Candidate for
Member of Council; Village of Amberley

I'm a Cincinnati native, growing up first in Mt. Airy and then Mt. Lookout. I graduated from Ursuline Academy and Xavier University, earning a bachelor's in English in 1985. After completing a master's in journalism from the Medill School at Northwestern University in 1987, I returned to Cincinnati to work as a communication consultant with a large firm specializing in employee benefits and human resources. Joe and I married in 1991, and after the birth of our first child the following year I became an at-home mother which was my primary work for almost 20 years. During that time, I also served in many ministries at Bellarmine Parish, taught childbirth classes and accompanied women at birth as a doula, homeschooled our children for six years, and volunteered with their swim teams and theater groups.

We moved to Amberley in 2003, drawn by the mature trees, green space, mid-century architecture, and central location. Connections with neighbors brought us into the civic life of the Village during the election of 2005, and I loved the opportunity to really participate in local affairs that is possible in a community this size. In December 2006, I was appointed to fill a vacancy on Council and served for two more full terms, through November 2011. Since then I've remained active in Amberley through other avenues, which renewed my interest in elected office.

My activities since 2011 include the following:

• Founder and coordinator of the Amberley Women's Forum, a social/educational/networking group for all women of Amberley that meets 6-8 times a year, often with a guest speaker or a specific discussion topic. Past meetings have addressed crime prevention, connectivity, Village finances and zoning codes; since January 2012
• Regular attendee at monthly Council meetings as well as meetings of the Finance, Compensation and Benefits, Land Development and Health, Education & Welfare committees of Council
• Co-founder of Amberley Citizens for Safety, a political action committee to support the police levy, which passed 60%-40% in March 2012; co-chair of its campaign activities
• Initiator of Amberley's participation in the Next Door neighborhood social network, now at 350+ plus members and continuing to grow

• Participated in hiring present Village Manager in summer 2011
• Advocated for active deer management
• Member of Long-Range Planning Committee that developed mixed-use vision for Amberley Green
• As Chair of Public Outreach Committee: Developed written communication to residents on successful energy aggregation programs, both the initial opt-in plan and the ballot initiatives for the current opt-out arrangement; completed cost-effective and practical update of Village logo, graphic identity, and newsletter; led update of Village website to streamline its administration and incorporate more useful information for residents, such as a user-friendly calendar, archive of documents and forms, and ability to contact Council
• As Chair of Compensation & Benefits Committee: Introduced cost-sharing for employee benefits