"But where are your yard signs?"

I believe strongly in transparency, so for those curious as to why I've been running a minimalist campaign for the primary, here are my reasons:

• There are only two candidates, so the primary does not make a determination beyond being a temperature check of the "horse race" itself.
• I hate yard signs. I recognize they work for name recognition and in association with other candidates in someone's nicely manicured front lawn, but they're ugly and wasteful.
• I don't want this campaign to be about raising and spending money. I'm relying on my record on City Council and what I submitted to the voters guide for this leg of the race.
• I don't have a campaign manager. 
• I have a full time job, am dedicated to my role on City Council, am currently in the middle of a home remodel and am an active parent to a young child, so I haven't had time for door knocking and retail politics.

Perhaps most significantly, I don't like traditional campaigning. My idea of campaigning is talking to people and learning about their challenges with local government and working together with others on ideas that can activate the most amount of people to work at their best. I really don't like talking myself up to people. It just isn't who I am.

But I recognize that I'm up against the political machine and a well-funded campaign with a lot of well-laid-out policy positions, so I going on faith that people can see through the smoke and recognize a genuine public servant with creativity and common sense when they see one.