I grew up in a low-income immigrant household, raised by my Filipino mother who worked around the clock to provide her children a better life, while my father was dedicating his life to protecting our nation. From both of them, I inherited a belief that you get out what you put in. That's why I want to put my life into this city; because I think we can all get out a lot more.

When I was in college, I studied in Japan, where I saw what a walkable pedestrian-centric city could be. It boggled my mind how I did not need a car to get to my grocery store or to hang out with the other students. Then, I learned that Europe is built similarly. When I discovered that Greenbelt took major influence from European villages, I could not help but wonder, "why are we NOT doing this?"

I have lived in Greenbelt since graduating from University of Maryland in 2015. I recently was able to purchase a house in GHI in 2022, settling down permanently here with my wife. Seeing a need in the community for strong, forward-facing leadership, I successfully ran for the GHI Board of Directors. While on the board, I’ve worked to find consensus on difficult problems that face our housing cooperative, and I've championed the effort for alternative revenue streams for GHI to increase walkability and keep member costs low. I plan on working with the county to fix zoning restrictions, so that people can take a safe, short walk down the street if they want to spend quiet time at a cafe, grab a pack of eggs, or just meet up and build that community we've left by the wayside.

I am James Whipple. I am a new generation for a new deal. I am running for city council.