Who I Am

Entrepreneur. IT Pro. Professor. Fire Fighter. Writer. Creator. Dad. Husband.

I am an unknown to a lot of people, and there is a reason for that.

I have not spent years as an activist or agitator. I am not coming into this because of one issue, one grievance, or one fight with Council.

I am running because I am I think we’ve drifted off course.

I would like to work one of the oars that pushes us back on track, and I will put my back into it with the same vigor I have put into the rest of my life.

I Build Things and Fix Things

A lot of my life has revolved around solving problems.

As an Entrepreneur and IT Pro, problems do not disappear because they are complicated. You figure out what is wrong, understand what you are trying to accomplish, and get to work.

But solving problems also means knowing when something is not working.

You have to be willing to let it go, no matter how much time, money or effort you have already put into it.

There is no virtue in continuing to do something that does not work simply because we have already invested in it.

That way of thinking is a big part of how I look at municipal government.

If Council spends our money, we should know why.

If something works, build on it.

If something does not work, change it.

If a problem is coming, read the writing on the wall before it becomes a crisis.

I Teach and Create

As a Professor, Writer and Creator, I have spent a lot of time taking complicated things apart and making them understandable.

Government should be understandable too.

You should not need to know municipal accounting to understand where your tax dollars went.

You should not need to read hundreds of pages of reports to understand why Council made a decision.

You should not need to know the right person to call to find information that belongs to all of us.

When elected, I will push for government that explains itself clearly.

Not just what Council decided.

Why.

A Community Is Its People

I care whether my children can afford to stay here.

I care that their friends can.

And their friends’ friends.

I care whether they can find good jobs here, build homes here, raise families here, and still recognize the community they grew up in.

A community is its people. Everything else is secondary.

The roads matter because people use them.

Businesses matter because people build them, work in them and depend on them.

Parks matter because families gather in them.

Housing matters because people need somewhere to build a life.

Public safety matters because your family should feel safe in the place they call home.

The decisions Council makes are not abstract to me.

My family lives with them too.

Why I Am Running

I am not running because I believe government has the answer to everything.

Quite the opposite.

The people who live here know how to run their lives. Business owners know how to run their businesses. Farmers know how to farm.

Council has an important job of its own.

When elected, I want to help Council focus on that job, look further down the road, spend our money transparently, and deal honestly with the problems in front of us.

I don’t expect everyone to agree with me, and I don’t expect to agree with everyone else.

I do expect that we all go into this with an understanding that we share the same goal: a better life for everyone here.

I will tell you what I believe, I will explain why I believe it, and when elected I will listen to your beliefs, and why you believe them.