Coalition for an Accessible and Resilient Edmonds

I started CARE in 2023 to advocate for land use policy changes – namely, legalizing the construction of more homes – in my hometown (Edmonds, WA). I am winding down this work in 2026 as I get ready to finish my undergrad degree.

I hosted happy hours, shared stories from my community, and hoarded PDFs and geodata. Most importantly, I learned how to shake hands with people I vehemently disagreed with.

Takeaways:

Local politics is mostly about showing up to meetings after 6pm on weeknights.
Effective advocacy is about building relationships with people, and making them guests of honor at the wedding of two stories – what we could have, and what we need to change to have it – and then inviting them to that wedding a minimum of five times.
People pay more attention to ideas when they're published under a vague & imposing acronym (like “CARE”).