Last night I headed to south Sacramento, to talk to a Neighborhood Watch organization of 50 citizens at the Union House Elementary School.
Like many of the community groups I've spoken with, this one was tight-knit and well-organized, with the single purpose of putting an end to the massive increase in crime that has occurred under Mayor Fargo's watch.
As I do at most of the community meetings I attend, I tossed out a few questions to the audience, asking them what they want from their next mayor, and what they want from their city government. The responses are what you might expect: leadership, better schools, safer streets, and smarter development.
But I was struck -- as was the audience -- when one woman, a 25-year resident of the area, summed it up for everyone in the room by saying "We want our neighborhood back."
In a few minutes, she connected the dots that had led to the deterioration of the quality of life in her area: neighbors no longer knew each other, kids were "running wild" in the streets without supervision from their parents, slower police response times. Her once prized neighborhood has turned into someplace where she is afraid to walk at night.
Everyone in the room connected with her. So did I.
I believe it's time that we take our city back. That's what this campaign is all about. And that's the message I'll be spreading during the next three months as we talk of the hope and change Sacramento families, like those in south Sacramento, deserve from their mayor.