Candidate for
Member, City Council; City of Eureka; Ward 3

In running for City Council I hope to use my experience and education to improve Eureka for all its citizens. I will listen carefully to what the citizens have to say, and work for a truly better city. Following are some specific descriptions of my major philosophies.

Grow the Economy

A healthy economy is vital for a healthy community. To assure equal opportunity for a quality life, I will work for sustainable economic development. This includes making sure that Eureka's citizens have access to diverse employment opportunites that pay a living wage, as well as development of the necessary infrastructure needed to create more high tech jobs in the city. This means getting government and business working together to make our city a place where companies will wish to relocate.

With an eye on the future, I support the strategic plan for economic growth, which means appropriate development of our port and Waterfront for maximum citizen benefit. It is vital that we nurture our innovative spirit for start-up entrepreneurs and support the progress of small businesses. Additionally, I have worked hard as in my support for the arts here in Humboldt County. We have an incredible presence here in this area, and it provides substantial economic benefit to our community.

Secure Public Safety

For our city to remain a place where we can live safely, walk the streets, and raise our families, we need to make sure our police and emergency services are adequately funded and trained. This can be achieved through improved code enforcement, providing an adequate budget for law enforcement with additional funding for training and working for community-oriented policing. This provides the tools to prevent crime and resolve community problems at a grass-roots level.

It is also of great importance in moving Eureka forward that we vote to continue the Utility Users Tax, while at the same time working to secure improved funding for public safety so this tax can be discontinued in 2010.

Improve our Neighborhoods

The backbone of our city is its neighborhoods. While City Hall can and should play a role in seeing our city is a great place to live, we must empower our citizens to take charge of where they live. To make this happen, we need to work for the formation and city support of vital neighborhood associations. I support such local civic organizations working for livable neighborhoods as Keep Eureka Beautiful and Humboldt First 5, as well as the efforts for safer neighborhoods of the Neighborhood Watch Coalition.

The preservation of Eureka's historic heritage provides both cultural and economic benefits to the community through increased tourism. I believe we must develop a policy that protects our open spaces and greenways while still allowing reasonable development, and also improve traffic management and work for pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods.

Plan for our Future

We must plan for our future. It is not enough to react; we must actively work for positive change. This will take vision and leadership. As Chair of the Eureka City Planning Commission I have worked for intelligent land use planning to sustain economic development and affordable housing. I will continue this as a councilperson. As chair of the Ad-Hoc Committee on Design Review, I worked to improve our downtown and neighborhoods, while at the same time reducing red tape in getting projects approved.

I practice intelligent decision-making by learning the facts before acting, and will put these skills into action to assure a sustainable future for Eureka's citizens. I will work collaboratively with the county and other cities on transportation policies that will fight gridlock on our highways. I will work for more efficient government and public service, and reduce red tape at City Hall. We must strike the proper balance between government control and individual rights to ensure rules and regulations are truly useful in promoting the public welfare.