Length of residency in San Marcos: 18 years

Experience: member of the Veteran Affairs Advisory Committee, city of San Marcos Citizen’s Academy fall 2015, San Marcos Fire Department Citizen’s Fire Academy fall 2016 (currently)

Why are you running? 

As I type this, I just returned from a City Council meeting where yet again the will of the San Marcos residents was completely ignored. Since 2012, citizens of the city had been encouraging me to run because of the pronounced lack of leadership we have seen in the mayoral position. Elected officials cannot keep ignoring the wishes of their constituents without accountability.

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

The growth the city has experienced has been mismanaged to the point where longstanding residents are disheartened that San Marcos is losing its identity. We need to proactively be involved in that growth as opposed to rubber-stamping every developer project that comes down the pipe. We also need better communication and cooperation with the university.

Why do you believe you are the most qualified candidate?

I have a bachelor's degree in management (2001) as well as a master's in business administration (MBA, 2010) and have worked for several Fortune 500 companies in diverse and challenging fields such as tourism, taxes, insurance and most recently finance and investing. I have extensive knowledge gained through quality education enhanced by real life work experience.

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

The city needs to develop areas or zones that specify where neighborhoods will be built or protected (for the existing), and areas where student populations can enjoy the extent of their college experience without infringing on the standard of living of current residents. No more apartment complexes built within or right next to neighborhoods.

What do you believe is the top priority for the $25 million dollar HUD grant?

Housing and rebuilding infrastructure. We need to stretch those $25 million as much as we can to cover the $118 million estimated total needs from those devastating floods. We need to help people back on their feet and provide the services and access they enjoyed before. It's been a year already, and few unmet needs have been addressed to date.