I moved to Chandler more than 17 years ago for opportunity in business, to start a family and to become part of a community where I could make a lasting impact. Throughout my years of living in Chandler, I have contributed to the City economically, charitably and politically.
I believe children and commerce are the lifeblood of all great communities. Throughout my career I have worked with local organizations, like the Chandler Compadres and Kiwanis Chandler Young Professionals, which work to improve the quality of life for those who call Chandler home. I have dedicated my time through local business organizations and as a Councilmember to ensuring a strong economy through a focus on economic development and fiscal responsibility. My professional experience in finance and as a business owner lent itself well to my duties on Council, allowing me to look at situations through many different lenses.
My civic journey from the City’s Parks and Recreation Board, to the Chairman of the Vote Yes on Prop. 493 campaign for our General Plan, to my appointment in 2018 to City Councilmember has been incredible. As a Councilmember my mission was to continue giving back to my community, leave a positive impact and inspire programs that would benefit our City for years to come. It has been an honor and privilege to serve the citizens of Chandler for the last two and a half years. I have learned so much during that time. I can only hope that I achieved my goal, which is to leave Chandler in a better place than when I was appointed. We dealt with unprecedented issues during my time on Council while still delivering the first-class services the residents deserve. Through my participation on Council subcommittees for Public Safety; Communications and Public Affairs, Information Technology, Management Services; and Facilities and Fleet, I have gained a well-rounded view and respect for how well Arizona’s fourth largest City is run and I am proud to have been part of that during my time on Council.
Some of my proudest accomplishments as Councilmember include:
- Setting the vision for the future of Chandler through Council’s first Five Year Strategic Plan;
- Laying the foundation for City planning through updates to several master plans including the Transportation Master Plan, Parks Master Plan and the Airport Master Plan;
- Encouraging the growth of Downtown Chandler through my support of projects like Overstreet and New Square, the attraction of George Oliver’s $53 million redevelopment and the expansion and openings of several new and unique businesses;
- Seeing through the completion of major infrastructure projects like the New Square Parking Garage and the Downtown South Arizona Avenue street improvements;
- The refresh of the Chandler Museum, including the formation of the Chandler Cultural Foundation and the new Museum Store;
- Advocating for additional multiuse sport fields resulting in four new lit fields and tournament quality Volleyball courts;
- Lowering taxes so Chandler could continue to boast one of the lowest costs of service for local sales tax, property tax and City utilities across the Valley;
- Supporting our public safety professionals through supporting the completion of the first and second phases of the Public Safety Training Facility and voting to approve a rapid pay down of the Public Safety Personnel Retirement System;
- Securing funding for the Chandler Fire Department to purchase specialty tools that would allow first responders to be ready with the most state-of-the-art equipment designed to ensure the safety of residents and the preservation of property;
- Supporting economic development projects that resulted in more than $190 million of capital investment in the community, created nearly 4,000 jobs and added 1.7 million-square-feet of office, industrial and flex space in the community in 2019 alone; and
- Prioritizing innovation in all aspects of our community including launching an autonomous vehicle ride hailing program for City employees to reduce fleet costs, using technology to better connect with residents during the pandemic and creating unique relief programs to support our business community through trying times.
After my term expires, I will continue to look for opportunities to give back and serve Chandler going forward. I thank our residents and business community for allowing me to serve them, the rest of Council for their leadership and my family for their support.
This article also appeared in the Dec. 20, 2020 edition of the SanTan Sun News.