Lisa Weik
Name: Lisa Weik
Public Office Sought: Washington County Commissioner - District 5
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 651-895-9440
Website: www.weik4commissioner.com
Twitter Handle: @LisaWeik
Facebook Page: facebook.com/lisa.weik
Candidate Bio
Prior to running for elected office, I worked for local medical device firms in federal compliance and regulatory affairs for 11 years after completing a bachelor’s degree in Biology at the University of Minnesota in 1996. I was first elected in 2008 to complete an unfinished term, was re-elected in 2010, 2012, and ran unopposed in 2016.
I’ve lived on the west side of Woodbury since 1997, volunteering for the Woodbury Athletic Association and in area schools, but also joined the Lions Club and Woodbury Chamber of Commerce over 10 years ago. I’m a longtime volunteer at Woodbury Days and was involved in early efforts to establish the city as a Yellow Ribbon community supporting military families and veterans.
My recent appointment to serve as a vice chair of ports for a national transportation policy committee amplifies the county voice at the federal level to boost commerce via improved freight movement through shipping channels, plus efficient cargo transfer promoting local economies. I’ve served on many regional committees in demanding leadership roles, including the Counties Transit Improvement Board giving annual legislative reports, and continue to serve on the Greater MSP Board of Directors (Regional Economic Development Entity). I travel often to Washington D.C. advocating for federal dollars.
Why are you running for this seat?
My candidacy offers continuity during crisis as an established servant leader during what is likely a short 2-year term due to redistricting following the census. I am uniquely qualified to guide the county’s recovery from the public health risk and the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. I have also worked in clinical laboratory medicine and understand infectious disease mechanisms and clinical drug trial processes.
It’s an honor to serve my community during these hard economic times. My candidacy offers “continuity during crisis” with fast-approaching and competing deadlines. My goal is to prevent costly delays on major transportation and renewable-energy projects that are already in the pipeline, including GOLD Line BRT creating economic stimulus along the 10-mile corridor and new mobility options with reverse-commute service for small business access to additional workforce.
The proposed facility enhancements at the waste-to-energy center in Newport would improve the energy output of ‘refuse-derived-fuel’ after removing food scraps from the waste-stream for stronger environmental protections. I feel I’m uniquely qualified for these next steps and that a crisis is a terrible thing to waste as we navigate to the “next-normal” after the COVID-induced recession.
What is the biggest challenge facing your district and how would you address it?
The ongoing population surge requires more public services and upgrades to infrastructure to support the aging, diversifying and rapidly growing communities within my district in Woodbury, at the same time that revenue is down. This includes the future source of drinking water in Woodbury and District 5, with groundwater and local treatment being the preferred option using the 3M settlement money. I am closely connected with other local leaders on this topic and heard encouraging updates from the MPCA; several options now out for public comment source groundwater for the City of Woodbury.
I have connected with constituents in their neighborhoods, or using online chat groups, to talk about new solutions to end disparities and inequities in the way people of color are treated and live after the death of George Floyd. Concerns about growing mental health challenges related to uncertainty in daily living are widespread; including food insecurity, housing insecurity and job layoffs.
What do you believe is the biggest challenge facing Washington County as a whole and how would you address it?
The uncertainty around the economic fallout and ongoing or changing medical/health risks related to the pandemic on county population and government services/budgets after 2021 are the main concerns.
No property tax increase to hasten recovery from the COVID-induced recession (stabilizes the commercial/residential tax base, offer residential relief). Continue to pass through federal CARES grants to qualifying homeowners, renters and small businesses, delay penalty/interest on second half property tax payments (see also the answer to #15).
What would be your top three priorities if elected to the Washington County Board of Commissioners?
Should county government be actively involved in attracting and retaining jobs? Why or why not? If yes, please describe the role for the county in this process.
I support county programs targeted to dislocated workers, low-income adults, disadvantaged youth/young adults, welfare-to-work participants and low-income seniors. By helping people find and retain good paying jobs and stable employment by matching marketable skills to the current labor market, constituents are able to lead independent lives improving and strengthening communities/families/quality of life.
The county CareerForce serves employers by helping them find the right workers for their sector from entry-level to highly-skilled job candidates. These efforts grow the tax base and offer high quality careers closer to home, shortening commutes that lower family costs, leading to enhanced quality of life and community stability. People with secure employment tend to not “fall into the safety net” and don’t need community social services, reducing public costs for better outcomes. I have been an active member of the Woodbury Chamber of Commerce for over 10 years to stay engaged and connected to the needs of my business community.
