Active in Our Community, Making a Difference

My Experience

I have 15 years’ experience in community leadership and making government work for people. I bring a concrete background from my work with top leaders in Ohio and Washington, D.C. I have secured federal budget dollars for local communities, and I will use these skills to help Lakewood fight for its fair share of state and federal funds.

The Leadership I’ll Bring

A good Councilperson works as a facilitator and neighborhood troubleshooter.

I am working hard to solve problems in neighborhoods. You don’t have to hunt around for me: I’m already in your neighborhood and easy to reach, answering questions about city hall, finding services for seniors, and organizing neighbors to deal with crime, noise, trash, and absentee landlords. I’ll continue this front-porch service as Councilmember--courteous, responsive, effective.

Most problems in Lakewood don’t need new ordinances passed to fix them. We need to make better use of the tools we already have. We have police, housing inspectors, youth services, park managers, and many other experts at city hall. I’ll connect these experts directly with residents to get problems solved more quickly and effectively. Have a question, or hit a dead end at city hall? Call me and I’ll help.

Who I am

I believe we need new energy and fresh thinking to make our city government work better for us.

As new leader, I’m not part of the establishment, and I bring a fresh perspective to Lakewood.

I’m active in our community. I’ve been on the ground floor of many innovative Lakewood groups bringing positive change, such as the Lakewood Observer, BikeLakewood, and the LEAF food and garden network.

I know the best ideas come from collaboration. When we put our heads together, share ideas, and share the work load, problems get solved. As a veteran community organizer, I bring the seasoning and maturity to pull neighbors together in a cooperative coalition and push for reform while not alienating people.

I resolve problems through determined, effective follow through. I do whatever it takes to get the job done: even mundane, boring paperwork makes the difference to success.

I'm a reformer who’s taken on leaders in my own party to limit the influence of money in politics. And I’ve reached out in a bi-partisan way to build common ground with members of the other party. Lakewood needs cooperation to solve problems, not bickering and stalemates.

Community Involvement