This is What we Do:

Advocacy

One way in which we serve our community is by speaking up on your behalf.  Whether it is at the municipal, state, or federal level, we regularly communicate with our elected officials about the particular concerns and needs of our district.

 Here are some of the ways that plays out:

Executive Director Ellen Gamson attends city council meetings frequently, often with one or more of our board members and downtown business and property owners. Every January, Washington Main Street has its 1st quarter leadership meeting in Olympia, where we also attend the legislature’s Heritage Caucus and meet with our representatives to address your concerns at the state level. Our Executive Director is a member of the Government Affairs Committee of the Mount Vernon Chamber, which works to meet with candidates and electeds in the district and produces such events as the recent legislative send-off before the current session. The Downtown Association has also cohosted candidate forums with the Chamber in years past. In 2020 and 2021 (virtual), Ellen was invited to accompany members and staff of the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation to Washington, D.C. and met with our federal delegation as a proponent for our Main Street and Main Streets everywhere during National Preservation Week. The responsibility of conveying information to the people in the places and positions to effect change or meet needs is one we take very seriously, recognizing that the heritage and places we value, and the entrepreneurial dreams we support, are nonpartisan.

Because we represent you, we want to hear from you! If you have ideas of things that you would like to see downtown, connect with us on any of our social media platforms or email director@mountvernonwdowntown.org.