1.  How many years have you lived in Maine?  34 years

2. What experiences, motivations, and leadership styles will make you an effective City Councilor?
I believe that my experience of working with many different people in Portland will give me the wisdom needed to govern as a councilor. I believe that listening and bringing people together in an environment that fosters progressive ideas and allowing each and every individual to be heard and respected will create a healthy and prosperous Portland. I believe very much in giving back to the community that has allowed me to raise my family and grow a business. All of my experiences over more than 20 years of living here in Portland, all of the lives that have touched mine have given me great motivation in seeking this office.

3. If elected, what would your top three priorities be?  How do they affect Portlander's aged 18-35?
∑ Jobs – Building a base for job creation that will provide living wages and health care for everyone. Our citizens between the ages 18-35 need a place to start, good wages, employment and a reasonable rent.
∑ Housing – Having raised 3 of my own children and many others over the years I have found it hard to watch when they cannot afford to buy a house in their home town.  We need to continue to require that developers /builders be consistent with the housing plans that the city has implemented. Housing needs to be safe and affordable. 

4. Please share one positive change you have seen on City Council AND in Portland over the last year?
∑ The beginning of a good transportation study and plan.

5. Please share one frustrating change you have seen on City Council AND in Portland over the last year?
∑ To many missed opportunities in creating jobs and bringing in tax revenue due to a lack of leadership and vision.

6. What competing responsibilities do you have professionally and personally?
∑ I have always made room in my life to do community organizing. When I owned and ran my business Casco Bay Wool Works I encouraged my employees as well as my family to donate time to our community. Doing public service, elected or not, has been a part of my life and has been instilled in my employees, my neighbors and my family. If anything competes with my responsibilities it is probably that my family comes first, community next and my work lastly. Not sure this answers your question. It’s all about balance.

7.  Are you a homeowner or a renter? Homeowner

8.  Please answer and explain the following: 
a. Do you support reducing the parking requirements for new construction (Y/N)?
∑ Yes, I think that the one-car restrictions per family is plenty. I also think speaking from experience that if a person has a job that requires travel on a daily basis and there is a need for the other members of that household to have a car that there be a compromise.
b. Do you support increasing housing density to build more units (Y/N) Explain?
∑ Yes. By increasing density we will be increasing opportunity for home ownership, more affordable rents and support for our environment through a progressive transportation plan.
c. What are you thoughts and ideas about housing in Portland?
∑ Interestingly enough I find it amazing that there are so many people who actually can afford to live here in Portland but as a home owner I understand fully the painful issue of high property taxes and I worry that if we do not encourage better ways to meet the needs of our population we will continue to lose the best and the brightest simply because they can’t find a place to live.

9. What is your primary mode of transportation? 
∑ I try to walk to as many places in my neighborhood as I can, but my car is probably used more due to the work I do. I take the bus when I can to get in and out of town. My husband Dan takes the bus to work approximately 160 days days a year and travels 35,000 miles the rest of the year throughout New England . 
∑ How can we improve transportation in Portland? We can all improve by ride share, better bus schedules and lowering the speed limits throughout the city to encourage alternatives.

10. How do you intend to represent the needs of low-income and new American community members
∑ My work with the immigrant community, new Americans and low-income community members has a long history. My affiliations with Portland High, with helping to found the Bayside World Market and Fair in 2007, my work as community organizer for to years in Bayside and my work in the family center at the former Portland YWCA are all very familiar to me. I will use the avenues that I carved out and the relationships I have built over the past 20 years to foster better collaboration with my fellow councilors. I would propose funding for groups that address the needs of our most needy families, encourage mentoring between our new Americans and local citizens and provide safe places for teenagers as well as access to information such as health care, rents, job search and parenting.
∑ Continue to support Community Partners for Protecting Children for Bayside and Park side neighbors in collaboration with DHHS.
∑ Mothers groups to provide safe havens for new Americans and families being economically challenged in conjunction with the neighborhood organizations.
∑ Increase access to police and social services to our most challenged neighbors.

11. What do you see the role of the city council to be? If elected, how would you govern?
∑ The role of a city councilor is to create and implement a vision based upon the voice s of our citizens. It is our job to work hard to build that vision through listening and creating thoughtful effective policy. I would lead like I raised my children. I will be respectful and listen. Honor ideas of others, play by the rules and not ever forget to question authority. Be kind to others; never be afraid to stand-alone knowing that the people that elected me did so because they trusted me to make a good decision or plan.

12. In the last budget cycle the city council made cuts across the board to social services, forced a merger of two city departments, and scaled back equipment and positions for public safety departments.  If the future council were forced into a similar situation where the city budget needs to be balanced, what would you be in favor of cutting? 
∑ I believe that with responsible creative economic development, creations of good paying jobs, and educating our citizens we could do a better job and not cut our most important services in schools, Fire, police, Parks, and DPW. There is no excuse for the cuts that were made this year. Making sure that all of our city staff and employees have the tools they need to do the best job is essential and cost saving in the end.
 
13. How would you go about increasing local revenue?
∑ Create a small business group to report and meet with the council is a start. Providing tools for small business so that they can maintain sustainability and growth as well as recruit larger business to come to Portland. Single option tax is another thought and sharing services regionally will all save us money. Our working waterfront needs to stay working. How we do that depends on a vision that needs review and exploration with input from our marine community.

14. Do you support the Peninsula Transit Study recommendations, which indicates that car owners should pay the true costs of storing their vehicles on public properties and directing the funds to support transit and neighborhood redevelopment projects (sidewalks, parks, etc.)?  If not, what areas don’t you support and what would you change?
∑ Not sure how I feel about this study. While thoughtful I think that it looks at the big picture in a great way yet I think some of the recommendations need to be reconfigured. Any way we can make Portland a more walk able city is fine with me however we need to think of the large elderly population that will be on the rise in the coming years and how best to accommodate them as well as young families toting children around on cobblestone.

15.  Given that car sharing was cited as a short-term recommendation in the Peninsula Transit Study do you feel the City should actively pursue car sharing?  YES and if so, would you recommend the City designate funds and/or parking spaces for such a program? YES as long as there is enough funding to expend with out hurting existing services.

16.  Do you support or oppose the repeal of the 100 ft. dispersal requirement between establishments with entertainment licenses in the Old Port Overlay Zone?

17. Would you support or oppose community benefit agreements in contracts between the City and developers?  If so, what stipulations would you include in these agreements?
∑ I would support a community benefits agreement, as I understand it. Any developer who wants to do business in Portland should not only understand that it is an ongoing, working relationship that they have once they come here to develop. I would like to see developer put some thing back in the community other than tax revenue.

18.  Would you support or oppose a proposal to ban smoking in the outdoor seating areas of restaurants until 10pm?   Support.

19. What are your plans for reducing energy costs and consumption for the City?
∑ I think we should start by encouraging all City and school administration to look at energy savings in all of our buildings. Neighbor to neighbor programs for winterizations in collaboration with high schools. Establish a standing energy committee. 
 

20. What would you do to increase constituency engagement in City activities and City planning?
∑ I would have City Council meetings in different locations around the city 4 times a year. Encourage neighborhood organizations to grow. Give them the support the need to grow stronger. Celebrate Portland and it’s diversity once a year for just being the most amazing place to live by holding a festival of music, art, energy awareness and other activities that bring us together.
     We are better together. We need to start now.