Greetings,

On December 15, I took the oath to become a Seaside City Council member. I want to take a few minutes of your time and share the things I learned as I walked down the path leading to this assignment.
   

 In June, when I decided to run for a seat on the City Council, I invited nine representatives from our community to share their thoughts and suggestions about the future of our city. The group included a planning commissioner, community activists, Neighborhood Improvement Commission members, and my dad. That hour was an eye-opener, and the suggestions flowed.

I stewed over the list and divided the suggestions into three areas:

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• Working to keep the community safe

• Working on completing the vision for a better Seaside

• Working to make city agencies more responsive

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My campaign was ready, and I constructed a website. In July, I entered my name into what I thought would be a competitive election.​

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 Since only two people filed for the seats available, the election was canceled, and I was scheduled to be appointed to a council seat on December 15. I decided to hold five community meetings in different parts of Seaside. Thirty people attended the downtown meeting at Oven Pizzeria, and thirty others participated in the meeting at a private home in the Seaside Highlands. The third meeting was held at Angelina's Bakery with fifteen people in attendance, and the fourth was held at Mal's Market with sixteen attendees. The final meeting was a round table discussion at Victory Temple with seven people in attendance.  Including the advisory committee, we had over one hundred people from all walks of life and different parts of the city present their views on Seaside. They indulged in pizza, burritos, Mal's bombers, wine, beer, soft drinks, and meat and cheese plates.

   

 Engaging with people at these meetings was both inspiring and daunting. It's heartening to see that people care about our city and want to help improve it. I know that I won't be able to accomplish everything in the next four short years, but I promise you that I will try.

 

The meetings lasted over ten hours, and I may have overlooked an item that's important to you. If so, please call or email me. Thank you.

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Go to the My Vision section of this website to see how the suggestions were incorporated into my vision for this great city.