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Real Community Connection
Starts with Communication.
Information should be clear, plentiful, and easy to find. When information is shared regularly with residents, they are better informed, and better-informed residents give more feedback, which helps the council serve the community more effectively.
Maywood Park currently relies primarily on its website and Facebook to communicate with residents. But not everyone uses Facebook, and the City website can be difficult to navigate, contains outdated or incorrect information, and often makes basic information hard to find.
What I'm proposing:
"Connection is the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued."
– Brene Brown
Information isn’t accessible if you can’t find it.
You hear it all the time, “it’s on the website.” But if you can't find it, it might as well not be there.
I will advocate for:
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A current, useful FAQ
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Removing outdated and incorrect information
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Adding a simple question and comment portal
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Sharing relevant information from other agencies
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Organizing information around what residents need
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Making meetings, projects, budgets, ordinances, and public records easier to find
City information shouldn't just technically be available. It should be easy to find and understand.
City information should come to you.
The City website currently invites residents to sign up for a newsletter, but no newsletter is being published.
I will advocate for:
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A regular digital newsletter with City news, upcoming decisions, projects, events, and important dates
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Clear, easy-to-scan summaries for residents who just want the essentials
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Links to more detailed information for residents who want to dig deeper
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Printed copies for residents who prefer or need information offline
Staying informed shouldn’t depend on being on social media or knowing what corner of the website to look at.
If we’re already paying for it, let’s make it useful.
The City currently pays $1,750 a year for TextMyGov, but uses only a small portion of what the service can do.
I will advocate for:
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Using more of the TextMyGov tools the City already pays for
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Making it easier for residents to find information and get answers by text
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Using text alerts for timely City news, reminders, and important updates
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Making TextMyGov part of a broader communication system, alongside the website and newsletter
Better communication doesn’t always require something new. Sometimes it means making better use of what we already have.
Good government should ask, not assume.
You know what matters in your community, but there are few opportunities for the council to hear from everyone.
I will advocate for:
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A citywide community survey in 2027
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Surveys every two years after that to track changing priorities
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Questions about City services, communication, infrastructure, community priorities, and quality of life
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Results that are shared publicly and used to help inform City goals, priorities, and budgeting
If City decisions are going to reflect the community, the City has to regularly ask the community what it wants.
Participation should be easy, not an obstacle course.
Residents participate in different ways. City government should make it easy to attend, follow along, understand decisions, and provide input.
I will advocate for:
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A better meeting space that is comfortable and accessible, including exploring options at MHCC.
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Better audio and video so meetings are reliably recorded and easier to attend remotely.
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A public project tracker showing what the City and councilors are working on and where projects stand.
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Quick meeting summaries covering key actions, discussions, and upcoming decisions.
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More opportunities for public input before the council votes on action items.
You shouldn’t have to attend every meeting to know what your City is doing or understand government procedure to have a voice in it.
Resilient Sustainability
Starts with What We Do Today.
Resilient sustainability means maintaining public spaces and services while also preparing for the future. That means caring for the people who live in Maywood Park, and for the trees and land entrusted to the City. It means adding green infrastructure, organizing for emergencies and preparing plans for modern sewer infrastructure.
What I'm proposing
Understand, monitor, and care for the trees that make Maywood Park special.
Maywood Park’s trees are one of the things that sets our community apart. Protecting them starts with understanding what we have and paying attention to their health.
I will advocate for:
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Creating a resident tree stewardship program
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Documenting and mapping City trees
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Monitoring tree health and identifying concerns such as Emerald Ash Borer
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Giving residents opportunities to participate in caring for our urban forest
Make small changes that create a healthier environment for people and wildlife.
Noise, air pollution, and excessive artificial light all affect the environment. Maywood Park can reduce those impacts through thoughtful, practical changes.
I will advocate for:
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Phasing out gas-powered leaf blowers in coordination with Portland's transition
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Exploring incentives or assistance for small landscaping businesses making the switch
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Reviewing City-owned lighting using DarkSky principles
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Replacing lighting that creates unnecessary glare and light pollution
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Considering wildlife impacts when the City makes decisions about equipment and infrastructure
Turn underused public land into spaces that work for people and wildlife.
Maywood Park's shared green spaces should be places you can actually use and enjoy while supporting the natural environment around us.
I will advocate for:
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Exploring a pocket forest, rain garden, food forest, habitat garden, or other community-supported uses for the South Lawn and Berm
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Adding nature-based play opportunities at The Commons
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Replacing struggling plants with species suited to the site that support pollinators and wildlife
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Adding seating, tables, and shelter so The Commons can be used more of the year
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Involving residents throughout planning and design
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Pursuing grants before relying on City funds
Green infrastructure can solve practical problems while creating healthier, more beautiful places for people and wildlife.
Green infrastructure can solve practical problems while creating healthier, more beautiful places for people and wildlife.
I will advocate for:
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Seeking grants for green infrastructure projects
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Adding bioswales and rain gardens where stormwater regularly collects
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Using curb cut-outs, trees, and plants to capture runoff
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Encouraging permeable paving
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Partnering with EMWSCD to make residential rain gardens more accessible
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Exploring solar power that could support the community during emergencies
The goal is infrastructure that does more than one job: managing water, supporting habitat, preparing for climate impacts, and making Maywood Park a better place to live.
