Greetings! As the newly elected District 1 County Commissioner, I am thrilled to be serving our residents in Northern Palm Beach County. I look forward to working with all of you to enhance the high quality of life we enjoy as well as being a watch dog on our budget to make sure your tax dollars are being spent wisely.

During my tenure on the Palm Beach Gardens City Council, as Mayor, Vice Mayor and Council Member, I focused on keeping our tax rates low and investing public dollars wisely. This included encouraging economic development, bringing jobs and new businesses to the community all while balancing the creation of quality housing, recreational venues and preserving conservation lands and water storage for future generations.

Collaborating with national, state, and local officials on regional transit issues has also been a focus of mine. Looking for alternate moods of transportation is a priority as mobility is on the rise all around us. A goal would be to take more cars off the roads but have more cost effective and convenient options to move people from place to place. Whether that be from home to work, school, entertainment or recreational venues, autonomous vehicles, ride share, light rail or walking will be the future. I look forward to the day when moving people means more than just getting in your car and when development is centered near a mobility hub to make that easy. With the advent of Brightline, the County and the municipalities will continue to ensure quiet zones are installed at rail crossings, security measures are in place and train horns will be used just for emergencies.

As a life long small business owner, I appreciate the challenges that face our local businesses when adapting to crises and changing market conditions. The lifeblood of our local economy is our small business owner, 80 percent of which employ 10 people or less. Also, we are blessed to live in an area where our climate and lifestyle are attracting larger companies, thus diversifying our industries and job opportunities. Palm Beach County, along with our Business Development Board, has been actively pursuing high technology and financial services companies, many of which have landed in the north end of the County like the Carrier Corporation in Palm Beach Gardens. I plan to be a part of those future continued efforts.

Philanthropy, volunteerism, and physical health are high priorities. This desire to give back has led me to raise much needed funds for at risk children and their families, educational facilities both tutorial and afterschool, camp programs and other opportunities for our children to have a healthy, physically fit and mind-expanding life.

Many of you may ask, “what are your priorities”? My immediate priorities include:

• Investing in public safety and our first responders to keep our neighborhoods and businesses safe and sound
• Expanding our parks and recreation systems for the health and wellbeing of our children and families
• Protecting our natural resources
• Working with our community partners for economic growth and job creation
• Making sure our agricultural industry continues to be a leading economic driver for our County
• Improving the roadway network to reduce traffic congestion and encourage safety
• Collaborating with educational institutions to develop more technical programs for our youth
• Promoting, open, transparent, and accessible county government

My door is always open and my phone on. Please feel to reach out anytime at (561) 355-2201 to share your thoughts. I look forward to a continued partnership with all of you and attending an upcoming meeting in your community. Remember, I am a public servant. I was elected by the public to serve.