Why I’m Running

I’m running for City Commission because I believe residents deserve a real voice in shaping our city, not just during elections, but throughout the decision-making process. After attending many City meetings in recent years, I’ve seen firsthand how public input is often limited to three minutes, and only after key decisions have already been made. I’ve watched community voices be too easily dismissed as mere resistance to change. That’s not meaningful engagement, and it has led to a breakdown in public trust.

My journey to candidacy actually began with a different idea: starting a petition to place an ordinance on the ballot that would require the City to establish a Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. I drafted the ordinance and began seeking input from neighbors and friends. If interested click this LINK to see the draft I created. While I didn’t support the Parks and Rec millage proposals in 2023 or 2024, I do support improving our parks, through better planning and broader community input and believe that a Parks and Recreation Advisory Board would provide a sustainable process for us to do this.

After many conversations, a clear message came through: people didn’t just encourage me, they wanted me to run for office and represent the community’s voice. I took that to heart. I’m running to ensure that city operations, budgets, and long-term plans reflect the priorities of the people who live here, and that public engagement is welcomed from the very beginning.

Community Roots

My husband Jeff and I moved to the City of Plymouth in 1998 with our three sons, then ages 1, 3, and 5. We were most attracted by the tight-knit community. We had close friends in the area and had often visited Plymouth. Families were out on their porches, working in their yards, walking their dogs, and everyone knew each other. We weren’t moving to a city; we were joining a community.

Civic Involvement

I served for eight years on the Plymouth Planning Commission, including six years as Chair, until I stepped down at the end of my term in December 2024. As Chair, I regularly attended Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) meetings to better understand the types of variances being requested and to gain insight into where the zoning code might need revision. I also began attending City Commission meetings on a regular basis to ensure the Planning Commission was aligned with the city’s goals and to advocate for the Planning Commission’s work. These efforts naturally led me to become more actively engaged as a citizen, frequently providing public comment on issues.

This year, I was honored to be invited to join the board of the Old Village Association, a role I enthusiastically accepted.

Professional Experience

After earning an engineering degree from Penn State University, I was hired by Ford Motor Company into the IT Department. Early in my career, I developed analytical skills, learning how to break down complex problems, ask the right questions, build consensus, and implement practical, cost-effective solutions, all while earning a master’s degree from the University of Michigan–Dearborn. I advanced through roles of increasing responsibility, eventually managing IT departments of 40 to 80 employees with budgets of up to $13 million. In 2000, I stepped away from my career to focus on family, returning to the workforce in 2004 and working for a variety of companies before officially retiring in 2018.

As an IT professional, I was always responsible for meeting the needs of my business units. While many assume technical skills are the key to success, I found that equally important was the ability to understand the needs and priorities of my customers. While I bring deep experience in project management, process improvement, and strategic planning, these skills are only effective when grounded in the ability to ask the right questions, listen carefully, and turn input into action. That’s the approach I would bring to city government: ensuring that operations, budgets, and long-term plans reflect the priorities of the community.

Top Issues

The City of Plymouth is a vibrant, well-loved community, and in many ways, it’s doing well. We have walkable neighborhoods, a thriving downtown, and residents who are deeply invested in the future of our city. But even strong communities need to evolve, and I believe there are important areas where we can do better. In particular:

Long-term Infrastructure Planning. We’re nearing the end of our current road bond funds, the parking deck is aging, and our public buildings and parks need investment—but there’s no clear plan to address these challenges.

Public Engagement. Surveys with only a few high-level questions sent to a small portion of the community, and brief three-minute comment periods at meetings, are not enough. It’s the City Commission’s responsibility to ensure that policies reflect the values of the entire community. When engagement is ineffective, it leads to costly missteps like the failed millage proposals and erodes public trust. When more than 150 residents place signs in their yards to oppose the Champion PUD, it’s a clear sign that the community’s concerns are not being meaningfully addressed.

Fiscal Oversight. While the City maintains a balanced budget, we must go deeper. Spending priorities should reflect community values—and that requires greater transparency, more detailed public discussions, and broader involvement in how taxpayer dollars are allocated.