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and analysis of the writer:

I’m Charlie Verdin. I’m a local business owner and activist who, just a few months ago, was running as a candidate for city council in Ward 6. I have a vision for what elected officials should be — especially local elected officials: someone you can talk to, and who makes an effort to get to know the people they represent; someone who has a clear vision for how to improve people’s lives, and does the work to share that vision and bring people on board; someone who is invested in the success of their community, even before they take office; someone willing to get their hands dirty and do the work, even when it’s technically beyond their job description.

In short, someone whose values spur them to action.

I was ready to be that someone. I was gearing up for a campaign to sell this vision to my community and to convince them that I was the one who could make that vision a reality. It’s an exciting process, and one I was looking forward to.

And then I met Miranda Schubert.

I hadn’t met her before this campaign. We were running for the same office, though, so we were bound to bump into each other here and there. And although we were rivals, we kept it friendly. (So did the other Democratic candidates, for the record.) Our platforms were very similar, though we focused on different priorities. This is, of course, typical of primary races; we have to somehow stand apart even though we generally agree on most of the issues. It’s to be expected.

But then the unexpected happened.

I had volunteered to help clean up a wash in midtown, in the Pinecrest neighborhood. Pinecrest had just formed its neighborhood association a few months prior. I was there for the founding, since my company is in the neighborhood, and I’ve continued to be involved when I can. The wash cleanup was one of Pinecrest NA’s first big projects.

So imagine my surprise when Miranda showed up, gloves on and ready to work. To be clear, she isn’t from this neighborhood; I happened to know that she lived across the district, over five miles away. And she wasn’t spending her time there campaigning during the cleanup, either. Miranda did more than her fair share of the work, with the two of us being among the last still gathering trash after most other volunteers departed for one reason or another.

That’s when I realized I didn’t want to fight against this rival any longer. Here was a candidate getting her hands dirty to help the community. Here was a candidate who was clearly not all talk. Here was the candidate I wanted to see in office.

It didn’t have to be me after all. What a relief.

I dropped out of the race and endorsed Miranda shortly after this event. After all, if she’s willing to put in the work to make a difference in the community when she’s out of office, just imagine what she’ll be able to accomplish in office. I’m excited to see what she does. That’s why, when I get my ballot for the Ward 6 Democratic primary, I’m voting for Miranda Schubert.