DOWNEY — It’s amazing how working for a community newspaper opens your eyes to the activity around you. Over the past several years, I feel I have really gotten to come into touch with the soul and heartbeat of our city.

Now, feeling that I have a decent understanding of Downey and how it operates, like my editor before me, here is my wishlist for Downey in 2020.

Let’s start with the obvious: With Measure S entering its final stretch in the new year, I hope that we see its near-flawless if not absolutely flawless conclusion.

It has been frustrating, admittedly, to see so much construction in the city at one time. However, the significance of it all did not become clear to me until just recently, when I was granted the opportunity to be a part of a tour that was taken from site to site, including several parks in varying degrees of completion, Fire Station 1, and the library.

I have said it before, but trust the process; there is a light at the end of this dusty tunnel. Let’s just cross our fingers that we stay on schedule, on budget, and that there are no hiccups along the way.

My counterpart mentioned the upcoming election. While I agree that I hope that voters will choose the right group of people for the city (and I am faithful they will), I am also hopeful for a healthy and competitive election period beforehand.

Yes, there is a solid number of community-minded, leadership-oriented individuals who reside in Downey; to that point, there is no question.

However, I hope that there is no obvious “front-runner” as is so often the case. It is my belief that a tighter race not only encourages more creative thinking and problem solving amongst candidates but also puts added pressure on those running for reelection to put their best feet forward (not that they don’t already; I have nothing but respect for our current council members).

As Eric said as well, it’ll be the most interesting to see what will come of the District 5 seat, as it is the only seat guaranteed to have a new councilmember. Whoever that person is, they will have big shoes to fill in the wake of Alex Saab.

Thirdly, I hope to see more and improved community involvement and dialogue amongst our residents.

This year, try keeping more up to date on council/committee/commission dealings. Talk to and get to know the council member for your district (and no, not just when something goes wrong on your block). Attend council meetings, public hearings, and community events. Heck, read the newspaper and send in a letter to the editor, or leave a comment online (sorry for the cheap plug).

It’s a refreshing thing to see our community involve itself in, well, itself. At its core, the only way to see our community continue to grow and thrive is to dialogue with one another.

Lastly, I pray that 2020 is a relatively uneventful news year for Downey as a whole.

No, it’s not that I want there to be no news at all so it’s easier for me and Eric.

But, in an era where it seems there is some sort of tragedy or scandal in the news every other week, let’s hope that none of that befalls our beloved Downey.

There are a few of my friends who think I’ve become a bit morbid since starting my career, as I get a bit of a thrill and/or adrenaline rush when I charge into potentially dangerous situations for a story or a photo.

For the most part, most of those incidents have been false alarms or contained relatively quickly.

Like most of you reading this article, Downey is my home. I have family here. I have friends here. I have a genuine love and concern for my community. I don’t want anything to happen to it.

They say that “no news is good news,” to which I’ve added, “unless you’re a journalist.” It is unlikely that there won’t be something that happens within the span of a year, and to say that we’d be so fortunate would be unrealistic and irresponsible; that much I think we can all agree on.

Still, I hope that we can keep a relatively blemish-free record in the year to come.

I love and cherish my role as your staff writer for the Downey Patriot, and I hope that I am blessed enough to continue to do so in the coming year.

As always, from the deepest and most sincere part of my heart, thank you for another year of supporting myself and the rest of the Patriot staff. Whether you took a subscription, placed an ad, shared our content online, or even just read the paper once while you waited in Dr. Frischer’s waiting room, know that it means the world. There would not be a Downey Patriot without the residents of Downey.

Whatever you celebrate, may your holiday season be merry and bright, and may the new year treat you well.