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Personal (please list occupation, education and family):
• I teach English Language Arts at Tracy Area Public High School for 8th and 10th Grade.
• I attended Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA, where I earned a BA majoring in, Theatre
• My wife MyKelle and I have a seven year old daughter Onóra who is in 1st Grade at Tracy Elementary
• I grew up in southwestern North Dakota where my family had strong agricultural roots raising cattle and farming wheat, my mother worked in education and my father a former Army captain spent his career in executive leadership in the road construction industry.
• I myself have had a uniquely diverse career spanning professional theatre, homedesign, technology, and education.
Why am I running for mayor?
Running for the Mayor of Tracy was a decision I made after much consideration. I've always believed that if I have the ability and the opportunity to help others, I should jump in without hesitation. This belief which was imparted onto me by my grandfather has led me to a lifetime of service, where I am an active part of my community and volunteer my time helping others. I believe in doing the hard work to get the job done, and being mindful of how resources, especially money is used as projects are taken on. This attitude toward life shows in the work I do, and others who I've volunteered with and worked alongside have encouraged me to run and bring my experience, my energy, and enthusiasm to job of Mayor of the amazing town of Tracy.
What are the major issues facing the city?
Tracy is an amazing small town that I believe punches above its weight for its population, it has many amenities that make it a wonderful place to live, raise a family, retire, and do business. But like many small towns across the country it has its struggles too. We are currently in the process of replacing our aging sewer and water infrastructure, a long overdue project, that comes with expenses. As a regular attendee of of the city council meetings, I've seen this issue evolve and heard how it affects people, not only financially, but also the impact it has on their day to day lives. Looking forward, the priority I feel that we need to address is how our empty storefronts around town can be thriving again. This is not a problem unique to Tracy, as the retail across the country is struggling to compete with online shopping. So to me the solution lies not in looking back to what was, but rather asking what services are we as a town willing to support on a regular basis? Services that can't be ordered online, things like getting our hair cut, working out with friends, or those other day to day conveniences. I want to work with our EDA and determine what services add value to the daily life of our town. Armed with that information, it would give business owners the confidence to re-open those storefronts and revitalize life in Tracy.