Candidate for
Director; West County Wastewater District

I am running for a seat on the West County Wastewater District because of my commitment to public service. My campaign theme is, Time For Change. Besides supporting fair and reasonable rates, limiting director compensation and a fair labor contract for employees, there are additional areas that I am advocating for. I support a community benefits policy that includes local hiring policy for contractors, scholarship and internship programs and a summer youth employment program. The wastewater district needs to be more transparent and open in being accountable to the ratepayers in terms of fiscal management. There needs to be more community outreach in the form of a regular newsletter (hard copy and e-newsletter) to inform the ratepayers about what is happening in the wastewater district and to demonstrate that ratepayers are getting value for their tax dollars. There needs to be more education to encourage the entire community to take responsibility for public health and the environment. I believe that the wastewater board of directors should develop committees that facilitate ratepayers being more involved around issues of wastewater collection, treatment and disposal. This is a matter of civic engagement. The ratepayers as the public have the right to "instruct their representatives" under the state Constitution. The committees that foster participatory democracy should have representation from all geographic areas of the wastewater district and should include residential, commercial and industrial customers.

I am campaigning to increase the racial and geographic diversity of the wastewater board of directors and to improve the treatment of wastewater district employees.