About Me

🏃 A Personal Challenge, A Deeper Perspective
In 2010, I embarked on a personal challenge: to train for a marathon. To keep myself motivated, I set out to run on every street, alley, trail, and hill I could find in Des Moines. That experience gave me a unique and intimate perspective on the city—and raised real questions about its infrastructure and priorities. Why are there so few sidewalks? Why are there so many vacant lots downtown? What explains the neglect along Pacific Highway or the wall of condominiums that cuts off our downtown from the marina? These questions sparked a deeper interest in local history—and eventually, in local politics.

🏠 Twenty Years of Connection
That curiosity deepened my connection to the city that has been my home for the past 20 years. I’ve grown attached to its unique landscapes, its diversity of neighborhoods and people, and the untapped potential that lies within its borders. Living here has given me a sense of responsibility and optimism, driving my interest in both the city's past and its future.

👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 Raised on Values, Grounded in Curiosity
My parents were both educators. Judging by how many former students still stay in touch and credit them with shaping their lives, they were good ones. They instilled in me a relentless curiosity, a love of learning, a healthy skepticism of authority, and an enduring commitment to kindness.

💼 A Nontraditional Path to Public Service
I studied at The Ohio State University and the University of Cincinnati, originally planning to become a teacher. But in the early ’90s, I moved to Seattle to pursue a career in music. I didn’t become a rock star—or a teacher—but that decision led me through a wide range of roles: restaurant manager, factory worker, florist, truck driver, busker, importer, writer, freight forwarder, and day trader.

Today, I work full-time as a customs broker, advising importers and interfacing with the federal government on their behalf. My role is to make the complex process of international trade more efficient and predictable. It requires streamlining systems, navigating dense regulations, and finding common ground between businesses and government—the very same skills I’ll bring to the City Council.

Along the way, I’ve come to understand how communities function—and how much leadership depends on listening, learning, and building trust. I’ve helped shape and moderate online communities since the early days of the internet, gaining experience in mediation and bringing people together, even when they disagree. I’ve also served as a Homeowners Association president, and I’m just as comfortable working shoulder-to-shoulder with executives as I am with laborers.

Outside of work, I enjoy cooking, writing, and getting into the mountains and wilderness whenever I can.

Why I’m Running

The more I learned about how our government operates—both today and historically—the more I felt compelled to act. I’ve never harbored political ambitions, far from it. But through conversations with neighbors, both online and off, we came to realize that this election would be a turning point for Des Moines. And as it got closer, I realized that if I didn’t step up and help our city move beyond the policies that have held it back, no one else might.

In today’s political climate, I’ve learned a crucial lesson: if we want to realize the values we hold dear, we have to do more than share frustrations online. We have to take action.

That’s why I’m running: to help Des Moines move forward, with honesty about our challenges and respect for your voice. I’m here to listen, to serve, and to help us build the future we all know is possible.

If elected, I pledge to bring a new standard of conduct to the City Council, guided by three core principles:

• Integrity. I will say what I mean and do what I say.

• Humility. The role of the council is to distill the will of the people, not to dictate it.

• Public Service. I will lead with love, by example, and with the understanding that, while the work can be challenging and thankless, it is always in service to the residents of Des Moines.

I’d be honored to earn your vote—and to help lead Des Moines into a future we can all be proud of.