What role should county government play in economic development, and how should the county work with partner organizations?
Counties have a central role in providing a stable quality of life with great public amenities in regional parks, public libraries, modern transportation systems and conserving open space that make the county a desirable place for both workers and the companies that provide living wage jobs close to home. Low and stable property tax rates, and utilizing other user-based revenue, is key to keeping the pressure off property taxes for our communities and my district to remain a destination of choice to live, work and play now and in the future.
The success of a major partner organization, Greater MSP, is a public/private partnership that I have been involved in since its inception six years ago, and continue to serve on their Board of Directors. Greater MSP 2.0 has corporate leaders and county board members working together to retain and attract new companies and a multicultural workforce to the Twin Cities using a collaborative approach and enhanced communications for better outcomes. A regional dashboard of metrics is reviewed to monitor jobs, targeted training of labor and identifying barriers to development and re-development.
I gave support to transition the county Housing and Redevelopment Agency (HRA), a few years ago to a Community Development Agency (CDA), via legislative action to provide focused resources during site selector visits by businesses looking to locate in our county. I feel an essential function of counties is to promote local economies, workforce readiness and housing affordability; a new executive director position creates better local opportunities/private investment, including whether the county has a trained workforce to meet the specific needs of a new corporation looking to locate here.
That position and partners, via “Open to Business”, have also been central to the county response determining eligibility for CARES funding grants offered to small businesses, homeowners, renters and potentially some non-profits (TBD in October).
What do you believe are the most essential services provided by county government?
The first charter of government is to protect its citizens. I won’t defund public safety programs when increasing crime rates reduce property values and erode the tax base. Public health and safety are core and essential services of county government, which acts as an administrative arm of the state delivering high quality and cost-effective mandated services that are convenient for citizens. New staff training in diversity and inclusion by a new HR RACIAL EQUITY TRAINING MANAGER will bring an equity lens to all county services/programs to eliminate systemic racism internally and for public facing services (supported by a county anti-racism taskforce), promoting a civil society.
Are there any services that the county does not provide that you believe it should?
I have supported implementing a new “Stepping Up” Program in Washington County to divert individuals with mental illness from incarceration. Locking up a person suffering from mental illness will not reverse the condition or provide justice to the community. The mental health citizen advisory committee is supportive of new staffing for the program in 2021. If re-elected I’d remain on the mental health committee to get this critical program firmly established, especially with the risk of increased mental illness related to pandemic-related stress. The program may improve workplace conditions for county corrections and public safety personnel, as well.
Are there any services currently provided by the county that you believe should be cut back or eliminated?
No elimination of current public services, but I am not in favor of any new operating funds for the Historical Society facility beyond the initial grant provided after their initial request for one-time funds. All levels of government should focus on core and essential services, avoiding mission creep. Historical society operations are not a core function of county government; safety net services, including protecting the most vulnerable among us are mandated services that over time have received less support by state and federal partners that require county programming. With collection of second-half property taxes still unknown, and whether the pandemic may worsen, now is not the time to fund outside requests also avoiding setting precedent.
How would you characterize the business climate in Washington County? What, if anything, would you do to change it?
The business climate in the county is stable and has centered on agriculture, commercial/industrial and retail/ hospitality sectors with a growing healthcare and medical industry, especially within the city of Woodbury that is the economic engine of the county.
What is the role of the Board of Commissioners in fostering increased minority- and women-owned businesses in Washington County?
I continue to support the Open for Business program, administered by the independent Washington County Community Development Agency (CDA) that offers every applicant small business support and incentives to operate in our area. I feel that local government programs should use a level-playing field approach that gives everyone a fair shot at success and should not offer unfair advantage to a select few.
The best approach to equity and promoting cultural diversity is to continuously reject racism and work to end systemic racism in all sectors, including gender violence that has touched my own extended family. The core function of county government is to offer a safe and civil society where everyone has opportunities to pursue their own interests and dreams.
Many communities and government entities in the East Metro collaborate to provide services to their residents in an effort operate more efficiently and cost effectively. Do you believe that Washington County uses such partnerships appropriately, and can you identify any specific areas where more sharing of services should be used?
