Candidate for
Council Member; City of Albany

I think our community is strongest when we recognize our common goals and work together to achieve them. In a small town like Albany, it is easy for disagreement to lead to division and division to fester and become animosity. I'd have to say that my primary goal for the Council would be to help the many different groups in Albany to work together.

That said, I also know that in a small town like Albany, it is easy for proposals and solutions to be held up by seemingly endless discussion and public debate. I believe that it is the City Council's job to provide leadership in these cases, to make it clear they have heard the concerns that have been expressed, and then to make a decision. Failure to do that leads to delay, dissatisfaction, and stagnation.

I believe a community is an organic whole that needs all of its parts to function in balance in order to thrive. We need the voices of those who are most passionate about an issue, and we need the voices of moderation. We need a thriving business community to help drive the progress we want to see with our Climate Action Plan and our schools. We need to realize that our first priority must always be the people of Albany rather than scoring points for our ideology. We need to continue to reach out to those who are unable to attend city meetings, and need to be sure that people are comfortable expressing their opinions.

I consider myself a Pragmatist, which means I bring to each decision only an open mind, a set of values, an appreciation for science and research, and the goal of making a decision that will benefit the city and the people who live here. It means that I am willing to negotiate and compromise and am always looking for decisions that lead to mutual advantage. It also means that I have the confidence to stand up to ideas I think are wrong, and to stand firm on points that are important and necessary.