Campaign Phone
8168798671
Incumbent? YES or NO
NO
The biggest issue facing our community is trust in local government. People feel like City Hall does not listen, does not explain its decisions, and does not put working families first. When residents lose trust, everything else breaks down. Economic growth stalls, neighborhoods fall behind, and people stop believing their voices matter.
I intend to address this by bringing accountability, transparency, and common sense back to city government. That means open decision-making, clear communication, and putting residents and workers at the table before deals are done. I will focus on fair development, strong public services, and making sure tax dollars actually improve neighborhoods instead of benefiting a few insiders. Government should work for the people who live and work here, not around them.
I am running because this community raised me, and I believe it deserves leadership that understands hard work and keeps its word. I am not a career politician. I am a tradesman, a union leader, a husband, a father, and a grandfather. I have spent my life fighting for working people at the bargaining table and standing up when it mattered.
I served as Business Manager of Roofers Local 20, where I negotiated contracts, managed budgets, and represented members with integrity. That job required problem-solving, tough decision-making, and accountability every single day. Those same skills are what this office needs. I know how to listen, how to lead, and how to get results without losing sight of the people affected by every decision.
Public service should mean service. That is why I am running.
Public Elected Offices Held
City Council Member At Large
Incumbent? YES or NO
No
Cities function best when they have a good mix of residents, business, and industry. Independence has seen closures of several national chains that impact our local retail which in turn, affects our city income.
Attracting new businesses and supporting home-grown businesses bring jobs, help residents and supports the finances of our city with its basic functions. We have the opportunity to streamline our regulations to make it easier to do business here and I am working to have our regulations be more consistent with surrounding cities. I support the judicious use of city incentives while protecting the finances for future city budgets. The CIty must make it possible to do business here but never take on debt on behalf of a development or business.
I want us to have healthy city finances to do the things our citizens deserve--public safety, good parks, activities, safe roads, and beautiful neighborhoods.
In short, I want a city that is livable, lovable and lasting.
This is home. I want Independence to be the best it can be. I see so much potential here and I want the greater community to know why we love our town. That takes long term planning and strategic choices.
I have been proud to be an at-large council person for the last 3 years. Before that, I was an Internal Medicine physician in Independence and ran a free clinic that served 2000 working adults with no insurance. I have also been the CEO of a very large philanthropy with a complex budget and staff. where I had to set budgets and do long term planning. I have worked for years on public policy to help people have health insurance coverage.
Public service is very important to me. It is my wish to dedicate my time and talents to leave a city better than I found it.
