Part 2: A Fresh Perspective, Grounded in Experience

Living in a community for decades creates history, perspective, and institutional knowledge.

That perspective has real value, and I respect the people whose long involvement has helped shape Rohnert Park into the community it is today.

I may bring a newer perspective to Rohnert Park, but it is grounded in more than 20 years of leadership experience making complex decisions, managing resources, working with multiple stakeholders, and navigating competing priorities.

For me, this election is not about choosing between community experience and a fresh perspective.

Rohnert Park benefits from both.

What a Fresh Perspective Can Add

Being newer to the community has required me to be intentional about learning.

I’ve listened to residents, asked questions, met with city leaders and staff, attended Council meetings, and worked to better understand not only how our city operates, but why things are done the way they are.

A fresh perspective should not begin with the assumption that an existing approach is wrong.

It should begin with curiosity:

What is working well?

What have we learned?

Where are residents seeing challenges?

And where might another approach add value?

Those are the kinds of questions I believe a City Council member should be willing to ask.

Questioning something does not mean assuming it is wrong. It means taking the time to understand why we do it, what may have changed, and whether the approach still serves our community well.

Sometimes the answer will be yes.

Sometimes there may be an opportunity to improve.

The important thing is that we have thoroughly considered the question before reaching a conclusion.

Experience Is More Than Years in One Place

I value experience because I have relied on it throughout my career.

For more than two decades in healthcare leadership, I have worked in environments where decisions involve budgets, operations, negotiations, limited resources, and people with different priorities.

That experience has taught me to do the homework and ask questions rather than make assumptions.

It has taught me to listen to the people most affected by a decision and seek out perspectives different from my own.

It has also taught me to look at the facts and alternatives, understand the tradeoffs, anticipate potential consequences, and think about what happens next—not only immediately, but years down the road.

Sometimes that analysis confirms that the current approach is the right one.

Sometimes the facts point toward an adjustment or a different approach.

The goal shouldn’t be change for change's sake. The goal should be making the best decision we can with the information, experience, and perspectives available to us.

That is the approach I would bring to the City Council.

Building on What Works

Rohnert Park has a great deal to be proud of, and I want to build on the work that has brought our city to this point.

I also believe one of leadership's responsibilities is to keep looking forward.

I want to learn from people who have been part of this community for decades and from those who arrived more recently.

I want to hear from people who agree with me and, just as importantly, from people who do not.

And I want residents to know that I will approach decisions with an open mind, not with a predetermined answer.

I am not interested in changing things simply to make them different. I want to understand what works, protect it, and be willing to improve where the facts and community experience show an opportunity.

That combination—respect for where Rohnert Park has been, a fresh perspective on where we are today, and the experience to thoughtfully consider where we go next—is what I hope to bring to the Council.

I may bring a newer perspective to Rohnert Park, but it is grounded in decades of leadership experience and a commitment to listening, learning, and serving.