Learn more about green infrastructure.
Protect homes, neighbors, and wildlife from preventable fires.
Fireworks create avoidable fire risks for homes, vegetation, and wildlife, particularly as summers become hotter and drier.
I will advocate for a City ban on fireworks in Maywood Park as part of a broader approach to neighborhood fire safety.
Build the neighborhood connections and skills we'll need before an emergency happens.
An earthquake isn't the only emergency we should prepare for. Ice storms, extreme heat, wildfire smoke, power outages, and other emergencies can leave neighbors depending on one another.
Maywood Park previously received funding to develop an emergency response team, but a lasting program was never fully established.
I will advocate for:
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Building a functioning neighborhood NET/CERT program
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Offering City-supported emergency preparedness classes
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Training residents who want to serve as neighborhood emergency ambassadors
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Coordinating with neighboring emergency-response organizations
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Helping households understand how to prepare before an emergency happens
Preparedness isn't about being afraid of what might happen. It's about knowing how to take care of each other when it does.
Design streets that naturally encourage drivers to slow down.
Speeding is a recurring concern in Maywood Park. Traffic safety shouldn't depend solely on signs or enforcement. Street design itself can encourage safer driving.
I will advocate for:
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Identifying the areas where speeding creates the greatest risk
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Gateway treatments that signal drivers are entering a neighborhood
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Chicanes and other physical traffic-calming measures
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Pavement treatments and visual cues that encourage slower speeds
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Street designs that narrow the perceived driving area where appropriate
Learn More about traffic calming
Work toward a long-term solution for Maywood Park's cesspools.
Maywood Park will eventually need to address its aging wastewater infrastructure. The question is how to plan for that transition while minimizing the financial burden on individual households.
I will advocate for
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Working with Multnomah County, Portland, Oregon Solutions, and other relevant partners
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Seriously evaluating available infrastructure alternatives
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A multi-phase plan that allows residents to connect when they are ready
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Pursuing state and federal funding opportunities
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Looking for ways to reduce the financial burden on individual households
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Giving residents clear information and opportunities to participate as options are evaluated
A problem this large requires long-term planning, not waiting until individual households are forced to solve it alone.
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
— The Lorax
Responsible Budgeting
Starts with Knowing Where the Money Goes
Your city budget should be easy to access and easy to understand. You should know how your tax dollars are being spent and you should have a meaningful opportunity to weigh in on how those resources are allocated.
In recent years, the TSCC (Tax Supervison and Conservation Commission) has flagged that Maywood Park has drawn down its reserves. If that trend continues, it could limit the City’s ability to meet its basic obligations and respond to unexpected needs.
What I'm proposing
Good financial decisions require looking beyond the next budget.
The City needs a clearer picture of where its finances are headed. A five-year forecast would help identify problems earlier, understand the long-term effects of today's decisions, and plan major expenses before they become emergencies.
I will advocate for:
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Making the TSCC's five-year forecast recommendation a priority
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Using actual spending and realistic revenue projections
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Identifying major future expenses before they become urgent
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Connecting long-term financial planning to community priorities
Every dollar matters, and today's decisions shouldn't become a crisis tomorrow.
Read the most recent TSCC report.
Not every City project has to be paid for entirely by residents.
Grant opportunities exist at the county, regional, state, and federal levels, but finding and pursuing them takes consistent effort.
I will advocate for:
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Creating a standing grant committee
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Regularly tracking available funding opportunities
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Matching grants to upcoming City projects and needs
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Building partnerships that strengthen applications
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Using outside funding when possible to reduce pressure on City reserves and residents
If funding is available for work Maywood Park already needs to do, the City should be pursuing it.
Responsible budgeting isn't just about spending less. It's about spending well.
The City currently spends more than $9,000 each year on dues and subscriptions, including services that may overlap. The same scrutiny should apply throughout the budget.
I will advocate for:
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Reviewing dues, memberships, and subscriptions for duplication and value
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Regularly evaluating contracts and recurring expenses
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Looking for efficiencies in landscaping, repairs, administration, and other City operations
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Considering long-term costs, not just the lowest immediate price
Before asking residents for more, the City should make sure it’s getting the most value from the money it already spends.
The budget should reflect the priorities of the people paying for it.
The budget should reflect the priorities of the people paying for it.
Residents shouldn't need an accounting background to understand City finances or participate in the budget process.
I will advocate for:
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Free, accessible budget education for residents
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Simple infographics explaining where City money comes from and where it goes
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Easy-to-read monthly financial reports with useful graphs
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Earlier opportunities for residents to weigh in on spending priorities
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A community budgeting event where residents can help identify and vote on priorities for future projects
A public budget should be understandable to the public.
Not every fee is worth collecting.
Maywood Park charges residents fees to reserve The Commons and to keep chickens. These fees generate little revenue for the City while creating an additional cost and administrative burden for residents.
I will advocate for:
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Eliminating The Commons reservation fee
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Eliminating fees associated with keeping chickens
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Reviewing other small resident fees to determine whether the revenue justifies the cost and administrative burden
If a fee doesn't meaningfully support City services it shouldn't exist.
