Candidate for
Council Member; City of Novato

Novato needs to open the doors of City Hall and let in some fresh air and that's exactly what I intend to do.

With your help, I can open doors to new ideas and open doors to a more cooperative spirit to solve our problems. I also pledge to create an open door policy at City Hall and be accessible to hear what is important to you.

After many promises over the years, the current city council has yet to free itself from the personal conflicts and jealousies that have infected it for so long. The Council needs to take back its oversight responsibilities and get things done.

I'm Denise Athas and I will strive to bring positive change. That's why I am running for City Council Key issues for me are:

• Tackling Novato's Budget Issues
• Revitalizing Our Local Economy
• Create a Sustainable Novato
• Keeping Our Streets Safe
• Creating a Quality Care Facility for Our Senior Citizens

As a small businesswoman and real estate broker, I don't just sell houses, I sell Novato to my clients. I know our strengths and our weaknesses inside and out. If elected to Novato City Council, I will bring innovative thinking, a tireless track record and a will to achieve our goals.

I want to create a more engaging, vibrant downtown and make the City of Novato a destination area. I want to improve our public safety to make everyone feel secure in their own homes. I want to solve our budget crisis without endangering the services that we need to make Novato a wonderful place to live and work. I want to make Novato a greener city without jeopardizing the ability to create jobs and foster a successful business climate.

Over the course of the campaign, I have unveiled innovative funding ideas to help solve our budget mess and create ways to bring people, excitement and entertainment to our downtown. Safety continues to be the top concern for many of the people I've talked to. Keeping our police force funded and fully staffed must be a priority. Ways to provide that stable funding need to be explored.

I have a few other ideas I will fight to implement: having recently faced the difficulty of finding acceptable rehabilitation care for my mother, I know we need a public-private partnership to establish a quality convalescence and recovery center for anyone needing rehabilitation. We need to take a closer look at the City-owned, under-performing assets in order to achieve this goal.

I will also push to create a residential solar panel program to help every Novatan participate in producing green power and help reduce our carbon footprint.

These are big, tough problems that will take strong leadership and a cooperative city council. I have the experience, the personality and the determination to make things happen.

Please visit my website http://www.DeniseAthasNovato.com for more information. Please call or email me 415-246-2959 or Denise@DeniseAthasNovato.com with any comments, concerns or issues.