Candidate for
Council Member; City of Rancho Santa Margarita

CITY FINANCES & MANAGEMENT

I supported and guided the successful establishment of the management and operation of our new city utilizing minimal city staff and accruing significant reserves. I am a strong advocate of small government and will not support the creation of unnecessary bureaucracy. Our city functions well with a small number of full time city employees and a fluctuating staff of private contractor service providers. By maintaining this "contract city" philosophy, we will be guaranteed that city government is only as large as the services required to be provided. We have established a strong fiscal position, with considerably more General Fund reserve than most cities our size, far exceeding the norm, and a strong capital improvement and infrastructure maintenance plan. We must remain diligent in the fiscal management of our city while the continuing real threat remains that the state may divert our revenues to the state budget due to their accrued deficit, coupled with the current recession affecting local revenues. I will continue a policy of fiscal responsibility while continuing to further enhance services to our residents, businesses and visitors.

PUBLIC SAFETY

I have supported maintaining public safety services at levels that ensure our residents, businesses and visitors can live, work and play in an environment that maintains the highest standards of quality of life, and will continue to do so. We have a safe city, annually listed at or near the top of the county, state and national safest city lists, and my goal is to keep it that way. Our crime rate is low, however, we cannot be complacent and be lulled into a false sense of security. Our world has changed and vigilance is critical. By continuing the high level of law enforcement service we enjoy today, our city will continue to be the city of choice for new families for many years to come. I continue to support maintaining and enhancing a high level of fire and rescue services in our city, ensuring our city's preparedness in the event of a disaster. Our firefighters and paramedics are the best in the business and we as a city will continue to support their efforts on behalf of our residents, businesses and visitors.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

I will continue to work to partner with our business community in the continued implementation of sound economic development and business retention programs, without creation of taxpayer funded redevelopment agencies. Job creation and job retention, coupled with a balanced mix of business development and retention, will guarantee the long term financial success and stability of our city. As a primarily built-out city, and in this current economic recession, the focus must be to maintain the businesses we have, and continue to foster a business friendly operating climate, encouraging all of our residents to "shop and work at home". As a city, we must work together with our businesses to meet their needs, in their effort to serve their customers, our residents.

CHIQUITA RIDGE SPORTS PARK

The city is beginning the process of planning for development of the recently acquired Chiquita Ridge property. This 100 acres of land was acquired through a long process with the county resulting in a settlement that will permanently preserve over 400 acres of dedicated and Federally protected open space, while allowing development on the city retained acreage, inclusive of a minimum 23 acre sports park. This project will be the most significant undertaking by the city since construction of the Civic Center, and will more than likely be the last significant public facility project that our built out city will engage for the long term foreseeable future. The opportunity to provide such a large recreational opportunity to our residents and the region cannot be over emphasized, and I am committed to a planning process that involves significant community input, prudent identification and management plans for the long term operations of the park, and creativity in development plans for the area that embodies the spirit of the RSM "community" as we know it today.

COMMUNITY PROGRAMS

It is my goal to continue to strive for full achievement and fostering of the sense of "community" that embodies the character of the residents and businesses that comprise our city. I supported the establishment of the Youth Center, the monthly youth dances, the New Year's Eve Community Event, the Bell Tower Foundation, the annual 5K Run/Walk, the continuance of the Summer Concerts, and additional community service programs. I continue to support our city sponsored and funded senior programs such as Meals on Wheels and Senior Mobility programs, and will ensure that continued support. I will continue support of expanded youth, family and senior activities and educational opportunities wherever possible to further develop and nurture the cultural and social well being of our city.

URBAN RUNOFF & WATERSHED POLLUTION

I support implementation of an aggressive urban runoff education and management plan for our city within the guidelines of the Clean Water Act, in a fiscally responsible and constitutionally legal manner. Urban runoff and the resultant pollution of our watersheds is a responsibility for everyone. I support promotion of educational programs to bring public awareness to this issue, will continue to support those best management practices being taken and to be implemented by our city in meeting the standards of the Clean Water Act, and actively support regional partnerships with the county, other cities and our water districts in addressing this problem . I will continue to oppose, however, efforts of state regulators to impose requirements on our city that exceed the limits of their legal authority or constitute un-funded state mandates.