Candidate for
Council Member; Town of San Anselmo

I was raised in Marin County and returned to raise a family after college. My husband and I have been members of the San Anselmo community since 1990, and are business owners in both San Anselmo and Fairfax. I began my business in 1989 serving small businesses with start-up, organization, inventory, and financial services. After building up my business, I was able to sell a majority of it, in order to cut back to part time so I could spend more time with my children while they were in school. Since then, I have been the Chief Financial Officer of our business `The Graphic Source'.

My civic experiences began with doubling the size and profits of Brookside School's Octoberfest, continued as Parent Club President which included the inception of YES and Safe Routes to School. While serving four years as a Trustee on the Ross Valley School Board, two as President, I worked with teachers, parents, and other school district members to develop and follow a successful strategic plan for the district as well as helped negotiate and establish the Red Hill Community Park.

I served with Supervisor Hal Brown on a county wide campaign to establish the Transportation Authority of Marin for road improvements, crossing guards, bike and pathway improvements, and after taxpayer approval, as Chair of the Citizen's Oversight Committee. For San Anselmo, I sit on the Capital Program Monitoring Committee. I have also been chosen by two past Town Council Presidents to be their backup, if needed, during a town emergency.

I have two children, one a junior at CSU, Chico, and the other a junior at Drake. They, and I, have had wonderful experiences in both the Ross Valley School District and TAM Union High School District. Now, I'd like to continue to give back to the Town of San Anselmo by becoming a member of the San Anselmo Town Council. I think that with my financial background and experience on the Ross Valley School Board I could make a substantial contribution to the town and its community members.

CIVIC EXPERIENCE

2/11-present Member of San Anselmo Capital Program Monitoring Committee

12/09-present Alternative to San Anselmo Town Council Member Barbara Thornton

Charged with following town council matters in order to step in at any time during an emergency if Ms. Thornton is unavailable.

9/08-12/10 Drake High School Leadership Council - Member

A shared decision-making body for issues affecting Drake High School that is composed of the Principal, teachers, staff members, students and parents.

12/08-11/09 Alternative to San Anselmo Town Council Member Peter Breen

Charged with following town council matters in order to step in at any time during an emergency if Mr. Breen was unavailable.

09/04-11/07 Co-Chair & Member of Education Task Force

This was a collaborative network of elementary school districts whose students attended the local high school district. Over its 29 year history, Superintendents, Principals, Teachers, and Trustees have gathered as a community to share curriculum and instructional strategies, develop common learning outcomes, administer and analyze performance assessments, and maximize human and financial resources in a shared services model.

03/04-11/07 Red Hill Community Park Joint Powers Authority + Board Member

As a RVSD Trustee I helped negotiate the needs of the "dog" community, who wanted to keep a piece of unused RVSD property as an unofficial dog park, and parents who wanted to turn the property into a usable field for sports, and the neighbors who didn't want either. The final project addressed the needs of all groups by including a sports field, a track for community jogging, and an area where dogs can be run and socialized.

12/03-11/07 President & Trustee, Ross Valley School District (RVSD)

One of five trustees elected to oversee the Ross Valley School District. President for two years.

2005-2006 Transportation Authority of Marin Citizens' Oversight Committee Chair

As chair I helped to oversee TAM's financial systems, conduct an audit, and publish TAM's first annual report.

2003-2004 Transportation Sales Tax Task Force - Member

Headed by County Supervisor Hal Brown, this task force was charged with determining whether it would be viable to ask Marin County voters to approve a half-cent transportation sales tax to help fund local transit, safe access to schools, Highway 101 and local infrastructure. Through local efforts voters approved the tax by a 71.2% margin November 2, 2004.

09/00-06/01 Marin County Safe Routes to Schools + Member

Headed by County Supervisor Hal Brown, this task force addressed the safety concerns of parents by encouraging greater enforcement of traffic laws educating the public and explored ways to create safer streets and was awarded funding from the State of California's Safe Routes to Schools program to improve access to local schools.

09/98-06/01 Brookside Parent Club VP & President

Working with the Principal and other parents I was able to help raise money for capital purchases such as furniture for classrooms, play equipment and a play structure. I also helped increase parent and community participation in decision making and helping in the classrooms.

09/97-09/98 Brookside Elementary School Fundraiser - Octoberfest

My co-chair and I took this fundraiser to a higher level over a two-year period. In a one-day event that had been going on for many years we were able to more than double the profits (from $28K to $58K) through the use of an organizational structure and job descriptions. The event has continued to flourish and has been used as a successful template for other fundraising in our district.