Letter: Vanorny is the voice Cedar Rapids needs

Cedar Rapids is my home in every sense of the word. I grew up here, I attended school here all the way through my bachelor's degree and I choose to raise my daughter here. I pay close attention to the politics of Iowa. I have watched as 2017 has given a voice to young, new candidates to run for city council across the state. I worried as the year progressed that Cedar Rapids would not have those young passionate voices running for our own City Council. I worried that young people were not invested in this city.

Luckily in May, Ashley Vanorny contacted me regarding a run for District 5 in Cedar Rapids for City Council. She said that she wanted to prove herself as a candidate that I could get behind and support. She's done exactly that.

When I spent time in May and June advocating for an affordable housing project, she was one of the first people to reach out to me to help. While I attended City Council meetings to speak on a topic, she was always there sitting in the room, taking notes and listening to others in Cedar Rapids who were speaking on issues presented to the City Council. She's been attending the meetings while I see few other candidates doing the same, and she does it while attending school, working full-time, and serving her community through the work of various nonprofits.

Vote Vanorny for District 5 on Nov. 7.

Lindsey Ellickson

Cedar Rapids