At the Employee Benefits Division, I got an even closer look at the importance of communication and customer service in government. I oversaw external communications and helped lead training and communications around Open Enrollment for state and public-school employees. That meant taking complicated information, making it easy to understand, and helping people navigate a process that directly affected their families. It also meant finding better ways to organize the work, communicate internally, and make sure things actually got done. That's a lesson I carry with me: government can have good people and good intentions, but if the process doesn't work for the people you're serving, it isn't working well enough. 

Today, I train state employees. I teach everything from Microsoft programs to public speaking, emotional intelligence, and time and stress management. That work has taught me a lot about leadership and, more importantly, about people. You can't walk into a room, talk at people for an hour and call that leadership. You have to listen, adapt, explain things differently when necessary and pay attention to whether what you're doing is actually working. I think those lessons translate directly to leading a city.

I've spent nearly 30 years in Sherwood. I'm a Sylvan Hills graduate, a parent, a former athlete and someone who has spent a whole lot of time around Sherwood's schools, sports, fields, gyms, stands and sidelines. I do play-by-play currently, I've worked at the ballpark, I started the GrizZone student section with my high school mates and watched this community expand. I don't just see Sherwood as a city on a map. I see the people, places and traditions that make it home — and I also see the opportunities in front of us.

So, what does all of that have to do with being mayor?

A lot, I think.

I don't claim to be the smartest guy in the room, and I don't think a mayor needs to be. I want to make sure the right people are in the room, we're asking the right questions, we know what things cost, we set priorities, and somebody is responsible for getting the thing done.

That's what my experience has prepared me to do.

Listen. Communicate. Bring people together. Make decisions. Follow through.

I'm running for Mayor because I believe Sherwood's future is full of possibility. We can grow our local economy, strengthen our neighborhoods, improve our infrastructure, and make city government more transparent, responsive, and accountable.

This campaign isn't about politics. It's about people. I'm committed to listening first, working hard every day, and building a better Sherwood, together.