Candidate for
Supervisor; County of Humboldt; District 3

I am a native Californian, born and raised in Sacramento. When I was young, my father repaired typewriters for a living and my mother ran the household. We lived near Mather Air Force Base and when I turned 13 I joined Civil Air Patrol Cadet Corps and later the Air Force Junior ROTC program at Hiram Johnson High School. I enjoyed the leadership opportunities these groups afforded me and was fortunate enough to become Commander of both groups over time. My senior year I was also the Commander of the Varsity Drill Team, Chair of the Moot Court Team and President of the Speech and Debate Club.

I was fortunate that, although neither of my parents had gone to college, they valued education and made sure it was my priority as well. My mom and I actually started attending College at the same time, she to become a teacher and me to figure out what I wanted to be.

I met my wife in Junior College and we were married in 1989 while we were still in school. We learned to be disciplined financially and work hard as we paid our own way through college to avoid starting married life with a load of debt.

I graduated from UC Davis with a B.S. Degree in Landscape Architecture and an emphasis in Sustainable Community Development. Most people associate Landscape Architecture with garden design (an understandable misconception) however, the program included everything from engineering, environmental science, ecology, economics, soil science, & hydrology but the primary focus of the Davis Program is planning and community development.

After graduating I went on to work at Sherman, Greiner, Halle, Architects, Landscape Architects and Planners in Concord, New Hampshire. I was involved with many projects including A Town General Plan Update, A Town Center Master Plan, and a Pedestrian Circulation Plan for A Nuclear Power Plant. When business conditions forced layoffs I was given the opportunity to put my planning skills to work in another arena, Personal Financial Planning, the career I have been in ever since.

After three years, the long, cold winters and distance from our family led us West again and we ultimately settled in Humboldt County in 1998. We were drawn here by the natural beauty, rural lifestyle and college town culture. I had also studied the Arcata Marsh in college and we wanted to be a part of a progressive, innovative community. We built a home in Arcata, I continued my career as a Financial Advisor and in 2003 my wife and I became the proud parents of boy/girl twins.

As a financial advisor, I have worked for a decade helping local businesses and families plan and manage their finances, invest their savings and face the unique challenges of living in Humboldt County. With that experience and the belief that being fortunate to find success means it is our responsibility to give back to the community, I pursued my interest in economic development and have been steadily involved with various local boards and committees, including:

Arcata Energy Committee
Arcata Economic Development Committee
Arcata Economic Development Corporation Loan Committee
Humboldt County Workforce Investment Board
HSU School of Business Advisory Board

The service I am most proud of however, is the two terms I spent as President of the Board of Arcata Mainstreet. I became assumed this role in 2005, following a failed attempt to form a Business Improvement District (BID) and a disastrous Oyster Festival that was rained out. The organization was left disheartened and deeply in debt. Over the next two years, my dedicated board and I worked tirelessly to resolve the financial situation, reestablish the Mainstreet mission and recruit the next generation of leaders. I am happy to say we were successful on all counts.

Looking ahead, Humboldt County will face significant challenges, some of which stem from potential economic weakness on a National and Statewide level. These challenges will require objective leadership from someone with a background in evaluating, prioritizing, and making the tough decisions required to succeed financially through difficult times. We need to face these issues not as obstacles, but as opportunities to become stronger and more innovative. I have the balanced set of skills to accomplish this.

My priorities are centered around economic development as I believe it is the key to solving most of the other problems the County will face including: new job creation and retention, regional poverty, affordable housing, health care, and the various fiscal challenges resulting from State funding cutbacks. We must build on our strengths to foster the kind of competition that creates innovation and boosts productivity.

This election is particularly important as the County's General Plan Update process is in full swing. As a community, we have the opportunity to create the framework that will preserve the things we value most, while stimulating the kind of innovative development that is critical to our economic future. My broad background is perfectly suited to this task.

I pride myself in having the ability to build bridges between diverse viewpoints, and I am proud to count as friends individuals from all points along the political spectrum. I will bring a thoughtful, careful, and objective decision making process to the Board of Supervisors. Most of all I will listen, ask the tough questions, face the brutal facts and challenge us to rise to our full potential as a place, as a community and as individuals.

Thank you for your Vote.