Congressman Artur Davis was in Selma Monday, and he continued to offer us a fresh perspective on what a U.S. Congressman is and should be.

Davis held an open house at his Selma office in the federal building. A sizable number of people came and those in attendance were a good mix of folks that live and work in this area.

In all, about 250 people turned out to meet their new representative. Davis carefully worked the rooms and the hallways of the federal building, listening to concerns and simply introducing himself to a packed house.

Davis is doing many of the right things early in his administration. He is making a concerted effort to stay in touch with the people. The reality is Artur Davis cannot change the Black Belt. But Davis, like all of us, can lead an effort of change that can lift this community.

By getting out and seeing the public, Davis is showing concern and doing the work necessary to collect information. No politician can know what is best for their community until they get nose-to-nose with constituents.

With Davis we are seeing the groundwork being built for a successful term in Congress. We define success as doing what is right for the country and the people of this region. In order for Davis to do that, he has to have a presence here and know what the needs are.

He is clearly on his way to doing that and we applaud the work and effort he his putting into getting to know us.