I’ve got one City Council seat left to do (Ward 11) but there’s a forum tomorrow I could watch so I’m skipping ahead to Park Board.

This is one of the handful of super easy races this year. In the race for District 2 Park and Recreation Commissioner, Charles Rucker (DFL-endorsed, Incumbent kinda) is running unopposed. Love him or hate him, if you live in Park Board District 2, that’s who you’re getting for the next four years. (He’s “incumbent, kinda” because he held an at-large seat by appointment when he replaced someone who moved away, and he’s running for the District 2 seat, which Becka Thompson is not running for.)

I have a new book coming out next June! This one is not YA; it’s a near-future thriller about an obstetrician who gets kidnapped by a cult because they want someone on site to deliver babies. You can pre-order it right now if you want.

I do not have a Patreon or Ko-Fi but instead encourage people who want to reward all my hard work to donate to fundraisers. This year I’m fundraising for YouthLink. YouthLink is a Minneapolis nonprofit that helps youth (ages 16-24) who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. (Here’s their website.) I have seen some of the work they do and been really impressed. (An early donor to the fundraiser added a comment: “YouthLink was incredible instrumental in my assistance of a friend to escape a bad family situation in Florida with little more than a computer and a state ID. Thanks to YouthLink and their knowledge of resources my friend was able to get a mailing address (which was essential in getting a debit card and formal identification documents), healthcare, hot meals, an internship at a local company, and even furniture for their new apartment.” — That is exactly the sort of thing I’m talking about!)

I set up a fundraiser with a specific goal mainly because seeing the money raised helps motivate me. (Having external motivation helps! This is a lot of work.)