Length of residency in San Marcos: 24 years

Experience: served on City Council from 2004-10, served on the Community Action Inc. Board, Main Street Advisory Board, Transportation Board, Sunset Commission and as a member of the Greater Castle Forest Neighborhood Association; 30 years’ experience as a licensed counselor

Why are you running? 

I am running to protect San Marcos neighborhoods and our river while growing our local economy. I want to keep San Marcos as a diverse community of working families and keep our river clean and free from development.

What do you believe is the greatest challenge facing the city? 

Growth. We know that San Marcos is growing and will continue to grow. We can’t stop it, but we can control where and how San Marcos grows. We need to make sure we consider the full impacts of future developments–on traffic, on neighborhoods, on city services, on our environment, and ultimately, on our quality of life.

Why do you believe you’re the most qualified candidate?

I believe my experience on council and several city commissions and committees coupled with my understanding of the challenges facing our working families makes me the most qualified candidate.

What do you believe the city should do to protect neighborhoods and have adequate housing for students?

I think the city should consider the impacts of proposed developments on our neighborhoods. Our comprehensive plan sets out a vision with several areas of preferred growth. San Marcos is not against student apartments or housing. We are against placing them in single-family neighborhoods. That isn’t good for them or us. Student housing should be near campus or on major non-residential thoroughfares to help get students to and from class without disrupting surrounding neighborhoods.

What do you believe the top priority should be as the city begins administering the $25 million disaster recovery grant from 2015's two floods? 

I believe we should use the money to begin planning and the first steps in controlling and diverting flood waters to protect homes and lives. Some of the funds should help restore housing and city facilities that were damaged. In the long-term, we need to develop ways to control flooding as flooding becomes more and more frequent and intense. That will likely mean seeking more federal and state grants to fully build out the infrastructure we’ll need.