Candidate for
Director; Marin Municipal Water District; Area 2

Age 48, growing up in New Rochelle, NY and settling in the Bay Area, I have lived and worked in various parts of Marin since 1974. I reside in San Rafael where my family and I have made our home since 1987. Debra, my wife and partner of over 22 years, and I have two daughters, Rachel, age 7 and Zoe, age 11 who attend St. Raphael's School. We also raise a nephew, Brent, age 17. My stepson, Richard, age 27, is currently a clothing designer in New York City for Ann Taylor. Debra is general manager of Summerhouse of Mill Valley and Berkeley.

I would describe myself as a very determined, educated person. I believe our minds are like muscles; we must exercise our brains continually if we want to stay in top intellectual shape. I continually strive to grow and improve my knowledge and understanding on many of the local and global issues affecting our world. I spend a good deal of my free time in the pursuit of life-long learning, and staying on top of the issues of the day. 

I have a diverse business background covering 31 years, encompassing a wide range of activities. This includes over 12 years working for a major local retail department store chain, starting in the mid-seventies, working up from stock clerk to buyer of the advanced consumer electronics department and subsequently senior buyer of the Oriental rug area in the early to mid-eighties. Though I had no Oriental rug experience whatsoever, I had quickly built a strong reputation for success, and was brought in as troubleshooter to straighten out a department in deep financial trouble. This was one of the toughest and most demanding buying positions in the company. It required a quick learning curve in a very large, very complex, non-traditional business and really helped me to hone my management skills.

Until this year, I have traveled extensively working in nearly two dozen countries over the previous 16 years in both entrepreneurial and corporate roles. Having had the opportunity to work in such a wide variety of cultures provides me with a strong sense of self-reliance and an ability to adapt to rapidly changing and diverse circumstances. Plus, with my years in buying, sales, and overseas manufacturing, I am an accomplished and seasoned negotiator. These are skills that will be of great benefit to our community.

After leaving, I formed my own marketing company then merged several years later when I became involved in product design and development, marketing products both domestically & internationally with an accelerated learning company out of Seattle. I am currently staying closer to home, employed by Menendez Financial & Insurance Services in Santa Rosa as Director of Business Development. We focus primarily on long-term wealth development and preservation.

One of the many exciting areas I am currently working on for Menendez is to foster collaborative relationships with organizations like Leave a Legacy. Leave a Legacy is an educational organization working hand in hand with nonprofits and professional financial advisors to encourage Bay Area residents to leave planned gifts to nonprofit organizations in their will or estate plan. They are sponsored by the Planned Giving Councils of Northern California. As financial planners, one part of our role is to help show people in Marin and Sonoma how they can accomplish estate planning in a manner that is highly beneficial to them and simultaneously to the community.

One of my deepest passions and what ultimately drives me to seek this position is my love and respect of nature and a desire to maintain the quality and character of our community. I know I am walking in the footsteps of a number of distinguished people that have come before me. I take this responsibility very seriously. I am going to work very hard to meet the challenges that still lay before us.

As I have for over two decades, I hike and run in the Mt. Tamalpais Watershed on average three to four times each week, all year long, rain or shine.