I don’t feel new collaborations are needed. Washington and Ramsey Counties should focus on transportation and Waste-to-Energy (WTE) projects the two counties are jointly advancing.
As owner-operators of the Newport Recycling & Energy Center all residential and commercial solid waste collected in both counties are brought to the WTE facility, diverting waste from landfills, where recyclables are recovered and fuel produced from the waste stream is converted into electricity powering 40,000 homes annually by Xcel Energy.
A constituent told me during my first bid for election in 2008 that ENERGY POLICY MUST TIE TO TRANSPORTATION POLICY.
The proposed WTE facility upgrades to remove wet organics (food scraps), during solid waste processing would produce a better quality (drier), higher energy, more flexible fuel product that could be converted into a liquid fuel source, powering vehicles later this decade. This project requests state bond funds and literally turns trash into a more sustainable and cost-efficient future.
In your view, what is Washington County’s top transportation priority and how would you advance it?
Continued development of the GOLD Line BRT corridor to newly connect five east-metro cities to each other and the region via Union Depot by constructing a modern transitway corridor that terminates in Woodbury. Permanent transit amenities are proven to powerfully spark new private investment, particularly real estate development around station areas and along permanent transit corridors creating walkable communities and new housing stock, including life cycle housing. Lowering the costs of doing business here can attract new industry to the east metro; every dollar of public money invested leverages almost three dollars in return. Keeping GOLD Line on schedule and on budget is even more important as we experience the economic fallout from the pandemic. GOLD Line presents a historic opportunity to improve the standard of living in the east metro, connecting citizens to economic opportunities and jobs, while offering mobility options for reverse commuters supporting employers in the service and hospitality sectors in my district. The success of the GOLD Line may be an unexpected “silver lining” bridging our communities into the “next normal” by stabilizing the tax base in both counties. My goal is to deliver a just and resilient recovery for citizens of every demographic who want to live and work here.
What further policies can Washington County adopt to help the business community recover from the COVID-19 pandemic?
The county has reacted to the economic fallout by offering federal CARES Act grants to qualifying applicants as lifelines to small businesses trying to outlast the pandemic. As Finance Committee Chair I worked to bring proposals forward to delay penalty and interest applied to late first half assessed property tax payments until July, which was used by commercial and residential property owners. The committee also updated policy to consider appeals to abate penalty and interest on late property tax payments by expanding the definition of financial hardship to include when its directly related to a state, federal, or local emergency declaration. I support no levy increase for 2021 to keep the lid on property taxes during the pandemic. Staff has presented a fiscally constrained budget for next year to prepare for major reductions in revenues by holding or delaying expenditures in personnel costs, operating costs, and capital projects to prepare for the anticipated financial fallout, including delinquent property taxpayers at the end of CY202 than we had at YE 2019. A significant amount of Mission Directed Budget savings can be utilized to offset the post-COVID recession. I will also aggressively advocate for state lawmakers to fully fund state mandated programs and services offered by the county, since the state of Minnesota has many more resources available to them to generate revenue.
Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?
--Endorsed by the non-partisan St. Paul Area Association of REALTORS® (SPAAR), with MN REALTORS® approval via REALTOR® RPAC.
--Appointed NACo vice chair ports 2020-21, National Assn of Counties, Transportation Policy Committee.
--Appointed in 2019, by Governor Walz & Lt. Gov. Flanagan to serve on the candidate screening committee for Metropolitan Council appointments using new equity criteria; a more racially diverse council better reflects the area demographics for more culturally sensitive/inclusive regional policy decisions.
--Woman in Transportation Studies “Woman of the Year” Award recipient 2019.
--I was a 2015 finalist for the “Elected Official of Note”, Local Govt Awards by SPACC.
--I was elected 2020 county board vice chair; Regional Rail Authority (RRA), and Finance Committee chair
--I reject partisan politics in campaigns for local office supporting the majority consensus of my district; it divides and disenfranchises entire groups of people with inherent bias. Local government is our future precisely because it is non-partisan.
Public Office Sought: Washington County Commissioner - District 5
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 651-895-9440
Website: www.weik4commissioner.com
Twitter Handle: @LisaWeik
Facebook Page: facebook.com/lisa.weik
Candidate Bio
Prior to running for elected office, I worked for local medical device firms in federal compliance and regulatory affairs for 11 years after completing a bachelor’s degree in Biology at the University of Minnesota in 1996. I was first elected in 2008 to complete an unfinished term, was re-elected in 2010, 2012, and ran unopposed in 2016.
