My Philosophy in Elected Office:

My job as your elected official is to talk to you and everyone in our district, understand what everyone wants and doesn't want to happen, understand what everyone cares about, and represent you and everyone else accordingly. 

I must ensure that you are as well informed as possible, that you have as much opportunity to make comments and have your voices heard by myself and at every level of our city government. 

I must be constantly engaged with you and everyone else in the district so I know what you are thinking and to ensure you are all as informed as you need to be. 

If I believe there is a plan or proposal that is a good idea, it is my responsibility to inform everyone about it and convince you it is the right thing to do. 

If I can't convince you, I may disagree with you, but in the end, I must always vote in the way that best represents the wishes of my constituents.  My purpose is to represent y constituents, not myself or my opinions.

Property owners, developers, businesses, or other interests are important to our district and should always be considered, but you and your fellow constituents must come first, not money or special interests.

I work under the assumption that everyone has something valuable to share with me.  I treat everyone like they are my brothers and sisters and agree or disagree, I want to them to live their lives as they wish, without fear of being discriminated against, harassed, or otherwise harmed for being who they are or who they want to be.  

I will listen to anyone who wants to talk, right or left, conservative or liberal.  I believe that to not be willing to talk to anyone would mean I could never represent everyone in my district on the city council.

I grew up in the 9th & 9th neighborhood and other then a few years living in Seattle, I have always lived near downtown in Salt Lake City.  I come from a large family with 7 children where I am the middle child and known as the peace maker.  I have lived on South Temple and 800 East in District 3 since 2012. 

I started working for an Architect when I was 15 years old and have now been working in architecture and construction for more than 33 years.  In 2013 I started working for myself.  www.comdesigned.com  Before that I was an Associate Principal with a large firm in the state.

One highlight of that work has been being part of a team that worked on the Walker Center downtown and not only replaced the lighted sign tower, but placed the building on the National Register and made the building a Salt Lake City Landmark site.  I office in the Walker Center and have been fortunate to have been connected to and continue to be part of the building since 2005.  

Along the way, I also started a coffee business around 2009 and now have 3 locations in buildings on campus at the University of Utah.  www.briocoffee.com

In 1997 I joined the Utah Army National Guard as an "51B Carpentry and Masonry Specialist".  When I moved to Seattle I transferred into the Washington National Guard and finished my 6 year enlistment there just before moving back to Salt lake City.    

After divorcing, I decided to re-enlist and in 2014 I was retrained as a "92F Petroleum Supply Specialist" where I still serve as part of an aviation unit in West Jordan.  1st Battalion, 211th Aviation Regiment (ng.mil)  

Being a member of the guard, I serve (drill) one weekend a month, and do annual training (AT) two weeks every year.  My experience in the guard has given me a great perspective about the challenges that large organizations like our city face.

I have deployed once to Afghanistan being there for most of 2020 and returning home New Years Eve of that same year.  My family has a long tradition of military service with one of my brothers still serving and who has also deployed in the past, my father and some of his brothers having served, as well as a member of almost every generation of my family having served in the past as well.