Tonight, local business owners Bill and Linda Smittcamp hosted a gathering of friends and colleagues for me.  It was a great group of folks - small business owners, retirees, arts community activists, and education leaders.  They brought up concerns about downtown revitalization, improving the economy, the city's role in education and job training, and improving neighborhoods and reducing crime.  I've done a number of neighborhood meetings around Fresno since August.  These are the common issues that continue to come up, but there's also an undercurrent of frustration that people continually express.  They don't understand why there's been so much talk about these issues, but things don't seem to change.  I share their frustration.  That's why I'm in the Mayor's race.  I've done just about all I can do from the outside of city hall to make a positive impact on issues that are most important to me - lowering unemployment and poverty rates, improving neighborhoods, and being the "lead advocate" for the region in Sacramento and Washington, D.C.  As the next Mayor of Fresno, I'm committed to seeing these things through.