Experience That Counts
An effective City Council member needs a wide range of experience and skills. Here is what I bring to the table.
Administrative Skills
Chair of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Northern Colorado
When I took over as chair, university enrollment was falling and we faced budget cuts. When my tenure was up, we had the fastest growing major in the state and we added a graduate degree in Mass Communications. Re-structuring the coursework required coalition building within and between departments, and getting our graduate program started meant dealing with the State Board of Higher Education. I know how bureaucracies work, and I know how to use them to get things done.
Community Organizing Skills
Founder and Coordinator the Boulder County AIDS Project Speakers Bureau
The COVID pandemic has many parallels to the AIDS pandemic of the late 1980s. AIDS was frightening, people had doubts about of the science, and some thought it all an elaborate hoax to restrict personal freedom. As cases rose in Denver and Boulder, Colorado, I saw a need and stepped forward. I created and ran a speakers bureau to get the facts out to civic and church organizations. We quelled the fears, shared the latest information, and inspired compassion for those affected. All this was backed by funding from the Boulder County Health Department. I can bring my experience building this kind of public/private partnership to bear on the difficult problems we face.
Practical Skills
Co-Designer and Builder of Passive Solar Home; Renovator of Classic Craftsman Bungalow
My sister was part of Jerry Brown's first administration, serving in the Office of Appropriate Technology. When she needed a new home in Wisconsin, we paired her knowledge of solar power and passive solar heating with my experience with designing and constructing theatre sets and came up with a house that practically heats itself -- even in Wisconsin's -20ยบ winters! At the same time, I oversaw the restoration of my 1934 Craftsman bungalow here in Nevada City to its original elegance, from completely replacing the foundation to designing details like the window treatments and building a Craftsman-style mailbox. From big picture to small details, I know how to follow a complex project through to completion.
Business Skills
Over 20 Years as an Independent Book Publisher
I started Beautiful Dreamer Press in 2000 as a memorial to my partner, Vivekan Don Flint. Since then, BDP has published award-winning books ranging from Young Adult novels, to poetry collections, to anthologies, to literary fiction. Our best seller has sold hundreds of copies throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.
Investor and Part Owner of Saratoga Springs Retreat Center
I started going to Saratoga Springs in Lake County in the 1990s. When financial trouble hit, I joined a team of investors and we formed an LLC to keep the place going. We meet periodically to steer the development and marketing of this wonderful land. We have survived the Great Recession, wildfires, and COVID, and we are thriving.
My range of skills and experience have convinced several former council members, mayors, commissioners, county and district officers, and community activists to endorse me. I am honored to be backed by Peter Van Zant (pictured above), David McKay, Nancy Weber, Sally Harris, and Larry Meek. (Read the complete list of endorsements here.) I am ready to put my experience to work for you and our beautiful city.