Candidate for
Council Member; City of Alameda

Welcome to my campaign platform page. The following points will be my priorities if you entrust me with your vote. If elected, I will fight to:

+Enact a powerful Sunshine Ordinance that will positively change the way City Hall does business with its citizens forever. Such an ordinance will demand that all city employees start with the the assumption that all documents should be public and open for inspection and that only the most sensitive can be withheld from public view. The ordinance will be designed to open up and make more transparent the workings of our local government

+Enact a comprehensive, intelligent yet constitutional campaign finance ordinance for Alameda. This ordinance will be designed to make our city elections open, honest and free of the influence of outside vested interests and special interest groups.

+Quickly get the redevelopment of Alameda Point underway again -- only this time I would support reality-based approaches to getting the job done while eschewing the politically artful, `feel-good" concepts such as municipal self-development.

+Create the Office of Public Ombudsman. This city employee, who will report directly to the City Council, will serve as a public advocate to assist Alameda residents in accessing their government and their City Council. This person will assist the public in filing complaints our government or just how to make suggestions on how the city can increase its efficiency and effectiveness.

+Institute an immediate freeze on the City Manager's ability to authorize and execute city contracts under $75,000 until a comprehensive City Policy or ordinance can be approved governing the manager's spending authority. I would also advocate that the City Council immediately begin a nationwide search to find a permanent city manager.

+Create the Office of Volunteer Coordinator. This city employee will be responsible for assisting the mayor in filling commission appointments and will serve to create programs designed to recruit members of the greater Alameda community to volunteer their time and expertise to the betterment of the city

+Move to rapidly upgrade the City's website, online services and telecommunications programs and equipment so that more Alamedans can access city services and programs from their homes via the Internet. I will also work with industry and commercial vendors to fund and build free "wi-fi" corridors for the public along Park and Webster streets and at other major commercial centers.

+Always treat the city's employee unions with the respect they deserve and work to guarantee that the City always acts with honesty and good faith during contract negotiations.