes beyond that.
To truly heal the divisions in our society, we need more policymakers who use their platforms to inform and inspire, rather than provoke or mislead. I'm also committed to honesty and open-mindedness. My hope is that, regardless of your political leanings, you'll find my updates refreshing, insightful, and free of B.S.
In the back of my mind, I also have the sense that someday, far in the future, great-grandchildren of mine I’ll never get the chance to meet might read these words, and to them, I’ll probably exist only as the person who wrote them. And I’d like to make them proud.
Yours in service and hope,
Obi Ezeadi
