Candidate for
Council Member; City of Sunnyvale; Seat 7

My overall political philosophy is to know my community, get the facts, work with stakeholders, make decisions that do the most good for the most people without infringing on personal rights, property rights, adding addition fees or taxes or creating environmental damage.

My key focus areas when elected are as follows:

Fiscal Responsibilities: Sunnyvale is a model city and recognized nationally for our 20-year budget forecasting. We currently have a structural deficit related to decisions made in the past. We must make certain, looking forward, that we can meet all our commitments sustainably. This means our commitments to our current staff and to our retirees. It means we must balance revenues with expenditures. It means we must create an environment conducive to business, to families; for work and for recreation. These actions will help us receive the revenues we need to balance the budget fairly now and in the future.

Downtown: Get it up and running! We need it, we want it and we deserve it! With the recent legal issues mostly completed, we have a good chance of getting it too. In this goal, we are united. The faster we can get the buildings completed and tenanted the faster we can all shop Sunnyvale. Get the condos sold, and the theaters built. These are the issues that we need to move forward. That also means looking at various types of home choices for families, young professionals and elders. We need to balance commercial and residential issues and concerns.

Safety & Security: We have a wonderful Public Safety Department. Sunnyvale has a low crime rate and is a safe place to live and do business. Our officers are trained as both Police and Fire. We need to maintain their effectiveness and their ability to proactively prevent crime and gang problems. But that is not all. Safety and security also means we must take care of our infrastructure. Our streets and sidewalks need to be safe for toddlers and elders. Our parks and library are also part of our critical city services and need to be safe and maintained.

Environment: As a well-run and forward-looking city, Sunnyvale is working with diverse groups to assure that we can all continue to "drink the water and breathe the air"! We have the SMART Station and it is getting better at waste-diversion. We have green building standards that are reviewed regularly and incentives are offered for going "greener". We are getting more conscious about our energy and water use. This needs to continue. The green building process goes directly to the bottom-line for businesses over time. Less illness, greater productivity, less energy use saves money. It's worth it.