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Florida city councilman cleaning up his city while running

City leader already collected 35 pounds of trash
Boca Raton City Councilman Andy Thomson Cleaning Boca Raton while running
Posted at 12:24 PM, Jan 14, 2021
and last updated 2021-01-14 12:24:36-05

BOCA RATON, Fla. — A Boca Raton city leader is cleaning up his city one mile at a time.

Councilman Andy Thomson said his New Year's resolution involves running and picking up trash while doing it.

Thomson said he first had the idea two years ago.

"Like a lot of New Year's resolutions, I have a hard time sticking with it," Thomson said.

But this year, the goal has grown into a mission: run all 475 miles of Boca Raton.

He thinks he can do it by running "three times a week, 3 miles a day, 50 weeks a year."

So far, he has collected 35 pounds of trash.

Thomson is also documenting any issues he notices, posting maps and pictures on Facebook to share with the community.

"[I'm looking for things like] broken sidewalks, pedestrian issues, and traffic lights that take a little too long," Thomson said.

They're all issues he can take back to city hall to get fixed and make the city safer for pedestrians.

He said eventually he would love for others to join him once it is safe and the pandemic is over.

"I will use this as like a mobile office hour," Thomson said.

Follow him by clicking the links below:

This story was originally published by Miranda Christian on WPTV in Palm Beach, Florida.