Photo courtesy of Jim Lewis
With his statement of intent filed last week, former Long Beach Rescue Mission president and CEO Jim Lewis becomes the third candidate to announce he will vie for the empty 3rd District city council seat in April.
Emphasizing his dedication to community and service, Lewis is running on a platform of “compassionate, responsible and fiscally conservative government,” and says his experience in social service and business has prepared him for the council position.
“I have a passion for community, and a desire to serve,” Lewis said in a statement. “That’s what provides impetus for this campaign. I desire to see community, government, and business leadership all working together for Long Beach to flourish.”
During his time with the Rescue Mission, Lewis was known for fostering collaboration and communication between the city, police and the homeless communities in Long Beach. In a story about his departure from the Mission in January of this year, the Press-Telegram quoted Lewis’ colleagues saying he is “a man full of opinions, who still was able to listen. And he is a guy who made things happen.”
During his seven years with the Mission, Lewis became active in many community organizations including the Long Beach Homeless Coalition, the Central Area Project Council, Leadership Long Beach and the Government Affairs Committe.
After he left the Rescue Mission, Lewis remained in Long Beach and is currently Development Officer at Mission Aviation Fellowship as well as a consultant for local and national nonprofits through his own firm. He has a Master of Arts in Global Leadership from Fuller Theological Seminary and a graduate certificate in Nonprofit Organization Management from UC Riverside.
“I bring a fresh perspective and the ability to steward organizational and community change,” Lewis said. “I have made the difficult decisions of mitigating the impact of homeless services, budgeting and layoffs in a meager economy, raising funds through public and private sectors, and–as few of our council has done–tackled completing capital projects and making a payroll. I am committed to addressing these and other issues through thoughtful and prayerful consensus-building and collaborations–with a passion for my community and a desire to serve its best interests.”
Lewis will be running against Martha Flores Gibson and real estate executive Jack Rosenberg
For more information, visit JimLewisforCouncil.com
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