I met Josh Chapman at his kitchen table, sitting with a half dozen other new faces trying to answer a simple question. What if we pooled some modest resources and put on a concert? That question led to dozens of new questions and problems to solve. Would artists take us seriously? Would people come? Nine years and 50 events later The Davis Live Music Collective, born from that initial question, has successfully hosted hundreds of artists, entertained guests from all over, collaborated with the City and local businesses, and raised tens of thousands of dollars for fire relief and arts education in Davis public schools. I am now proud to support his candidacy for Davis City Council.
Since our first meeting I have come to know Josh as a friend, outgoing and easy to talk to about our kids, school, work, or our favorite places to camp. I have also come to know him as an active leader in the Davis business community. His family’s Armadillo Records not only sets a positive tone as a long-standing downtown retail anchor, but Josh has emerged as a solutions oriented and civic minded leader of the Davis Downtown Business Association. He took the lead in creating the stimulus gift card program designed to provide immediate and needed support for downtown businesses while still protecting community members sheltering in place.
Josh knows that our strength as a community lies in our connection to one another, and to the culture we continue to build here in Davis. His pride in our community creates real, positive differences as seen through his involvement as a business owner, parent and school volunteer, coach and friend. He is someone who connects people from the arts, business, education communities and more, bringing us together to solve problems and make something both sustainable and beneficial to everyone involved. We will be facing new challenges as a city, and I believe Josh provides the energy, experience, and leadership required to meet those challenges.
Kyle Monhollen
Executive director, Davis Music Fest and Davis Live Music Collective
This letter was originally published in the Davis Enterprise on September 18, 2020
https://www.davisenterprise.com/forum/letters/letter-chapman-for-council/