I’m Adam Follmer. I’ve lived in St. Francis since 2016. It was one of the first homes I picked for myself, after years of my parents and schools deciding where I lived. I’ve seen a lot of it change, and a lot of it stay the same.
The city has its stage of the council chambers, and mailers paid for with our taxes. Us residents get two minutes at the mic, and the city is quick to remind us that’s a courtesy. This site and Connect St. Francis are our opportunity to learn and talk more.
Don’t believe me just because I took the time to put this together. Don’t believe the city either. I’ve tried to give you everything you need to make up your own mind. People are busy, so talk to your neighbors and find a shared sense of truth and accuracy. If you disagree with me, tell me on the board for everyone to see. If you agree, let’s do something about it.
I prepared a lot of this with my wife, Kendall, but we are different people. We still share a home, a tax bill and our daughter’s future. I am also different from the Community for the Triangle group, but we share the idea that we care about how the city is spending money, and that the proposal doesn’t represent the city’s collective view. St. Francis is the same way. This isn’t a single-issue group. I believe in intercommunalism, and that we have more common ground than it looks like. We just need a way to find it. Organizing is hard, but it doesn’t have to be.
Social media won’t do it for us. It’s made to sell your information, and bots, algorithms and billionaire owners don’t have your best interest at heart. Connect St. Francis costs me about $30 a month and some free time to run, and it’s free for everyone on it.
That’s the whole idea: know enough to form your own opinion, then find neighbors who can offer different perspectives. A place to learn, a place to connect, and maybe a more unified community where it matters the most.