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 (MAPE Local 2101) 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, adopted a rambunctious Australian Shepherd-mix named Maple, 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. 

 

I currently serve as the Budget Director for the Aging and Disability Services Administration within the Minnesota Department of Human Services, where I oversee a budget of nearly $50 million in administrative funds and over $500 million in grants, along with developing budget proposals related to long-term care in Minnesota. 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.

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Key Priorities

• A Coon Rapids for Everyone. It's been a difficult few years for everyone and I want to do my part to bring our community together and redouble our City's efforts to make Coon Rapids the best place to live in Minnesota. Whether you're nine or 90, lived here your whole life or just moved here for a fresh start, Coon Rapids has a place for you and I want to make sure we do everything possible so our community welcomes everyone. 

• Keeping Coon Rapids Affordable. This is a middle-class suburb where we are proud to have dedicated teachers, nurses, firefighters, and other hardworking people as our neighbors. We also are a fantastic place to raise a family or to live in our forever homes. But to keep it that way, we need to focus on policies for the City to expand our tax base through economic development. We can do this through attracting new businesses, supporting existing business, and tackling the astronomically high costs of housing to help seniors stay in their home while supporting young people on their journey to afford their first house. We need to ensure Coon Rapids is an affordable place for everyone and I don't want anybody to feel too squeezed by rising costs to be our neighbor.

• Sustainability and Infrastructure. Coon Rapids really surged in population during the 1950s and 1960s, and some of our infrastructure hasn't been updated since then. That means we're replacing key infrastructure for the first time in 70 years! As the City makes new investments across our communities, I want to be sure we look ahead to future generations on how to bring our infrastructure into the 21st Century and preserve our community for for another 80-100 years! This includes more energy efficient solutions to deliver key City services, investing in the abundance of new technology for cleaner energy, and identifying financial assistance opportunities so the City can avoid debt while making these crucial investments for the sustainability of our residents and their children (and don't forget the grandkids too!).

• Thoughtful Budgeting. Several levels of government have struggled to have normal budgets over the last four years due to the initial budget freezes and cuts during the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by the subsequent injection of historic amounts of one-time money from the State and Federal Governments. This means cities across the Twin Cities metro are struggling to adjust to our new baseline. My experience in government budgeting can ensure Coon Rapids maintains a strong, responsible budget without running the risk of budget cuts or hurting staff morale. 

• Public Safety. The past few years have sadly been a challenging time for many parts of the Twin Cities metro and Coon Rapids is no exception. We have an excellent police department, but there is more we can do to enhance public safety in our community. I want to focus on successful, evidence-based strategies to reduce crime while also ensuring we have proper resources within our police department to approach complicated issues like domestic violence and substance use. I also want to be sure the City is transparent to citizens to about how we work with County and State law enforcement partners to keep everybody respected and safe. This also means supporting our Fire Department and making sure they have the resources necessary to stay fully staffed and up-to-date on all training. 

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