Candidate for
Board Member; Granada Sanitary District

I was raised on a Wisconsin farm, had two hours of chores every day and worked in the fields on the weekends and summer vacation. My father loved the land and our intimate contact with it taught me to love it as well. This is the reason I am so determined to prevent the Harbor District from leasing the Burnham Strip in El Granada to a developer who wishes to build 12,000 Sq. Ft. of commercial space on it.

El Granada has been my residence for three years where I am involved in a software start up. I have a computer science degree from the University of Wisconsin and have worked for five organizations including the World Bank, Computer Science Corporation, Advanced Computer Techniques and Planning Research Corporation in the Washington DC area, and IBM in the bay area.

My involvement in local politics started when I became concerned about the number of trees being cut down in El Granada. After attending a few P&Z and MCC meetings, I met Leni Schultz who convinced me to help with a petition to save the Burham strip. A friends golden retriever, J.R., and I stood in front of the El Granada Post Office. J.R., by trying to get petted by everyone, slowed people up enough for my pitch. J.R. and I collected over 400 of the 900 signatures, one for every minute and half we were in front of the Post Office.

Hearing about this Midcoast Park Lands (MPL) appointed me to their board and offered to help save the Burham strip. Jerry Laster, the lawyer who setup the MPL land trust, set up the Burham strip committee. Jim Blanchard, as a member of this committee, contacted Trust for Public Lands and the Coastal Conservancy about help to acquire the Burnham strip. They are both interested with the condition that we have a public agency which can take control of the land. This has lead to an effort to convert the Granada Sanitary District to a Community Services District with Park and Rec powers. Marty Kingshill, Jim Blanchard, Jim Marsh and myself are the main petitioners. Jerry Laster is doing the legal work pro bono.