For nearly two decades, I've helped build and run small businesses, winning awards along the way. My hands-on experience in bookkeeping, operations, strategy, and creative production gives me a clear understanding of how organizations function, how jobs are created, and why fiscal discipline and follow-through matter.
Here in Rochester, I've earned a reputation as a dedicated neighbor with proven leadership. I am a force multiplier who shows up and gets results. As President of the Lowertown Neighborhood Association, I led a post-pandemic rebuilding effort that restored engagement, updated bylaws, and created new committees. This turned residents' concerns about safety, predatory development practices, and quality of life into meaningful action.
Twice appointed by the Mayor and unanimously confirmed by the City Council, I serve as chair of the Heritage Preservation Commission. This role operates within the Unified Development Code and the associated zoning overlay to balance rapid growth with thoughtful urban planning that strengthens our neighborhoods rather than erasing their character.
Before moving with our family back to my wife's hometown of Rochester, I worked across the Midwest as a contracted artist, producer, and mentor, often partnering with schools and community organizations. I supported at-risk youth through arts education programs, including mentoring in a groundbreaking hip-hop curriculum pioneered by a friend and mentor working with researchers at UW-Madison.
This work also included collaborations with hundreds of artists worldwide, co-producing multilingual projects, and earning multiple Best of Madison awards. I also completed an accelerated degree in Electronics and Audio Engineering, graduating at the top of my class–reflecting a lifelong commitment to discipline, excellence, and learning.
I believe effective leadership requires continuous learning and independence, so I spend much of my remaining time studying local governance and strengthening my effectiveness as a public servant.
To better understand modern policing practices in our community, I completed the 2025 Rochester Police Community Academy and a 2023 shift ride-along. Additionally, in 2025, I passed my exam and was accepted into the National Association of Parliamentarians, where I continue to sharpen my chairmanship skills to ensure fair and effective decision-making.
This preparation is matched with backbone. I've consistently stood against bad policy, ineffective leadership, and powerful interests when they conflict with the public good.
I'm not a career politician, and I see that as a strength. My leadership was forged in neighborhoods, small businesses, and community rooms, not behind closed doors. I listen first, act decisively, and lead with integrity and respect for the people I serve.
Rochester is at a crossroads. Growth is accelerating, affordability is tightening, and trust in city leadership is wearing thin. I am running to provide steady, practical leadership rooted in community, informed by our history, and focused on results, because Rochester cannot wait.
As Rochester grows, housing and home ownership remain a stretch, or even entirely out of reach, for many in the community. Some residents feel they may never catch up as realistic housing costs and the American Dream continue to fall short of reality.
As our neighborhoods change, affordable single-family housing stock and historic properties have been left to deteriorate and crumble by some investors, who may later seek substantial access to public funds to remedy the problems caused by their own neglect. I will push for proactive enforcement of our building regulations and permit requirements for non-homesteaded properties, while also working to have the City identify problematic practices and habitual offenders.
While the COVID-19 pandemic is behind us, the effects of shutting down many parts of our community, combined with rapid urban development and construction, have left many local businesses still struggling to stay afloat.
Just as we are not afraid to think boldly in other areas, we need to be bold in how we support our small businesses, not just in Downtown but across the entire city. I will call for new programs and initiatives to help attract and retain small businesses that bolster our local economy and preserve the charm and character of our neighborhoods.
Many people feel the City of Rochester has failed to communicate clearly with citizens. Often, residents feel left out of meaningful dialogue and struggle to understand how to engage with officials so they feel heard.
According to publicly available schedules confirmed by the Mayor's office, 197.5 of 898 business days over a period in 2022-2025 have been scheduled outside Rochester. This excludes vacation days and regular weekends. I will drastically reduce out-of-town travel from the current 22% of working days while also increasing opportunities for direct public contact, ensuring the community feels heard and respected. This includes introducing active listening skills to the office of the Mayor.
Have questions or suggestions? I would love to hear from you!
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916 Silver Spur Rd, Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274