Most of you don’t know me yet, and I liked it that way. I loved going to the pier, the library, or the grocery store in near perfect anonymity. I’ve never been one to seek out crowds or the spotlight. But I am never one to shy away from what needs to be done, even if it is uncomfortable. I am running for Huntington Beach City School Board this November. Believe me, I am as surprised as you are. I’ve only lived in Huntington Beach for 3 years. Most candidates wear their lifetime-HB status as a badge of honor, but life took longer to get me here. I spent most of my adult life in the Washington, DC area providing intelligence analysis support to Special Operations Forces around the globe. It was a 24/7 mission that required deployments and a willingness to drop everything at a moment’s notice. It was a dream job I loved, but it wasn’t sustainable with young children.
My family chose to move to Huntington Beach, not just for the weather, beaches, and abundance of tacos, but primarily because it had all those things and great schools. My 2 boys attend elementary school in HBCSD. The teachers, staff, and families are a community determined to do the best for our kids. This year our district will transition to a local funding model that will provide more stability than the current daily attendance-based system and transform the way in which we can invest in education. Fiscal responsibility will be key and if elected, I will remain committed to fiscal transparency and cost-effective investment in curriculum, facilities, and policies. I also hope to contribute to the School Board’s advocacy with CA State leaders to stop handing down unfunded mandates that drain school resources and take away local control. Our local community, and especially parents, must direct the life-shaping decisions surrounding the education of our children.
My family came to HB looking to start a new chapter in our lives. What we discovered here was a suburban city with the heart of a small town. A community that truly cares about each other and will fight to keep its character. A place we call home and want to raise our children so that one day they can have lifetime-HB status. I hope that you will allow me to give back to this community we have grown to love so much by electing me to represent our families and children as the Trustee for Area 1 on the HBCSD School Board.