Greetings,
On December 15, 2022, I took the oath to become a city council member in beautiful Seaside, CA. I want to take a few minutes of your time and share the things I learned as I walked down the path leading to this assignment.
When I decided to run for a seat on the city council in June, I invited nine representatives from our community to share their thoughts and suggestions about the future of our city. The group included a planning commissioner, community activists, Neighborhood Improvement Commission members, and my dad. That hour was an eye-opener, and the suggestions flowed.
I stewed over the list and divided the suggestions into three areas:
My campaign was ready, and I constructed a website. In July, I entered my name into what I thought would be a competitive election.
Since only two people filed for available seats, the election was canceled, and I was scheduled to be appointed to a council seat on December 15. I decided to hold five community meetings in different parts of Seaside. Thirty people attended the downtown meeting at Oven Pizzeria, and thirty others participated in the meeting at a private home in the Seaside Highlands. The third meeting was held at Angelina’s Bakery with fifteen people in attendance, and the fourth was held at Mal’s Market with sixteen attendees. The final meeting was a roundtable discussion at Victory Temple, and seven people attended. Including the advisory committee, we had over one hundred people from all walks of life and different parts of the city present their views on Seaside. They indulged in pizza, burritos, Mal’s bombers, wine, beer, soft drinks, and meat and cheese plates.
Engaging with people at these meetings was both inspiring and daunting. Seeing that people care about our city and want to help improve it is heartening. I know I won’t be able to accomplish everything in the next four short years, but I promise to try.
The meetings lasted over ten hours, and I may have overlooked an essential item. If so, please call or email me. Thank you.
Go to the My Vision section of this website to see how the suggestions were incorporated into my vision for this great city.