What’s your “WHY”?
With our son starting fourth grade, I feel an overwhelming responsibility to provide as much input and influence towards his educational path as possible. Moreover, I believe that I have a duty to leverage as much of my learned and practical experience as possible, specifically related to public safety. I view this duty, though certainly personal, as one that extends to my community. While I realize that others are responsible for implementing safety measures, having a lifelong practitioner of safety and security on the Board can provide valuable insight that may otherwise be lost. I believe that I will fulfill that role.
Why should Northville vote for YOU?
With over 28 years working in public safety (27 plus years working with the Detroit Police Department and nearly 9 months as Director of Security for Henry Ford Health), I bring real-world experience to the conversation of school safety. While there are many other important issues facing our schools, I firmly believe that if we don’t get safety and security right, then nothing else really matters. Our schools need to be safe places to learn and work. When our local leaders of from the City and Township Police agencies bring proposals, ideas and the like, I believe that it would be important to have someone with my background at the table.
How do YOU combat chaos and misinformation in the community?
Chaos was something that I dealt with on a regular basis when I was working in law enforcement. My approach to combating it now would be similar – provide those who have something to say with a voice to do it, regardless of whether I agree with the position or not. So long as the conversation and dialogue is respectful. I do not have the room, nor the time, to deal with anyone disrespectful. Misinformation cannot be simply washed aside. I am a believer that we lose a lot in sound bytes. Having a conversation is so critical to providing the right side of the story. I often say, I know that I’m not always right, so it’s important to hear the full information about whatever the topic is. Sometimes, however, people are just wrong and they cannot be convinced otherwise. My hope is that with enough facts, and enough people weighing them, any subject that is the victim of misinformation can be rectified.
With the recent flurry of divisive and negative campaign tactics, is there anything else you want to share?
I have seen many social media pieces that suggest I support one platform or another, without having first reached out to me for my input. Much of this is due to the polarized approach our elections have taken, even though this is a non-partisan race. I realize that if elected, I am accountable to the voters, and have no problem expressing my views or answering questions. But everything has nuance; everything has context. As such, most answers should include that. I would tell people to see what the source of their information is before developing a conclusion. Certainly not answering a question is not a suggestion that one response should be assumed. Sometimes if the question is unbalanced, I won’t answer. Such as attempting to get me to answer something with a simple yes or no. For the most part, explanations should be a part of the answer to provide that context. And, while there is misinformation about, what is certainly not in question is my credentialed work history in public service.
