More about my background and experience

Here is a more expansive discussion about my background and experience, and how it demonstrates my high-level qualifications for Town Council. The question was asked in preparation for the Town Council forum next Tuesday, March 13 at 7:30 AM.

How have your background and experiences prepared you for a seat on Town Council?

My experience and education have prepared me well to serve on the Town Council. Specifically, I have eleven years experience as a performance auditor in the public sector, as well as three years of experience as president of my homeowners association board. Further, my educational background includes a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree, and doctoral work in public administration.

I have served for eleven years as a performance auditor, both for the State of Arizona and the City of Denver. Performance auditing is very citizen-focused work; we take as our primary goal finding ways to improve the value that taxpayers get from their government. As a performance auditor, I have focused on the effectiveness of government programs, the extent to which government programs demonstrate efficiency, and the management of staff performance. I have diagnosed ineffectiveness, inefficiency, and poor performance management, and prescribed solutions that offer the taxpayers greater value. As a Town Councilman, I will bring my citizen-centric focus, and skills at increasing value for citizens to the Town of Castle Rock. I plan to meet with department heads early in my term to understand more about their processes and areas of concern, and offer my expertise as an outside party who can offer helpful suggestions for improvement. Finally, I should note that as a performance auditor I have audited a wide variety of programs. This requires me to quickly learn a program as well as the program’s own management and staff, so I can find areas for improvement and offer effective and feasible recommendations. As a Town Councilman, I will be able to quickly come “up to speed” on Town government to offer taxpayers greater value, as well as ensuring that I can provide District 2 residents the correct route for solving problems that they share with me.

In addition to my service as a performance auditor, I served for three years as my homeowners association board’s president. This service gave me experience in setting budgets, reviewing contracts, weighing attorneys’ advice, setting strategic direction for the community, and ensuring the fees were kept to a reasonable level. More importantly, I honed my skill in talking to people about their concerns regarding the community. I plan to bring my expertise in community policymaking to bear on the Town Council. Moreover, I plan to continue my efforts to solicit feedback from district residents, so I can more effectively serve their needs for information, resources, and action.

Finally, my educational background has given me significant insight into the ways in which public officials and public managers can be effective. My bachelor’s degree is in political science and history, while my master’s degree is in American history. Further, I am finishing my doctoral degree in public administration, and will graduate in May 2012. The area of focus in my doctoral studies has been urban policy, and I concentrated on small and mid-sized cities – similar in size to Castle Rock – in my doctoral dissertation. This academic experience strengthens the portfolio of skills and expertise that I will bring to the Town Council.