I am passionate about making our neighborhoods great places to live and believe that having an effective, responsive government is key to helping us achieve that vision. In all of my activities, I have worked hard to bring people together and to build a stronger, more vibrant city. 

As the owner of a small property management business, I am well-versed in the challenges faced by other small businesses, particularly in an economic downturn. I am also aware of the trade-offs that we all must make in order to to make time for family and community. Being self-employed gives me the opportunity to devote time to my two greatest passions: my family and my community. 

I currently serve on the City Plan Board, am the Chair of the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Board (BPAB), and the Chair of the Gainesville’s Affordable Housing Advisory Committee. I have also been the President of the Duckpond Neighborhood Association for the past four years.

Here is some of what we have accomplished in recent years with my leadership in a volunteer capacity:

Parks and Neighborhoods

When Roper Park suffered from neglect, I worked closely with neighbors as well as City staff to install a new playground, a drinking water fountain and 20 new trees. I also raised over $7,500 in private donations to provide continued improvements to the park. I later worked with another neighbor to engage the City in upgrading Northeast Park with a new playground as well. Both playgrounds have become active spaces for positive community interactions. 

As president of the Duckpond Neighborhood Association for the past four years I have spearheaded events such as the holiday horse-drawn wagon rides that coincide with the city's annual tree lighting at the Thomas Center. I have helped address numerous neighborhood concerns, from parking to stormwater, and fostered better communication through a quarterly newsletter, meetings, a growing e-mail list, and the Historic Duckpond website which I maintain.

Schools

When I realized that parents of the Duckpond Neighborhood were not sending their children to the neighborhood school, I met with the principal, developed a parent survey and launched a “Friends of” group to better engage the neighborhood with the school and provide improved services to the school.

I am currently working with two other parents on a School Board proposal to bring an additional resource person to the school. I also have assisted with the United Way Backpack Program, which provides a backpack full of food for the weekend for students who have been identified as going hungry at home.

 Local Businesses

When the locally owned Tutoring Zone business wanted to expand, I encouraged them to relocate in the heart of historic Gainesville rather than outlying areas. Their new location in the Main Street Publix Mall provides a thriving anchor that has increased the safety, appeal and economic vitality of nearby businesses. 

As the Secretary of Our Town, an organization whose mission is to promote and support locally businesses in Gainesville and Alachua County, I am working to develop a local business directory.

Affordable Housing & Homelessness

As the Chair of the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee, I spearheaded a half-day Affordable Housing Clinic with speakers from the Florida Housing Coalition to bring fresh ideas to the table. I have also advocated incentives for landlords to improve the energy efficiency of their units. 

I have also had personal experiences which help me understand the importance and complexity of these issues. For instance, when I discovered an acquaintance had recently become homeless, I provided him with temporary housing, helped him identify interim housing options and assisted with developing a resume that helped him secure a part-time job.

Having a relative who receives housing subsidies, I am very aware of how difficult it is to find safe, quality subsidized housing. In the course of finding and keeping Section 8 housing for her, I discovered the challenge in getting energy efficiency upgrades for older rental properties--given that tenants pay the utility bills, but cannot readily make even cost effective improvements.

Transportation

As the Chair of the Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Board, I have helped launch “Gainesville Goes for Gold” – an initiative to make Gainesville more bicycle-friendly. To reach a gold standard, I am advocating improved bike & walking safety & access; events that promote bicycling in the city; and investments that support bike commuters. In January I was invited to speak at a League of Women Voter meeting to discuss the pros and cons of Regional Transportation authority. I also maintain a website for the Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Board.

My Background

In the 1970s & 80s, I grew up in Montrose, CO, then a small town of about 5,000 people. After receiving my BA from the University of Colorado in Economics and International Affairs, I moved to Washington, DC with about $50 in my pocket and the promise of an unpaid congressional internship. In order to live economically, I lived and worked at the International Youth Hostel for 5 years, eventually attending Georgetown University on a graduate fellowship. I went on to work at the Library of Congress for nearly 10 years, helping to create the new American Memory website.

While living in the heart of Washington's Shaw neighborhood, I became very involved in community improvement activities. As a leader of the Shaw Neighborhood Improvement Council, I spearheaded increased positive collaboration among life-long residents, newer residents, non-profits and businesses to tackle tough, inner city problems. I advocated the renovation of a drug-infested playground that eventually led to a beautiful modern recreation center. I helped launch the Shaw Main Streets Program, reviving a business district that had been ailing for more than 30 years. When the controversial Washington Convention Center was proposed for the southern portion of Shaw, I engaged residents and leaders from 14 neighborhood and civic organizations in a neighborhood-design workshop that resulted in significant improvements to the design and resulted in the creation of the $1.25 million Shaw Fund to provide support to the neighborhood.

It was in Shaw where I met my wife, Ondine, who was helping run an afterschool children's advocacy program in the neighborhood. Ondine went on to create and manage a non-profit organization called Shaw EcoVillage that provided hands-on environmental internships for at-risk high school kids. Working together to build Shaw EcoVillage, we launched a youth “recycle-a-bicycle” program where low-income kids learned bicycle repair and racing skills while earning their own bicycle in the process. Eventually, we launched a non-profit bicycle repair shop that trained and employed neighborhood youth --a one-of-a-kind operation in Washington, DC. 

Ondine was offered a research assistantship at UF’s graduate program in the School of Natural Resources and Environment, so we moved to Gainesville where my sister and niece had been living. We quickly fell in love with the town as we settled into the northeast neighborhood of Duckpond, where our two children were born (Aleida in 2004 and Eli in 2007). Since moving to Gainesville in 2003, I have completely committed myself to community building both in my neighborhood and throughout the city.