VOTE411 Voter Guide

In my first term, I have had the privilege of serving on and chairing the Public Information and Parks & Recreation committees. I helped lead a comprehensive audit of every park in our city. This identified current needs and future opportunities, resulting in numerous park improvements, with many more planned to enhance the quality of life for our residents.

The city has successfully completed two productive labor negotiations, strengthening relationships and ensuring fair, sustainable agreements. I have organized & continue to lead community cleanup events, creating opportunities to connect with residents which encourage open and honest conversations allowing me to better understand the needs, concerns, and aspirations of our community.

Listening to residents remains at the core of my service, guiding decisions even when they are difficult. My commitment is to lead with transparency, foresight, & collaboration, ensuring that today’s choices strengthen Maumee for generations to come

The highest priority for this office is to bridge the divide in our community through improved communication and collaboration with citizens. I understand that not every decision will be universally supported, which makes it essential to listen to community concerns and carefully consider how our choices impact both the present and future of Maumee. Decisions made today must be guided by long-term vision to avoid placing undue burdens on future generations. While communication has improved in recent years, there is still considerable room for improvement, especially as we begin the hard work of fixing our infrastructure to set Maumee on a successful and sustainable path. Building trust and fostering unity through citizen input and action is key.

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I have 2 Bachelor degree - one in in Education and one in Business. As part of my Education degree, I minored in history and political science. In addition, I have experience working on political campaigns for candidates such as Sally Perz in the 1990's.

Professionally, I have worked in positions related to marketing research and data analysis. Through these experiences, I have developed skills that will allow me to dive deep into topics, analyze data and gain a stronger understanding than I already have about current issues. I do not take information at face value. When I make a statement or decision, I regularly provide the supporting data and information to support that action.

Over the 17 years I have lived in Maumee, I have kept up on decisions made by council in the past. I have attended council meetings and watched them online when unable to attend in person.

My focus is one on checks and balances, sewers and infrastructure. Maumee residents have seen their abilities to hold government officials accountable. I want to create more avenues for residents to have a say in the issues their government addresses. I plan to allow for more committees and commissions to be created opening the door for residents to have more input. I plan to make sure many of the responsibilities that have been rolled into the City Administrator position such as Director of HR, Director of Public Safety, etc. get broken back out and filled by individuals. In addition, I plan to look into rolling back several of the ordinances passed since 2020 that allowed the City Administrator to enter into agreements without council approval.

Maumee needs to focus on its sewers, roads, sidewalks, and curbs. For example, the crumbling curb in front of the middle school. Project scopes must be specific and grants pursued allowing to free up more tax dollars for them.

The principal duties of City Council are concerned with (1) enacting legislation for the city; (2) establishing personnel positions, staffing levels and associated compensation; and (3) exercising fiscal control over spending. I am running for re-election, so I already have fulfilled the duties of a Council member for almost four years. There is a learning curve, so prior service has value. The pertinent life experiences I bring to my role on Council consist in 40+ years private sector employment in engineering and management positions plus various leadership positions in church and community organizations. My work in both settings has involved creating specific plans to achieve organizational goals based on sound analysis and understanding of problems followed by team-based solution development. Much of my work experience has required developing and managing project budgets, so I appreciate the importance of fiscal prudence, a quality I have exercised my entire life.

1. Regain residents' trust in local government by working with fellow Council members to institute structural and personnel changes that prove the city is committed to citizen participation in governing the lives of Maumee residents. 2. Support implementation of the EPA-approved Sanitary Sewer Overflow Remediation Plan by voting for required funding and staffing; and when needed, public advocacy to encourage and engage residents' participation. 3. Rebuild capability and morale of the City's workforce by ensuring appropriate checks and balances are in place and functioning; specifying the necessary staffing in each department; identifying/selecting candidates to fill positions; and promoting processes that allow for open communication between employees and managerial staff and Council members.

For more than 20 years I have worked as a Physical Therapist, a career centered on listening, problem-solving, and helping people improve their quality of life. This taught me how to communicate effectively with people from all backgrounds, deal with challenges, and genuinely care about the well-being of others. In addition, as a licensed Realtor and small business owner, I understand housing, property values, and the challenges families and businesses face in our community. I have been actively involved in Maumee: volunteering with MYSA coaching soccer, Maumee Athletic Boosters, Boy Scouts, being a member of Maumee Chamber of Commerce, and advocating for transparency and accountability in city government. These combined experiences—two decades of caring for people, years of business and real estate knowledge, and active civic engagement—have prepared me to serve on City Council with empathy, fiscal responsibility, and a strong commitment to representing the people of Maumee.

My highest priorities are increasing effective communication with the people of Maumee, restoring trust in Maumee city government, and reestablishing our identity. I want to bring back Citizen Committees that people can go to with questions or concerns about specific topics, increasing transparency with city finances and decision making, as well as getting people comfortable with communicating directly with Council. With The Mirror unfortunately no longer printing, we especially need to send out monthly updates on social media and a direct mail letter to all residents of Maumee updating them on news, finances, upcoming projects/road work, and asking for input/ideas on issues residents feel need to be addressed in the city. Lastly, we need to reestablish who we are as a city. Maumee is a place that is a community that takes care of each other, and we need to get back to that. Not everyone will always see eye to eye, but we need to get along if we want to continue to move forward.

I worked for the City of Maumee from 1990-2021, in the water and sewer departments

I would like to city an audit of the city’s finances. I would like a study on the water and sewer rates and see if they can be lowered. We need to make our city affordable for everyone.

I am currently the Director of Digital Strategy for an organization that specializes in helping organizations and leaders build successful, positive, productive workplaces in which all people can be connected, feel valued, and contribute to the organization’s success, with a focus on leadership development and clear communications.

I was also a lead on CMAC (Citizens of Maumee Action Committee) and collaborated with the city over the last year to find better solutions for residents for the sewer issues. I've spent countless hours researching our current codes and laws.

Additionally, I was recently appointed to city council. This will allow me to have more insight into how things are currently done and help smooth the transition for new council members.

1. Community Voice and Civic Engagement: My goal is to increase citizen participation through more frequent committee meetings, public forums/surveys, and reinstating some of the citizen advisory boards and commissions. Some of these are already underway.

2. Communication and Smart Growth: This is about making things more accessible to residents, as well as easier to understand. One of my main goals is to implement a public portal and make more committee minutes and agendas available. I also hope to worth with the city to create more updates and reports for major projects.

3. Thriving, Connected Neighborhoods -Improve basic services and infrastructure in all neighborhoods and parks -Invest in family-friendly public spaces and recreation programs -Launch a Neighborhood Mini-Grant Program for resident-led improvements -Revisit zoning and development rules to reflect neighborhood needs and values -Partner with local groups, schools, and businesses to co-design solutions—not impose them