Recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic

I strongly support increasing mental and behavioral health services for those in need.

Healthy communities require adequate funding for mental health services and substance abuse treatments. Vulnerable members of communities in Lakewood struggle with mental health and/or drug abuse challenges. Providing needed relief to our mental health crisis requires access to essential behavioral health services.

I have a track record of getting results for my constituents in Lakewood and am proud of the work the work I did with my fellow Council Members, such as ensuring a mental health professional would be available on police calls for those in crisis, by committing one percent of our general fund to human services, including mental health services, and by partnering with Pierce County and the Cohen Veterans Network to bring Washington’s first mental health clinic serving veterans and military families to Lakewood.

As your council member, I will work to:

• Increase access to needed, localized care by properly funding mental health services and substance abuse treatments in our communities.
• Provide law enforcement with the proper resources to address mental health and substance abuse challenges.

As Deputy Mayor, I helped implement reforms in Lakewood, including eliminating our role in Metro swat to increase accountability, reviewing our use of force and de-escalation policies, and ensuring funding for mental health professionals to be available on police calls for those in crisis. These are the kinds of common sense reforms I will continue to push for as your council member.

The Lakewood Police Department does a lot of great work in our City. The calls to defund the police will not solve our community’s problems. Removing officers from the streets will make our families less safe and is not the answer. The City Council must dedicate adequate resources to ensure that the Department can recruit and retain the high-quality officers we need and can provide proper training to ensure both their safety and the safety of all community members, including our communities of color.

As your Council Member, I will work to:

• Implement reforms to rebuild trust in order to keep all members in our community safe
• Provide needed funding to ensure excellent training, including all necessary training to instill a greater sense of community confidence in our Police Department

I believe a healthy community requires a healthy economy.  Not long ago our economy was vibrant, growing steadily, with low unemployment.  Our reality is much different now; many in our community are hurting. Everyone needs that sense of financial security. More than ever, we need experienced leadership to guide us through this economic downturn in order to rebound stronger than before.

I will continue to be a positive, experienced voice for the city during this time. I was on the Lakewood City Council following the economic downturn that started in 2008. Through the hiring of a highly competent City Manager and the adoption of sound financial policies, we guided the City through challenging financial waters. The City is now financially strong, maintains solid reserves, enjoys an improved bond rating (with very low debt), and consistently receives accolades for transparent and thorough municipal budgeting. While COVID creates a new set of financial challenges for our city, I have the experience to continue to guide us through this latest challenge.

Action must be taken to ensure we:

• Scrutinize the budget to ensure cost-effective delivery of services with available resources
• Adopt sound policies that promote, sustain and grow family-wage jobs
• Ensure affordable housing is available throughout the City to accommodate all our residents, including those experiencing homelessness
• Coordinate and leverage our resources to help our existing businesses stay in business and thrive while seeking opportunities to attract new businesses to Lakewood
• Embrace available resource options to ensure stable and adequate funding for mental health services and substance abuse treatment for our most vulnerable

In this midst of this pandemic and the economic uncertainty, we need a council member who has the experience necessary to deliver for our community.

As Deputy Mayor of Lakewood, I worked with fellow council members to ensure city government had a healthy rainy-day fund to respond to emergencies and economic downturn, including the COVID-19 pandemic.

We hired a highly competent City Manager and adopted sound financial policies. Together, we guided the City through challenging financial waters. The City is financially strong, maintains solid reserves, enjoys an improved bond rating (with very low debt), and consistently receives accolades for transparent and thorough budgeting.

While COVID-19 creates a new set of financial challenges for our city, I have the experience to help guide us through this latest challenge.

To ensure strong government operations that can serve all residents, even in times of crisis, we must:

• Maintain a robust rainy day fund to respond to emergencies, like the COVID-19 pandemic
• Keep our government nimble enough to adjust to changing economics
• Adopt sound fiscal policies and use taxpayer money wisely
• Hire excellent staff