Beacon City Council Ward 3
How long have you been a Democrat?
In spirit, I’ve been a Democrat for a very long time. I registered with the party after I moved to Beacon where the accessibility of local politics and governance made membership less abstract.
What made you decide to run for office?
My decision to run stems from three key motivations. First, it represents a natural progression after years of community service. For some time now, I’ve been chairing the Conservation Advisory Committee and Fishkill Creek Watershed Alliance and actively engaging with numerous local issues affecting both our city and Ward 3 specifically.
Second, I’m eager to help shape our city’s future by contributing to the upcoming Comprehensive Plan update, which will guide Beacon’s development over the next decade. Finally, having grown up under a dictatorship, I feel a deep personal commitment to participate in democratic self-governance—something I view as both a privilege and responsibility.
What will be your priorities if you get elected?
My priorities include housing affordability & sustainable development, including local employment, better transportation and non-vehicular accessibility, environmental leadership, community and inclusion, and governance transparency and communication.
What is something that you have done or achieved in Beacon or elsewhere that positively contributed to your community?
As Chair of the Conservation Advisory Committee, I helped to develop and implement our municipal compost drop off program. I co-founded the Fishkill Creek Watershed Alliance and brought in a coalition of partners including Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries, DEC Estuary Program, Riverkeeper, Hudson Highland Land Trust, Bard College Community Science Lab, and others to study the conditions & water quality of Fishkill Creek and wider watershed.
What can you bring to the role?
I have passion, discipline, project management experience, I am adept at coalition building, I have a high degree of zoning nerdiness, and an ability & willingness to listen. My professional training includes certification in Land Use Leadership, Green Infrastructure Techniques, and Permaculture Landscape Design, which enhances my ability to address complex community challenges.
Tell us something personal about you.
I took part in the Great Newburgh to Beacon Hudson River Swim to fundraise for the Riverpool in Pete and Toshi Seeger Riverfront Park for the past two years. It is such a wonderful feeling to be in the middle of the majestic Hudson River surrounded by a couple of hundred other swimmers and kayakers, and to help fulfill Pete’s legacy of swimmable river.