My journey into City Council began shortly after moving to Walla Walla, 7 years ago, when I was invited to participate in the Community Council affordable housing study group.
People from every part of the community were part of that study.
It was a fantastic model of how you resolve problems by involving people with different perspectives and skills to methodically research, listen to subject-matter experts and study the various aspect of the problem.
That approach was a fundamental lesson I learned, and by collaborating, we arrived at practical recommendations, which included several recommendations for local government. As the chair of the implementation task force, I advocated with the planning commission and city council to propose practical implementations of these recommendations through code modifications and ordinances.
Some of the people that worked with me in that capacity proposed that I continue doing this work and bringing that spirit of collaboration to City Council. This resulted on running for and being elected to city council.
Today, my way of serving the community is in collaborating, building bridges of trust and understanding. Whether it is county commissioners, port commissioners, private businesses, non-profit organizations, the community college and others. The best way we are going to resolve the challenges ahead in our community is in working together, collaborating across all perspectives and sectors of our community.
It is not us and them, in this city there is only us, all of us.
My city council experience, with a strong record of service with integrity and honesty, my community service, leadership skills, multicultural competence and the passion to serve, prepare me to serve the community at large and to continue our important work in City Council.
Gustavo Reyna 