I’ve lived on the west side of Woodbury since 1997, volunteering for the Woodbury Athletic Association and in area schools, but also joined the Lions Club and Woodbury Chamber of Commerce over 10 years ago. I’m a longtime volunteer at Woodbury Days and was involved in early efforts to establish the city as a Yellow Ribbon community supporting military families and veterans.
My recent appointment to serve as a vice chair of ports for a national transportation policy committee amplifies the county voice at the federal level to boost commerce via improved freight movement through shipping channels, plus efficient cargo transfer promoting local economies. I’ve served on many regional committees in demanding leadership roles, including the Counties Transit Improvement Board giving annual legislative reports, and continue to serve on the Greater MSP Board of Directors (Regional Economic Development Entity). I travel often to Washington D.C. advocating for federal dollars.
Why are you running for this seat?
My candidacy offers continuity during crisis as an established servant leader during what is likely a short 2-year term due to redistricting following the census. I am uniquely qualified to guide the county’s recovery from the public health risk and the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. I have also worked in clinical laboratory medicine and understand infectious disease mechanisms and clinical drug trial processes.
It’s an honor to serve my community during these hard economic times. My candidacy offers “continuity during crisis” with fast-approaching and competing deadlines. My goal is to prevent costly delays on major transportation and renewable-energy projects that are already in the pipeline, including GOLD Line BRT creating economic stimulus along the 10-mile corridor and new mobility options with reverse-commute service for small business access to additional workforce.
The proposed facility enhancements at the waste-to-energy center in Newport would improve the energy output of ‘refuse-derived-fuel’ after removing food scraps from the waste-stream for stronger environmental protections. I feel I’m uniquely qualified for these next steps and that a crisis is a terrible thing to waste as we navigate to the “next-normal” after the COVID-induced recession.
What is the biggest challenge facing your district and how would you address it?
The ongoing population surge requires more public services and upgrades to infrastructure to support the aging, diversifying and rapidly growing communities within my district in Woodbury, at the same time that revenue is down. This includes the future source of drinking water in Woodbury and District 5, with groundwater and local treatment being the preferred option using the 3M settlement money. I am closely connected with other local leaders on this topic and heard encouraging updates from the MPCA; several options now out for public comment source groundwater for the City of Woodbury.
I have connected with constituents in their neighborhoods, or using online chat groups, to talk about new solutions to end disparities and inequities in the way people of color are treated and live after the death of George Floyd. Concerns about growing mental health challenges related to uncertainty in daily living are widespread; including food insecurity, housing insecurity and job layoffs.
What do you believe is the biggest challenge facing Washington County as a whole and how would you address it?
The uncertainty around the economic fallout and ongoing or changing medical/health risks related to the pandemic on county population and government services/budgets after 2021 are the main concerns.
No property tax increase to hasten recovery from the COVID-induced recession (stabilizes the commercial/residential tax base, offer residential relief). Continue to pass through federal CARES grants to qualifying homeowners, renters and small businesses, delay penalty/interest on second half property tax payments (see also the answer to #15).
What would be your top three priorities if elected to the Washington County Board of Commissioners?
- Protect the county’s financial health during the pandemic; maintain two AAA bond ratings, and keep the lid on the county portion of property taxes to stimulate recovery from the COVID-induced recession.
- Produce fair voting maps at redistricting in a transparent and public process to protect citizens’ right to choose who represents them; incumbents should not use election data during reapportionment of the county population to advance their own self-interests (top goal of the local and national League of Women Voters); whether this decade is the time to expand to seven seats should be publicly vetted.
- Divert the mentally ill from jail; support expansion of the new “Stepping Up” initiative beyond next year to cut public costs/promote a civil society. Advance county-wide equity initiatives to reverse systemic racism; promote an inclusive economy.
Should county government be actively involved in attracting and retaining jobs? Why or why not? If yes, please describe the role for the county in this process.
I support county programs targeted to dislocated workers, low-income adults, disadvantaged youth/young adults, welfare-to-work participants and low-income seniors. By helping people find and retain good paying jobs and stable employment by matching marketable skills to the current labor market, constituents are able to lead independent lives improving and strengthening communities/families/quality of life.
