Since last week, members of the community have reached out urging me to run for mayor. I am humbled by their encouragement and after reflection with my family have decided to run for mayor of this city I hold so dear. Concord is a small city with a big heart. I talk to many people who visit, fall in love with our vibrant downtown and neighborhoods, settle their families here, and invest in our community. We strive to be a city where the only limits to personal success are one’s ambition and imagination. Where everybody feels welcome and valued. In 40 years living and raising a family here, I’ve watched Concord transform from “city in a coma” to city on the rise. Kids I coached in rec league basketball have stayed to raise their own kids in this community.
Now I’m watching proudly as my grandsons enter Concord schools. I’m proud of my decade of service on City Council. Now, we must maintain and build upon our momentum by competing strategically to attract and retain businesses, creating good-paying jobs and minimizing the tax burden on homeowners, while addressing our housing crisis and homelessness. We must work to provide the emergency services and community policing that ensure Concord remains one of the safest, most attractive places in the country to live, work and play. Concord is in my heart. I look forward to hearing ideas from Concord residents so that together we can lead our city into its next great era.
Byron Champlin
Concord