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Community organizer, Mizzou librarian to run for Columbia City Council
The field of candidates for the Aug. 5 special election for the Ward 2 seat on the Columbia City Council is widening with the addition of Vera Elwood.
Elwood, who was at the empty chair town hall on May 20, said she was running and put out an official announcement Thursday, May 22.
"I am running for City Council because I love Columbia. I met my husband here. I started a family here. I found my community here. I believe that my experience in public service, knowledge of Columbia, and dedication to community involvement can help make Columbia a truly safe place for everyone," she said in the announcement.
As of now, Elwood will face off against Ken Rice, who has the support of former Ward 2 council member Lisa Meyer, who resigned from the council due to health reasons.
Elwood is the current chair of the city's Disabilities Commission and is a member of the city's Commission on Cultural Affairs. Her campaign tenants include "improving infrastructure, creating a safer and more welcoming city and ensuring every voice in the community is heard and uplifted," the announcement noted.
She is the third generation of her family to have attended the University of Missouri and returned to the city in 2019 to raise her family. She is an foster and adoptive mother, and said she also brings lived experiences as a queer and disabled woman.
"These perspectives have shaped her work leading accessibility, inclusion, and diversity trainings at libraries and organizations across the country," announcement noted.
More: Ken Rice makes bid for Columbia City Council after school board loss
Along with her roles on the city commissions, she also is Youth Program Coordinator at The Center Project, mid-Missouri's LGBTQ resource center, and is a union organizer with Laborers International Union of North America Local 955 and its Mizzou Workers United campaign. Elwood is a University of Missouri librarian and was able to join LiUNA 955 through that role.
"My time in public service has included everything from libraries to community centers to unions to city commissions, but one thing has always remained true. The city can buy as much asphalt as it wants, but if we do not have trained and supported workers to lay it, the potholes aren't getting fixed. Our people should always be our first priority," Elwood said.
She also regularly volunteers with True/False Film Fest, Unbound Book Festival, Mid-Missouri PrideFest, and the Central Missouri Humane Society.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Vera Elwood runs for Columbia Ward 2 council seat in special election
