Hi everyone,

Last month, I reached out individually to our member groups (sorry if I missed some of you), and I learned a lot in the process. Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond—it was fantastic. I’d love to keep that communication going, so I’m sharing a brief update from our most recent meeting.

Our first meeting of the year was a busy one, with two presentations.

First, Richard Gracious from the London Music Office shared several initiatives that use music as a tool to build a better city. Of particular interest to members who host local events was the Paul Seed fund, which supports artists by paying performers and technicians directly.

Second, Sandy, Charles, and Alasdair from the Development Charges Working Group presented on an issue that affects everyone in London. Development charges have a direct impact on property taxes and on public infrastructure projects such as libraries and roads.

The key takeaway from the Urban League is that everyone present recognized this as an important issue—one we need to understand better and actively engage with.

Over the past week, I’ve had a chance to connect with Sandy Levin and Strong Towns London to explore the creation of some educational materials while we consider how best to advocate around this issue. Stay tuned! In the meantime, here’s a short “DC 101” video (under four minutes): The World of Development Charges.

We are also hard at work, reviewing applications for the coordinator position of the All Candidates Meeting for the upcoming 2026 municipal elections.

Looking ahead and staying on the theme, our February meeting will focus on Campaign Capital (more details coming soon), with Martin Horak. We’re also open to suggestions for our March meeting—please let us know if you have ideas or topics you’d like us to explore.

I'd be remiss not to mention we also welcomed Bluebird Environmental as a new member (thanks Shelby!) and heard from the Forest City Irish Fest.

And if you are looking for some good reasons to get out of the house, our members shared about two events this month:

London Lindy Super Social Dance - this Saturday
SoHo Town Hall - February 21

Warmly,
Luis

President's Update: February 2026