Candidate for
Council Member; City of San Carlos

"Leadership that Listens" is the banner under which I ran my campaign four years ago; it is an ideal I have followed while serving on the council.

I believe it is important to invite people's input into the decision making process of government. It is important for leaders to listen to the opinions of folks before rendering a decision or taking action on a particular item, especially if the issue is of great importance to the community.

Listening to an individual's particular view does not guarantee their position will be followed one hundred percent, or even one percent, but it does serve the purpose of rounding out a leader's perspective; certainly it offers more than can be included in a staff report, which rarely offers all sides to an issue.

An example of this ideal in action was when a new anti-smoking ordinance was set for a hearing at a San Carlos City Council meeting. Considering what effect it might have on certain businesses, I walked into the Orchid Room one afternoon and asked the manager if they were aware of the pending ordinance; they were not.

Subsequently, the owners of the Orchid Room spoke to neighboring businesses. The night of the hearing, a number of business owners and managers came to the City Council meeting. They spoke convincingly of the negative impacts the law would have to their businesses and the downtown environment. The ordinance passed but not without changes that mitigated the negative impacts.

My conviction in this ideal has not waivered and I am again running my campaign under the banner, "Leadership that Listens."