The county CareerForce serves employers by helping them find the right workers for their sector from entry-level to highly-skilled job candidates. These efforts grow the tax base and offer high quality careers closer to home, shortening commutes that lower family costs, leading to enhanced quality of life and community stability. People with secure employment tend to not “fall into the safety net” and don’t need community social services, reducing public costs for better outcomes. I have been an active member of the Woodbury Chamber of Commerce for over 10 years to stay engaged and connected to the needs of my business community.
What role should county government play in economic development, and how should the county work with partner organizations?
Counties have a central role in providing a stable quality of life with great public amenities in regional parks, public libraries, modern transportation systems and conserving open space that make the county a desirable place for both workers and the companies that provide living wage jobs close to home. Low and stable property tax rates, and utilizing other user-based revenue, is key to keeping the pressure off property taxes for our communities and my district to remain a destination of choice to live, work and play now and in the future.
The success of a major partner organization, Greater MSP, is a public/private partnership that I have been involved in since its inception six years ago, and continue to serve on their Board of Directors. Greater MSP 2.0 has corporate leaders and county board members working together to retain and attract new companies and a multicultural workforce to the Twin Cities using a collaborative approach and enhanced communications for better outcomes. A regional dashboard of metrics is reviewed to monitor jobs, targeted training of labor and identifying barriers to development and re-development.
I gave support to transition the county Housing and Redevelopment Agency (HRA), a few years ago to a Community Development Agency (CDA), via legislative action to provide focused resources during site selector visits by businesses looking to locate in our county. I feel an essential function of counties is to promote local economies, workforce readiness and housing affordability; a new executive director position creates better local opportunities/private investment, including whether the county has a trained workforce to meet the specific needs of a new corporation looking to locate here.
That position and partners, via “Open to Business”, have also been central to the county response determining eligibility for CARES funding grants offered to small businesses, homeowners, renters and potentially some non-profits (TBD in October).
What do you believe are the most essential services provided by county government?
The first charter of government is to protect its citizens. I won’t defund public safety programs when increasing crime rates reduce property values and erode the tax base. Public health and safety are core and essential services of county government, which acts as an administrative arm of the state delivering high quality and cost-effective mandated services that are convenient for citizens. New staff training in diversity and inclusion by a new HR RACIAL EQUITY TRAINING MANAGER will bring an equity lens to all county services/programs to eliminate systemic racism internally and for public facing services (supported by a county anti-racism taskforce), promoting a civil society.
Are there any services that the county does not provide that you believe it should?
I have supported implementing a new “Stepping Up” Program in Washington County to divert individuals with mental illness from incarceration. Locking up a person suffering from mental illness will not reverse the condition or provide justice to the community. The mental health citizen advisory committee is supportive of new staffing for the program in 2021. If re-elected I’d remain on the mental health committee to get this critical program firmly established, especially with the risk of increased mental illness related to pandemic-related stress. The program may improve workplace conditions for county corrections and public safety personnel, as well.
Are there any services currently provided by the county that you believe should be cut back or eliminated?
No elimination of current public services, but I am not in favor of any new operating funds for the Historical Society facility beyond the initial grant provided after their initial request for one-time funds. All levels of government should focus on core and essential services, avoiding mission creep. Historical society operations are not a core function of county government; safety net services, including protecting the most vulnerable among us are mandated services that over time have received less support by state and federal partners that require county programming. With collection of second-half property taxes still unknown, and whether the pandemic may worsen, now is not the time to fund outside requests also avoiding setting precedent.
How would you characterize the business climate in Washington County? What, if anything, would you do to change it?
The business climate in the county is stable and has centered on agriculture, commercial/industrial and retail/ hospitality sectors with a growing healthcare and medical industry, especially within the city of Woodbury that is the economic engine of the county.
What is the role of the Board of Commissioners in fostering increased minority- and women-owned businesses in Washington County?
I continue to support the Open for Business program, administered by the independent Washington County Community Development Agency (CDA) that offers every applicant small business support and incentives to operate in our area. I feel that local government programs should use a level-playing field approach that gives everyone a fair shot at success and should not offer unfair advantage to a select few.
The best approach to equity and promoting cultural diversity is to continuously reject racism and work to end systemic racism in all sectors, including gender violence that has touched my own extended family. The core function of county government is to offer a safe and civil society where everyone has opportunities to pursue their own interests and dreams.
