I hope you’ll join me in re-electing Melissa Youssef to City Council.
She soldiered through four crisis-laden years, yet is willing to continue to serve. Working through such challenging circumstances provided invaluable knowledge that will benefit Durango moving forward.
As an advocate for the unhoused community, I appreciate Melissa’s compassion for our marginalized populations. She showed up and listened intently at the ACLU meeting in December 2018; NINA’s meeting on the Camp Hope model in Las Cruces, NM; Athena/PATH community listening sessions; as well as listening to the unhoused themselves at public meetings.
She spoke truth to power to work with the unhoused, sometimes alone, despite push-back from prior city officials. She questioned the wisdom of forcing campers near the dog park where buried chemicals could pose health risks.
With new councilors and staff, a paradigm shift developed to address homelessness productively without criminalizing it. Melissa contributed and led to incremental progress by collaborating with the county, dedicating city funds, supporting the permanent Espero housing project, and a willingness to consider Purple Cliffs as a viable option. Much work remains, but Melissa will continue to work toward improvements in the lives of the unhoused. She is also a supporter of workforce housing, which is moving forward by the Urban Renewal Authority with the MidTown Renewal District.
Melissa truly cares about all segments of Durango’s population. Let’s retain her on City Council.
Lynne ShollerDurango
