Last month I met a voter named Jeff who said to me, “Good for you for running, but why would you want to be a politician?” My gut reaction was to answer, “We need people who DON’T want to be politicians to run for office, we need good, committed people to step up in politics and work on our behalf.” But that question has stuck with me over the last few weeks and I realized there’s something much bigger at play: “politician” has become a dirty word. Rather than distrust and recoil, we should all aspire to public service. An aspiration not for ourselves, but for what we can do together.

I decided to run because I believe that each of us can make the world a better place — and in fact we have a duty to do so. As I end this political campaign, I continue a personal campaign: to encourage us all to find our passions, apply our talents, and change the world. Together.

Maggie Murray

Keystone