Why I am running for mayor:

It is been my pleasure to serve as your mayor for the last four years and as your Councilmember for the four years preceding my being elected mayor. This time in our city’s history is unprecedented, given the impacts that the Covid -19 pandemic has had on all of us. Together, we have and are weathering the storm of the devastating public health, social, and economic consequences of the pandemic.

We must continue to preserve the unique small and quaint Harbor town nature of Morro Bay, while concurrently embracing change to continue to improve our economic and financial position. Under my leadership, the city has established policies that have enabled us to significantly improve the city’s finances and increase our financial reserves. I support increased funding for our police and fire departments in order to continue to experience low crime rates and rapid response times to calls for help by our citizens! Public safety remains one of my highest priorities. Completion of construction and the operation of phase 1 of our new wastewater treatment facility will occur by the end of 2022, to be followed by the completion of our water reclamation facility (phase II) in 2024. This will provide us with a new source of clean, reclaimed water for generations to come. Strong advocacy efforts in Washington DC and Sacramento by myself and our staff have allowed the city to receive over $14.3 million in grants for the project. Additionally, we have received federal and state loan guarantees for funding the project at unexpectedly low-interest rates (0.9%), resulting in debt savings to the city of over $80 million!

I will continue to advocate for sound financial policies, clean energy development, diversification of our economy, increasing affordable housing units, increased funding for street paving, protection of our bay/harbor, and supporting our local businesses to grow. Finally, I am running for mayor to continue to provide the leadership necessary to advance our community. My passion is to see Morro Bay remain financially strong, affordable, and a safe, clean place for all residents to grow and thrive.