EP 22: Dance The Vote with the Mayor of West Hollywood, John Erickson

“In a world that tries to beat you down, if you don’t have hope, you don’t have anything and that’s why we fight so hard for the stuff that we love,” says John Erickson mayor of West Hollywood, California, who joins today’s episode of Dance Dad with John Corella to discuss politics, social justice, and what it’s like to be at the helm of one of the biggest and most popular gay cities in the world. Mayor Erickson talks to host John Corella about his early exposure to activism in small-town Wisconsin thanks to his grandmother and best friend Gladys, his message for the LGBTQ youth, and how he keeps fighting the good fight for change. 

 

As it goes, being mayor is a bit of a balancing act. He makes strides to support small businesses as well as workers’ entitlement to a living wage; to make the streets safe and clean for cars, pedestrians and cyclists alike. He and host John Corella talk about building a loving and supporting community of influence around oneself and how we can have uncomfortable political conversations while maintaining our boundaries. 

 

Mayor Erickson will reveal how we can break through people’s resistance to change, how people can get involved and register to vote, and the Hillary Clinton quote he sports as a tattoo. 

 

Quotes

• “That is how I view the world, in that sometimes it feels like the world is on your shoulders trying to stop you from fighting, but it is always worth it in the end. We have to remember that.” (4:53 | Mayor John Erickson)
• “Sometimes, off-camera, I get a little unhopeful. It’s easy to get scared. But when you’re a leader in the community and you’re a leader in the work that we do, you have to make sure you put on the face that people actually need to see, and that is one of hope these days, and that is one of fighting for our community.” (7:45 | Mayor John Erickson)
• “I always say find the people you want to change the world with and never let them go. That’s kind of what I look at when I look at my community and my friends, and that’s what I would have probably told my younger self because that’s ultimately how I got to where I am to be in this role, and it’s just the greatest privilege.” (11:29 | Mayor John Erickson)
• “I believe in community safety and public safety and supporting law enforcement, I believe in supporting our businesses and our workers. I want to make our streets safer for both pedestrians, bikers and cars. I don’t want cars on our streets because they pollute and they kill and they’re leading to climate change but people have to use them. So, how we invest in our whole streetscape plan. The nuts and bolts of a local council member is streets, trees and sidewalks.” (30:52 | Mayor John Erickson) 

 

Links

Connect with John Erickson:

weho.org

https://www.instagram.com/JohnEricksonWH

vote.org

 

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Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm