Survey and Interview Responses

Why are you running for this office?

I am Meridian. What I mean about that is I have been passionate about seeing this community thrive for the past 5 decades. In the old west, it was common to say you ride for the brand, My brand is Meridian. Too many cities grow up and start adopting very negative changes to how things are done, I want to make sure that doesn’t happen here.

What are your qualifications?

It has been said that I possess a tremendous institutional knowledge about our city, where it has come from, where it is going and decisions, both good and bad, that have been made along the way. I bring all of my years of knowledge, skills, and abilities to Meridian to help preserve our way of life.

If elected, what are your goals?

My top priorities are strengthening our public safety members, police, fire, and our prosecution team to keep our quality of life high in Meridian. We have a very safe city, we need to keep it that way. I work on several different levels about the safety and future of our transportation issues in our city both at just the Meridian level and also at the regional level. We have several opportunities to continue to make positive changes to traffic in and through our city. Lastly, to continue to make sure we are moving forward with smart growth, the right project in the right place at the right time. Growth will happen with our without our strict guidance moving forward.

What experience do you have serving on boards, commissions, non-profits, etc. where you have been of service to others?

I currently serve on the COMPASS board and represent our city on the executive and finance boards. Additionally, I am a member of the Meridian Dairy Board, an organization with a 96-year legacy. This year, my wife and I have actively participated in several events with the Alzheimer’s organization, a cause that became deeply personal after my wife’s mother succumbed to the disease.

Do you consider yourself fiscally conservative?

Yes – I have been trained by a fiscally conservative city, which consistently operates on a tight budget. I have always advocated for a conservative financial approach.

Do you consider yourself socially conservative?

I believe in upholding strong family values, a principle that guides both my personal life and professional approach, and one that I feel is often disregarded in contemporary society.

What is the most pressing issue facing Meridian right now and how would you address it?

We are experiencing declining revenue. House bill 389 impacted us severely – I don’t blame legislators who are focused on constituent taxation or taxpayers who are enjoying lower property taxes, but future growth is not paying for itself. Property taxes being lowered has significantly reduced revenue from new construction. Because of this we have significant funding issues that we need to address.

How do you balance long-term development and growth with maintaining the character and history of our city?

Achieving this balance is a constant struggle. I have watched Meridian grow through the years. We have done some things well and others we have learned from. Our work on comprehensive planning has made a big improvement. Unfortunately there is always a delay as roads and schools follow approved developments with ACHD, ITD and West Ada Schools reactive to city growth. I want to work for the right growth in the right place at the right time.

How does the current focus on apartments instead of small starter homes apply to affordable housing, given that apartments raise rent yearly and starter homes are generally purchased with a 30 year mortgage? Also speak to the increased costs to public services like police and fire that are higher for apartments than homes?

There are currently 3200-3400 single family homes approved for construction and approximately 5,000+ multi-family units approved. Market forces drive everything and currently there is no movement on multi-family as approved. Rents in these multi-family units can currently rival house payments. I think we overshot on the quantity of apartments and multifamily units approved since 2020. We are watching builders and developers who are very sensitive to markets conditions. I think currently the drive forward is primarily single-family homes. All of this future growth will continue to put stress on our current police and fire resources unless we act to keep pace with that growth to keep Meridian safe!

What strategies would you implement to attract new businesses, support small businesses, and create more jobs in the city?

I think we have done a tremendous job with comprehensive planning of the 10 mile/I-84 development just to name one main area being developed now. This is a massive project, and the city has been hard at work for five to ten years to prepare for the development. We have focused on listening to people, getting feedback from our constituents and businesses.

With Federal grant funding running out, the City of Meridian is proposing a levy to help fund public safety. Do you support the levy?

When I talk with folks, their main concerns are public safety and quality of life. The public fears an increase in crime. I have a police background and I firmly know that if we take care of and prosecute small crimes then that will help us from experiencing a rise in all types of crime. The levy addresses public safety and quality of life in Meridian as it is for 3 purposes:
1. Police wages and benefits
2. firefighter staffing
3. Funding our own prosecution team is vital. We are currently subcontracting all misdemeanors to the city of Boise, and they are not prosecuting all of the cases we send over. Meridian needs its own prosecution team. Prosecuting small crimes is worth the investment. We need to keep our crime rate low and continue to make Meridian safe!

What specific steps will you take to encourage more community involvement in city planning and decision-making and increase accessibility to your constituents?

We are and will continue to talk with people before making changes. For example, right now we are working on updating our Unified Development Codes. We have formed focus groups to receive citizen input before making city changes

How do you plan to ensure that our city’s budget is managed responsibly, especially in light of economic uncertainties including the economic uncertainties of your constituents?

This year, we maintained a flat budget, a decision that required a critical review of all expenditures and unfortunately led to the elimination of three positions in community development. Our approach is fiscally conservative. We understand the vital role public works play in our citizens’ quality of life; their effectiveness often goes unnoticed when everything functions smoothly. Our ongoing commitment is to ensure these essential services continue to operate efficiently for our community

What has the City Council done right and what fell short during the last 2 years?

Two years ago, the Mayor established a committee on intersection safety in response to multiple intersection pedestrian fatalities. We brought together a large collaborative group which included ACHD, ITD, WASD, COMPASS, our police and traffic planning specialists. We evaluated each incident to identify root causes and implement solutions to fix any issues we found or look to increasing our level of safety at these intersections. While no single issue was identified, comprehensive safety enhancements were made, including improved lighting, crosswalk modifications, and vegetation management and signal timing.

Moving forward, it is crucial to address our budget constraints by revisiting and adjusting various fees to achieve cost recovery. Due to changes not occurring during the pandemic, many fees have remained unchanged for years, and our current costs are not being recouped, a situation that requires immediate remedy as we update all of our cost recovery models across the city.