I'm very appreciative of my professional contacts who are both interested and supportive of my community service exploits. I'm also aware that people seeking information about me are most likely reaching this page.
So, here is a current summary of my community service and political activities:
I have been a resident of the Valley since 1989, and have devoted my time and expertise to the community in a variety of capacities over the past two decades. I am now laying the groundwork for a campaign for First District Supervisor in 2012.
I began my commitment to community service with the Verano Springs Association and the Springs Task Force Coordinating Committee, focusing on efforts to guide and encourage the redevelopment of Highway 12, and to improve pedestrian and cyclist safety.
Water Supply and Delivery
Since then I have devoted much of my attention to water supply and delivery issues, serving as an elected director of the Valley of the Moon Water District for the past ten years. I am currently the board Vice President, and represent the District on the countywide Water Advisory Committee, serving as Vice Chair.
The District has pursued an aggressive capital improvement program in that time, replacing water lines, constructing two new reservoirs and two new wells, and seismically retrofitting our infrastructure, addressing several decades of neglect.
We managed to accomplish those goals with modest, incremental rate increases, and continue to offer the fifteenth-lowest rates of sixteen Bay Area water providers.
Three years ago, I asked our General Manager to review our pension plan funding in response to newly emerging accounting standards. That review indicated that we had insufficient funds to meet our future obligations, and the board committed to funding increases over three years to bring the account into balance.
That decision was crucially important in our contract negotiations with our employee union. Our good faith effort to address the pension funding issue allowed us to seek and gain an agreement whereby our employees are absorbing a portion of future health care premium cost increases, saving our ratepayers money now and into the future.
Although we only have a dozen or so employees, I believe this sort of agreement can be replicated at larger government organizations, addressing some of the pension and benefit issues that are causing catastrophic budget shortfalls that will cripple the ability of government to function.
I have also chaired the Sonoma Valley Groundwater Basin Advisory Panel since its inception in 2008. Our broad coalition of community representatives has developed and agreed to a groundwater management plan that will help preserve this critical resource for future generations.
Land Use and Development
I am the longest-standing member of the Sonoma Valley Citizens Advisory Commission, reviewing significant land use and development projects in the Valley. The Commission has earned a well-regarded voice, making recommendations for improvements to proposed development projects in the First District as well as the City of Sonoma.
I have been an elected member of the Sonoma County Local Agency Formation Commission for three years representing independent special districts, and was recently elected Vice Chair. As a member of the Policy Committee, we have streamlined Commission practices, and are addressing issues related to the boundaries of cities in the County.
My Background
After graduating from the University of California at Berkeley with a double major in engineering, I pursued a long career with Pacific Gas and Electric Company. I am now a consultant working with utilities and information technology companies to spearhead strategic engagement on energy efficiency, demand response, and smart grid initiatives.
My wife Nicole and I have been blessed recently with our son Ryder, who we adopted from Richmond, Virginia.
My Commitment
My passion in public service is to ensure that our critical infrastructure, including physical systems like water and sanitation, and community safety capabilities, is properly managed for today and into the future. I hope to offer my skills and experience to help build a shared sense of community that will enable Sonoma County citizens and public agencies to jointly address long-term challenges and opportunities.
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