Welcome to VoteNed.org
Thanks for visiting my web site to learn more about me and my approach to serving on City Council.
When I was fortunate enough to move my family to Portsmouth in January of 2001, I could tell right away that this city was a special place - it's more like a small town, where you meet friends while walking downtown or in the grocery store, but it has the character and sophistication of a big city. I've lived in Portland Maine, San Francisco, Washington DC, and Boston, and traveled pretty widely, and I couldn't be happier that my children are going to be able to grow up right here on the beautiful Seacoast of New Hampshire.
I've been interested in politics and public policy since the 10th grade, and after moving around quite a bit for active duty tours in the Coast Guard, graduate school, and starting my "second career," I was practically compelled to run for office in the place I knew I'd be raising my kids. I always speak of "serving" on City Council because that's what it means to me - contributing my energy, intellect, ideas, communications skills, and positive outlook to helping make Portsmouth "the best possible place to live and work for everyone" - which was why I was a participant in and a big supporter of the "Portsmouth Listens" process that developed our new Master Plan.
I'm an idealist, and although I grew up in age of great cynicism about government, I never bought into it. Government is not a necessary evil or the source of our problems; it is, as Abraham Lincoln said, "of the people, by the people, and for the people" and we are responsible for ourselves. Government at all levels is simply the means through which we pool our resources and work together to create the kind of community, state, and nation we want to live in. (Another of my favorite quotes is from Ben Franklin: "Democracy is the worst form of government - except for all the others.") When you realize the wisdom of that wry observation, there's really no choice but to commit to communicating openly and respectfully with each other, learning to think together to solve complex problems, and taking responsbility for the results.
