Residents from across District 3 gathered on August 13 for an evening centered on listening, community, and the future of South Ontario at Yoba: Boba & Frozen Yogurt.
Residents from across District 3 gathered on August 13 for an evening centered on listening, community, and the future of South Ontario.
The first District 3 Community Conversation hosted by D'Andre Lampkin brought together residents, families, community supporters, and neighbors at Yoba: Boba & Frozen Yogurt for an informal evening designed around one simple idea: everyone deserves an opportunity to be heard.
Rather than hosting a traditional campaign event filled with speeches, Lampkin invited residents to participate in a conversation about what they value, what concerns them, and what they hope South Ontario becomes in the years ahead.
"From the beginning, I wanted this campaign to be rooted in listening," Lampkin said. "The best part of the evening was watching residents with different experiences and viewpoints talk with one another, exchange ideas, and discover areas where they had more in common than they may have expected."
Three Questions Guided the Conversation
Residents were invited to respond anonymously using three different colors of Post-it notes placed throughout the room.
The questions were:
What do you love about South Ontario?
What needs more attention?
What would you like to see in the future?
The exercise quickly transformed the room into a visual representation of District 3's priorities.
Residents shared thoughts about public safety, traffic, roads, infrastructure, development, neighborhood quality of life, city services, parks, businesses, libraries, community activities, and the continued growth of South Ontario.
Some residents expressed enthusiasm about the direction Ontario is headed and the new amenities arriving in the community.
Others raised concerns about whether infrastructure and public services are keeping pace with residential growth.
Still others offered ideas about what South Ontario is missing and what could make District 3 an even stronger place to live, work, raise a family, and build a future.
The varying perspectives were welcomed.
"That was the point," Lampkin said. "Good leadership is not about surrounding yourself only with people who agree with you. It is about creating an environment where people can disagree respectfully, explain why they feel the way they do, and know that their perspective was taken seriously."
A Brief Visit from Mayor Paul Leon
Ontario Mayor Paul Leon also stopped by briefly with his family while on the way to a previously scheduled City event.
Leon greeted residents and introduced Lampkin in the context of his service and accomplishments as one of the Mayor's appointed Ontario Planning Commissioners.
The visit was not an endorsement announcement or campaign speech. Instead, the Mayor acknowledged the value of bringing residents together for an open community conversation.
Lampkin said the moment reinforced the spirit of the evening.
"This was never intended to be about political personalities," Lampkin said. "It was about neighbors. I appreciated the Mayor taking a few minutes to recognize the importance of bringing people together and having a constructive conversation about our city."
Gratitude to Everyone Who Showed Up
Lampkin expressed his gratitude to every resident who attended, brought a family member, asked a question, filled out a Post-it note, introduced themselves to a neighbor, or simply listened.
He also thanked Yoba: Boba & Frozen Yogurt for welcoming the community and providing a relaxed environment where residents could talk comfortably.
"The success of the evening belongs to the people who showed up," Lampkin said. "They trusted us with their thoughts, experiences, concerns, and ideas. That matters to me."
The feedback collected during the event will be reviewed alongside what Lampkin has heard during his ongoing Neighborhood Talks and Community Listening Walks throughout District 3.
Those conversations will continue.
"Residents should not hear from a candidate only when it is time to ask for their vote," Lampkin said. "I want these conversations to continue throughout the campaign and beyond. District 3 is changing quickly, and the people who live here should have a meaningful role in shaping what comes next."
For Lampkin, the Community Conversation represented another step toward the kind of leadership he hopes to bring to Ontario City Council.
Listen first. Bring people together. Learn from different viewpoints. Then get to work.
The conversation is only beginning.
Service • Experience • Community
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