City of ChicoCandidate for City Council

I moved to Chico, California in 1979, to finish my junior and senior years at California State University Chico, where I received my B.A. in Geography in 1981. My first summer in Chico, when most of the students left, I fell in love with the charming and lively downtown, upper Bidwell Park and the city itself. Along with two partners, I opened my own business in 1984 – Reddengray Pub, and became a member of the Chamber of Commerce.

Chico was good to me. After a decade of enjoying my life here, changing careers and starting a family, I made a conscious decision to start giving back to Chico. I sought and found many organizations and causes to involve myself in. My good fortune in being chosen Chico Realtor of the Year and President of the Chico Association of Realtors provided me a platform from which I could do more good.

In 2002 I was the leading vote-getter in my run for a seat on the Chico Unified School District Board of Trustees. It was a challenging time for the district, with school closures and the dismissal of a popular principal. I made hard fiscal decisions and challenged the Board majority, compromising when needed for the greater good and standing my ground when my moral compass obligated me too.

I did not seek re-election after my term, choosing instead to involve myself in other issues that I felt passionately about. I became more active in our Audubon Chapter, serving first as the Field Trip Chair, then President and finally as the current Conservation Director. These roles provided me an opportunity to build alliances between seemingly disparate groups. Finding common ground and reconciling opposing viewpoints has always come naturally to me.

In addition to running my own business and working as an independent contractor, I worked briefly as a wildlife tour guide, park ranger and outdoor educator.

Now that our three children are grown, my wife Kathleen and I have more time to give back to the community.

At a 2017 Chico City Council meeting, I watched a dozen citizens plead to have an item put on a future agenda. The speakers were predominantly young females of color. Without explanation, the Council majority rejected any opportunity for discussion. Their demeanor was condescending. This was not an isolated incident: time-after-time the current Council majority declines to allow discussion of issues they oppose, suppressing public input or circumventing motions to consider, with sub-motions that call for an immediate vote without input. This is antithetical to responsible representation. That was the night I decided to run for City Council.

Democratic representation obligates public officials to provide a sounding board “for all”. The job of Councilors is to listen to the concerns of citizens, offer a forum for presenting their views, engage in meaningful discussion of the topic and provide a thoughtful decision and reasons for it. And not just citizens of a certain type or class, all citizens, equally. Too often, elected officials are all ears for their donors and the well-off, and deaf to dissenting voices and those without standing. Our flag salute, a statement of our values, includes the words “for all”, clearly stating that we believe liberty and justice should be administered equally.

Our amazing community has a number of pressing challenges to solve. The first step in developing solutions is to open up a two-way dialogue with the community that encourages input and ideas from all sectors. Seven people behind a dais can’t solve our issues in a vacuum.

If I am provided the privilege of serving, I’ll work to increase opportunities for public engagement, encourage greater participation of community members, and eliminate obstacles to discourse between the council and the people we serve.