Many communities and government entities in the East Metro collaborate to provide services to their residents in an effort operate more efficiently and cost effectively. Do you believe that Washington County uses such partnerships appropriately, and can you identify any specific areas where more sharing of services should be used?
I don’t feel new collaborations are needed. Washington and Ramsey Counties should focus on transportation and Waste-to-Energy (WTE) projects the two counties are jointly advancing.
As owner-operators of the Newport Recycling & Energy Center all residential and commercial solid waste collected in both counties are brought to the WTE facility, diverting waste from landfills, where recyclables are recovered and fuel produced from the waste stream is converted into electricity powering 40,000 homes annually by Xcel Energy.
A constituent told me during my first bid for election in 2008 that ENERGY POLICY MUST TIE TO TRANSPORTATION POLICY.
The proposed WTE facility upgrades to remove wet organics (food scraps), during solid waste processing would produce a better quality (drier), higher energy, more flexible fuel product that could be converted into a liquid fuel source, powering vehicles later this decade. This project requests state bond funds and literally turns trash into a more sustainable and cost-efficient future.
In your view, what is Washington County’s top transportation priority and how would you advance it?
Continued development of the GOLD Line BRT corridor to newly connect five east-metro cities to each other and the region via Union Depot by constructing a modern transitway corridor that terminates in Woodbury. Permanent transit amenities are proven to powerfully spark new private investment, particularly real estate development around station areas and along permanent transit corridors creating walkable communities and new housing stock, including life cycle housing. Lowering the costs of doing business here can attract new industry to the east metro; every dollar of public money invested leverages almost three dollars in return. Keeping GOLD Line on schedule and on budget is even more important as we experience the economic fallout from the pandemic. GOLD Line presents a historic opportunity to improve the standard of living in the east metro, connecting citizens to economic opportunities and jobs, while offering mobility options for reverse commuters supporting employers in the service and hospitality sectors in my district. The success of the GOLD Line may be an unexpected “silver lining” bridging our communities into the “next normal” by stabilizing the tax base in both counties. My goal is to deliver a just and resilient recovery for citizens of every demographic who want to live and work here.
What further policies can Washington County adopt to help the business community recover from the COVID-19 pandemic?
The county has reacted to the economic fallout by offering federal CARES Act grants to qualifying applicants as lifelines to small businesses trying to outlast the pandemic. As Finance Committee Chair I worked to bring proposals forward to delay penalty and interest applied to late first half assessed property tax payments until July, which was used by commercial and residential property owners. The committee also updated policy to consider appeals to abate penalty and interest on late property tax payments by expanding the definition of financial hardship to include when its directly related to a state, federal, or local emergency declaration. I support no levy increase for 2021 to keep the lid on property taxes during the pandemic. Staff has presented a fiscally constrained budget for next year to prepare for major reductions in revenues by holding or delaying expenditures in personnel costs, operating costs, and capital projects to prepare for the anticipated financial fallout, including delinquent property taxpayers at the end of CY202 than we had at YE 2019. A significant amount of Mission Directed Budget savings can be utilized to offset the post-COVID recession. I will also aggressively advocate for state lawmakers to fully fund state mandated programs and services offered by the county, since the state of Minnesota has many more resources available to them to generate revenue.
Is there anything else you would like to share with voters not covered above?
--Endorsed by the non-partisan St. Paul Area Association of REALTORS® (SPAAR), with MN REALTORS® approval via REALTOR® RPAC.
--Appointed NACo vice chair ports 2020-21, National Assn of Counties, Transportation Policy Committee.
--Appointed in 2019, by Governor Walz & Lt. Gov. Flanagan to serve on the candidate screening committee for Metropolitan Council appointments using new equity criteria; a more racially diverse council better reflects the area demographics for more culturally sensitive/inclusive regional policy decisions.
--Woman in Transportation Studies “Woman of the Year” Award recipient 2019.
--I was a 2015 finalist for the “Elected Official of Note”, Local Govt Awards by SPACC.
--I was elected 2020 county board vice chair; Regional Rail Authority (RRA), and Finance Committee chair
--I reject partisan politics in campaigns for local office supporting the majority consensus of my district; it divides and disenfranchises entire groups of people with inherent bias. Local government is our future precisely because it is non-partisan.