Almaden Times, April 6-19, 2012 - Click the image to read the story.

Thank you in advance for reading my campaign materials and visiting my website. These are challenging times—our streets are not being repaired, library hours have been cut, police response is in question, our City’s credit rating is poor and the City has not done enough to curb internal spending above and beyond pension reform—we need a councilmember with a proven track record of accomplishments at City Hall—one who can hit the ground running upon taking office—I am that person.

Top Ten reasons why I am the most Qualified Candidate to be your next District 10 Councilmember:

• Only candidate that has successfully negotiated complex land use, budget and safety issues while working as a Policy Analyst for former District 10 Councilmember Pat Dando and currently as Chief of Staff to Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio. Two examples of my successful policy work include:
  • I wrote the policy to ensure our fire houses are not closed or relocated prematurely. The policy is data driven and includes an outreach plan. It was supported by Mayor Reed and the entire City Council.
  • In 2010, I assisted Councilmember Oliverio in writing Measure W which provided a tier system for pensions. “W” passed with 70% voter approval citywide.
• Only Candidate who understands (from actual successful experience working in Local Government) how to maneuver through the bureaucratic City Hall to successfully work with others on the council to implement important policies on behalf of residents.
• Only Candidate that has proposed to use web-based technology to streamline Planning and Building Dept. processes.
• Only Candidate that is proposing the City review mid/upper management job descriptions to consolidate & lower pay structure when able and before hiring new employees.
  Retirees + Open Positions = Opportunity
• Only Candidate that will have weekly Monday night meetings (6:00 PM to 7:00 PM) with D-10 residents to discuss community/city issues. I am a firm believer in being an elected official that will be accessible to her constituents on a weekly basis.
• Only Candidate that has over 10 years of private industry experience working for small and large companies in the capacities of sales, marketing and managing accounts.
• Only Candidate that has hired a CPA (LMGW) in March 2012 to investigate the City’s use of leveraging our General Fund to fund lease revenue bonds for projects that have cost the city millions of dollars in debt. Currently, the City spends approximately $25 million each fiscal year out of our General Fund for debt on revenue bonds. Further, the City has leveraged the General Fund at approximately $853 million for bonds. This overuse has contributed to the City’s poor credit rating. I propose that we amend the City Charter to allow San Jose residents the right to vote on lease revenue bonds moving forward so we do not allow any future debt to take place. Currently, the City does not need a vote from the residents to use the General Fund to fund these multi-million dollar bonds with our General Found money.
• Only Candidate that will hire a CPA on the D-10 staff to review and investigate budget policy and issues.
• Only Candidate that founded a non-profit organization, “Friends of the San Jose Mounted Unit (FSJMU)” in 2005. In 2009, (at the direction of Mayor Reed and the entire City Council) FSJMU entered into a private-public partnership with the City of San Jose and successfully raised funding to keep the horse patrol intact.
• Only Candidate not accepting money from Political Action Committees (PAC’S) or Unions.

Please go to my Goals/Proposals page to watch my video clips and read my position papers. I look forward to the opportunity to serve as your next District 10 Councilmember. Thank you for your time and support.