For years, Tara was just another neighbor walking around our District noticing the empty buildings on one side of the street and our homeless Siblings living on the other side of the street. After the Covid-19 pandemic, when tens of thousands of District residents and businesses left, these contradictions became even more acute.

When she started thinking about and conceptualizing a “vacancy tax” or something that could calibrate the “market rate” when a fellow community member said Tara should join FBC to see if it would be a viable solution. After joining the Fair Taxes and Public Deals Issue Group, she learned to research and shape budget recommendations, was accepted into the FBC Constituent Leadership Program, and received significant value from her participation in the Fair Budget Coalition.