We have been sitting silent for too long and now is the time to let our voices be heard. Not just through rally's or protest, but in the halls of justice and legislation. We deserve a seat at the table! No longer will we just accept what others think we deserve.

I think it's necessary to sit with other leaders and legislators and have real conversations to come up with comprehensive and inclusive solutions to issues we face everyday. These decisions must be fair, equitable, and without bias or prejudice.

What's important: Education- Our kids deserve better than what we are giving them. We have one of the lowest rating educational systems in the country. Why? Our teachers are struggling to keep up with the ever changing demands placed on them because politics and ever changing policies. And that's just the start.

Affordable Housing: This goes without saying this issue affects us all in some form. We have to come up with innovative ways to address this issue as industry and government work together to combat the rising cost of housing.

Homelessness: This is, in some part, a residual effect of the above issue. But we can come up with some out of the box initiatives that can begin to address this issue also.

Clean Water: I think this goes without saying that unless we have clean water we cant live. This has to be a priority.

Mental Health: We have to get in front of this once and for all. This hits us from all sides. We have to sit down with our health professionals to come up with a comprehensive plan that addresses diagnosis, treatment, and follow up.

No one person or entity can make this happen alone. There has to be a collaborative effort across the board to be successful. We can do it.