The End

I closed Jonny Boston’s for good in the second week of July 2025. I could no longer fulfill my goal of selling tasty, affordable food to my local community. I could not, in good conscience, sell a steak burrito for $18, which the current economic conditions demanded. I knew that the system was fundamentally broken, and my energy would be best spent championing a new way of running our state. We need a new system that does not cripple residents with excessive property tax bills, allows everyone access to housing and gives every child a chance to succeed.

I was tired of making more sales every year but less profit. I was tired of feeling like the government did not value the unmeasured benefits of having restaurants, breweries, and cafés. The relationship building that happens in these third spaces is essential for community development and cohesion.

The other day my son said, “Dad, can we open up a restaurant together when I finish school?” And I said yes. He is nine years old, so that gives me about eight years to fight for a world in which my son can operate a restaurant and not have to worry about health insurance, housing, or regressive taxes.

I am fighting for the future because I love my son. I want him to have the same chance to pursue happiness that previous generations of Americans did. We owe it to our children to do the work to ensure they inherit a world worth living in and that starts when we begin to put our community first.