Who Am I?

 

I grew up in a loving household in a suburb outside of Chicago. My dad has been a Spanish teacher at my Catholic high school for his entire life, while my mom (who he met at that high school while she was teaching Math) moved to different jobs such as teacher, librarian, and community college administrator. I’m the oldest of three boys, with one brother also teaching high school Spanish and the other brother working for a unionized grocery store. In our household, we learned about fairness, honest work, integrity, and serving others. 

 

But I knew the whole world wasn’t going to just be Chicagoland. I went to central Arkansas (just outside of Little Rock) for college, where I met my wonderful wife, Sami. Throughout high school and college, I held several jobs that shaped my attitude on the world around me – being a textbook warehouse worker, a pizza delivery guy, loading lumber at a hardware store, and doing laundry for my college’s sports teams. After college, we bounced around a bit across the country as I supported her ambitions to become a world-class lawyer. During that time, I worked in various levels of government and non-profits because I believe to my core that public service is a vocation that gives life meaning. These experiences helped us figure out our place in this big, breathtaking country. 

 

However, we knew eventually we’d want to settle down and build roots in a community of our own. We moved to Minnesota in the summer of 2020 and immediately fell in love with it. I attended graduate school at the Humphrey School (part of the University of Minnesota) while working for the State of Minnesota and Sami went straight to working in Family Law to represent people during their most difficult moments. Along the way, we’ve made countless friends and bought our first (and hopefully last!) home in Coon Rapids. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Why Am I Running?

 

I am running because I believe we need motivated, thoughtful leaders in government who are optimistic about the future. The country is undergoing a tumultuous part of our history, and Coon Rapids is no exception to this groundbreaking moment. Yet despite this exciting time for all of us, many of our leaders lack enthusiasm and some are downright pessimistic. I know voters are no different either — they are exhausted by the constant noise preventing good work from getting done to serve people. If elected, I promise to bring a positive, hopeful demeanor to government. I want to be a Council Member who serves everyone – not just people who generally agree with me. 

 

My background in various levels of government gives me the experience necessary to make difficult decisions, listen to all perspectives, and balance a budget. I’ve covered different key topics in government as well that impact our communities — such as housing affordability, public safety, environmental sustainability, and keeping our community prosperous for everyone. In addition to my professional life, I’ve enjoyed working on the Coon Rapids Sustainability Commission and volunteering in my community at the Crooked Lake Library. Running for office felt like another way to give back to my community and to promote the best Coon Rapids has to offer.  My campaign will focus on how to uplift everyone in Coon Rapids and make it the best darn place to live in all of Minnesota. 

 

A lot of campaigns (especially at higher levels than city council) have lately gotten very divisive and have forgotten the true meaning of public service: helping and serving others. It doesn’t matter where you grew up, how old you are, or what your background is — you are a part of our community and deserve a voice. I want to be an advocate for you and it would be my honor to earn your trust (and your vote!) to serve you as the 2nd Ward Council Member for City Council.