Candidate for
Member, City Council; City of Dana Point

Like you, I want what is best for Dana Point. I believe that our residents know what is best and should be listened to and represented by the people they elect. I care about the people of our community, the health of our beaches, maintaining a strong local economy, and providing the top-quality services and amenities we the residents of Dana Point and Capistrano Beach deserve. Serving this community is an honor and a privilege that I do not take lightly or for granted. Being a City Council Member is an opportunity I look forward to as a way to increase my involvement in making Dana Point a great place to live.

I ran for City Council in 2002 and fell just 275 votes short of victory, despite being considerably outspent by my opponents. I know I'll be outspent again this year, but I guarantee nobody will work harder. Even though I came so close and didn't make it in 2002, the success of my small-budget campaign proved that money isn't everything.

City Council Members are supposed to be public servants--serving the public. But with special interest groups spending wildly to get "their" candidates elected, who is really being served?

Despite the City of Dana Point's Strategic Plan (adopted in 2002) calling for "openness in the discussion of community issues" and "citizen involvement in City activities", resident input is at an all-time low. Gone are the citizen committees and sub-committees. Council meetings are often cut back from two a month to just one. The City Council's "Consent Calendar", which is supposed to only be "routine" business matters to be acted on with no discussion and one roll call vote frequently has 20-30 items on it, usually with several that are anything but "routine"! There is rarely any "new business" for discussion, decisions seem to be made behind closed-doors and not in the best interest of residents. The message to concerned residents the last four years has been loud and clear--stay out of City business.

Important decisions drastically impacting our way of life are being made with little or no public discussion. (Like allowing new timeshares!) Rather than uphold the existing codes, developers are granted extravagant "variances" by the City Council to build projects that exceed height limits, step-back allowances, and more. I understand and support property rights. I'm not against responsible development that is respectful and sensitive to the surrounding area. I am strongly against rampant over-development, high-rises, projects that ruin the character of our community and don't adhere to city codes or building standards. You have property rights too! I will not sacrifice the quality of life of residents to appease special interest groups who only see dollar signs when they look at our community. I am not for sale.

I attend council meetings and have been attending meetings regularly for over five years. I'm prepared and ready to serve as your City Council Member. From the moment I'm sworn into office, I'll be an active representative working for you, and more importantly, with you.