Tom Kaiser

Economy We should actively support the businesses that choose to invest here. I want to work with business owners and commercial property owners to remove barriers to opening and expanding businesses in our city. Strengthening and modernizing programs like our façade improvement program can help businesses improve their storefronts and make our commercial corridors more vibrant and welcoming. Environment / Energy Greener streets will also make our city more resilient. Trees, stormwater design, and improved streetscapes can reduce flooding, protect our waterways, and make our neighborhoods more beautiful and enjoyable. Housing Columbia Heights should remain a city where people at all stages of life can afford to live. As redevelopment moves forward across the city, we have an opportunity to add new housing while ensuring longtime residents are not pushed out. That means encouraging a mix of housing types, supporting responsible property owners, and adopting common-sense protections for renters. We should also guide redevelopment in ways that strengthen neighborhoods rather than displacing the people who helped build them. Infrastructure / Transportation We have a historic opportunity to redesign our streets so they work better for everyone. Accelerating our Safe Routes to School program means building sidewalks and physically protected bikeways so students and families don’t have to dodge cars on their way to school, parks or the grocery store. Expanding our bike network with safe, separated infrastructure will make it easier to get across town while improving pedestrian safety throughout the city.