Age: 48 on April 25
°¿³¦³¦³Ü±è²¹³Ù¾±´Ç²Ô:ÌýDirector of Development, University of Nebraska Foundation
Political party: Democrat
´¡»å»å°ù±ð²õ²õ:Ìý3039 Stratford Ave.
Website:
Why are you running for Lincoln City Council?
I love Lincoln and feel I have something to offer on the City Council. There’s not one hot button issue that compels me to run, but rather a feeling that this is a natural next step in serving my community. I want to help Lincoln continue to thrive, so that my kids, and all young people, will want to stay. I've been an active volunteer and leader in Lincoln, and look forward to the opportunity to continue to serve.
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What experience do you have that relates to the office you’re seeking?
From my days serving on Lincoln High's Student Council to my current service on the Lincoln Parks Foundation board, I’ve always been passionate about and enjoyed being involved in community activities. I also served 14 years on the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, where I learned about and helped improve our city parks system. In addition, I am a former president of the Country Club Neighborhood Association, where I was a voice in support of Lincoln neighborhoods.
What would your top priorities as a council member be and why?
I’m a proven consensus builder and a pragmatic decision-maker, attributes I would bring to advancing my priorities of creating strong neighborhoods, quality parks and economic vitality, especially around workforce development. I want to make sure all voices in our community have a say in the creation of our public policy. Lincoln is a great city and I want to see it grow to be even better.
What sets you apart from the other candidates seeking office in your district?
My professional and community experiences uniquely qualify me for this role. I have a long history of volunteerism that has helped prepare me to be an effective public servant on the Lincoln City Council. I have served our Lincoln parks system by volunteering on the Parks and Rec Advisory Board and I have served as a neighborhood association president. I have been an active volunteer on many political campaigns and am former chairman of the Lancaster County Democratic Party.
The City Council recently passed, then repealed, a Fairness Ordinance that broadly updated the city’s municipal code to expand protections in housing, employment and public accommodation to include sexual orientation and gender identity as well as veterans and active military. Do you believe the city needs to expand those protections and would you support such an ordinance? Why or why not?
Yes. We need to figure out a way to pass the Fairness Ordinance in Lincoln. Discrimination is real and these groups deserve protection under the law. Omaha and other cities have passed fairness ordinances and Lincoln not having one puts us at a competitive disadvantage.
The City Council recently passed updates to the city’s floodplain regulations. Do you support those updates? Why or why not? What other efforts should the city make to address a greater flood risk and why?
Flood risk has increased as our climate has changed, and I support updating our regulations to help mitigate that risk. However, regulatory changes need to balance the impact on property owners who are subject to flooding with the impact on those who are developing our new neighborhoods or revitalizing our interior core. On the City Council I would work to bring groups together to build consensus on difficult issues.
How should the city best address housing affordability?
For Lincoln to continue growing and prospering, we simply must have quality affordable housing. But addressing housing affordability is more complex than just building more houses. We must bring invested parties together to develop an actionable plan. I am encouraged to see leadership from groups such as NIFA and NeighborWorks Lincoln. I look forward to learning more about this major issue facing Lincoln and Nebraska.
There have been recent development proposals near Nine-Mile Prairie and Wilderness Park that have raised concerns about the negative environmental effects of those developments. How would you balance environmental concerns with growth demands of the city?
I’m a strong advocate for our parks and natural spaces, and believe these assets should be protected. We need places to hike, explore and spend time in nature. However, I understand that we live in a growing community and many of our natural areas become surrounded by the expanding city. We must carefully balance protection and growth, something best done on a case-by-case basis. Bringing people together is the way to find solutions to our community's biggest challenges.