“As Bexley as Bexley Pie.”

            I consider my credentials to be quite adequate to serve this community, one that I have been part of since I was born.  I grew up playing on the sidewalks of Columbus Avenue in North Bexley, and then moved with my family in 1988 to College Avenue in South Bexley.  Living in both of these areas has given me a different understanding of life in this City.

            I attended Montrose Elementary School where I was awarded the Citizen of the Year Award every year.  There, and throughout my time at Bexley Middle School, I was also a member of the PACE program.  Through high school, I played the sax in the high-school band, participated in school plays and musicals, announced soccer games, wrote for the school newspaper, played several different sports – soccer, cross country and football, and graduated as a valedictorian with a 4.0 GPA.

            It was also during high school I began to work at the popular Jeffrey Summer Camp, which began my longtime, part-time employment with the Bexley Recreation Department.  I developed a fondness and understanding of the programs of the organization, which I feel are central to the fun of growing up in Bexley.  I feel this makes me able to understand the Department’s needs more than the other candidates.

            After leaving Bexley’s nest I went on to study at Ohio University with the prestigious Scripps College of Communications.  Over my four years I had a well-rounded education involving communications and media, particularly how they effect and politics and public policy.  I feel my experience in written, spoken and televised journalism – including exclusive internships and conferences in Washington, D.C., London, Los Angeles and with NBC’s “Today” in New York City – will aid me in communicating with citizens of all different ages and understanding their concerns.

During that time, I also was involved in politics at the local, state and national level in Athens, Ohio, assisting the Ohio Democrats and the Students for John Kerry with volunteer work on their campaigns.  Before this, before I could even vote, I campaigned for the Gore-Lieberman ticket in 2000.  Since then, I have embraced more Independent political views, as I feel partisanship often obstructs progress.

In the summer of 2005, while Bexley’s Main Street Redevelopment Project and Southwest Master Plan were in full swing, Overbites Pictures set out to make our feature-length movie, Coons!, in Central Ohio.  We worked with residents as well as businesses like Sherritt’s Market, the Bexley Natural Food Market and Giuseppe’s Ritrovo to make our movie happen, raised money with help from the Recreation Department and the Bexley Celebrations Association, and also used footage from the Bexley fireworks for the movie’s finale.  It was a beautiful marriage of several aspects Bexley has to offer, and speaks of my ability to bring these aspects together for a common goal.  The project required a great deal of organization, people skills and leadership.

I graduated as Cum Laude from Ohio University in June 2006.  Each year I attended school I was awarded an annual Bexley Women’s Club scholarship, one of a few people to ever do so.  I was grateful for the honor.

In terms of connection to the community, I am as Bexley as Bexley Pie.  While the other mayoral candidates are longtime residents and have served our community well, none of them are actually products of what Bexley prides itself on the most: the environment in which we raise and educate our children.  As a product of the Bexley environment, I feel I have a much better understanding of what children go through while growing up here, and how families can accommodate their needs.