As a stream of walkers trickled through Lancaster's main park one recent morning, Marie Ann Nicholson fell into step beside Mayor R. Rex Parris.
There was a boarded-up house on the street where her daughter lives in a "nice neighborhood," Nicholson told Parris. The property was vacant. The front lawn had dried up.
"It's a total eyesore," said Nicholson, 71, a lifelong resident of Lancaster.
"We'll make them fix it," the mayor promised and turned to his "portable office" in the person of assistant Chris Casillas, who strolled a few paces behind Parris, toting a backpack with bottled water, power bars, first aid supplies and a couple of cellphones.
Casillas was also armed with a pad and pen and quickly scribbled down notes.
"You get things done on these walks besides getting healthier," Nicholson later said. "It's business, pleasure and exercise."
Parris introduced the "Walk With the Mayor" program shortly after his election in April. It has become a popular way for residents to reach their city's boss and other key officials.
Twice a week, residents are encouraged to join the hourlong walks in Lancaster City Park.
The goal is to give them an opportunity to talk one-on-one with city officials in an informal setting and discuss pertinent issues while getting a dose of exercise.
"I walk every day anyway," said Parris, a recovering drug addict who has undergone gastric bypass surgery. "So I want to try to use [walking] to improve the health of the community. At the same time, it gets me next to people with everyday issues."
And the venue is less intimidating than the City Council chambers, Parris said.
"At the council meeting I'm wearing a suit and I've got my public persona on, and every time someone comes up to the podium, you don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing, and you have your veil up," he said. "Here, I'm just Rex."
Nicholson said she hadn't exercised in several years but was inspired to start walking every day when the mayor launched his program.
The jaunts begin at 8 a.m. each Tuesday and Thursday and have attracted predominantly senior citizens, according to fitness instructor Laura Wright.
She supervises the walks and teaches stretch and tone classes afterward.
Before the intense summer heat took hold -- temperatures in the Antelope Valley can easily soar above 80 degrees before 9 a.m. -- up to 30 walkers joined in, Wright said.
