Candidate for
United States Representative; District 5

I was born in Illinios and grew up in Michigan. In 1978 after graduation I decided to move to Washington and with a pillowcase full of clothes and $130 I landed in Spokane.

I worked in the restaurant and hotel industry in various management postions all over the Pacific Northwest with stops in Washington, Idaho, Oregon and California. I attended several colleges and universities along the way. In 1988 I moved to Sacramento to be the food and beverage director/executive chef at the Sacramento Hilton and I have been living in Sacramento ever since.

In 1990 I went into the real estate industry and I have owned my own Real Estate and Mortgage companies in Sacramento since 1995.

I first became interested in politics after watching the Watergate hearings as a young teenager. But it wasn't until I heard a speech at a hotel I was managing in Bellingham, WA from one of the 70 hostages held by terrorists during the Carter administration that I knew I would someday want to be in the public arena. His speech and his terrible tragedy caused me to think about how useless it was to sit on the sidelines and that getting involved was part of being an American. I can still remember hearing him plead to the audience as he spoke out loud to the ex President, "President Carter, you should have never allowed us to stay there for so long. I would rather have died in a rescue mission than been left for 444 days." I will never forget his call to action; he had the entire convention hall speechless and there was not a dry eye in the house. Now, almost 25 years later, I am ready to take on those kind of challenges and responsibilities.

My current hobbies include playing in local orchestras as a bassoonist, salsa dancing, gardening, hiking/biking and running. Additionally, I am a frequent guest lecturer at American River College.

Even though my industry is called the Real Estate and Mortgage business we are really in the 'trust' business. My clients must trust that I know what I am doing and also trust that I will always put their best interests first, not mine. It is that same trust that I hope to earn from you and win your vote this coming election.