I am a graduate of Marquette University (B.S. in business administration), have been self-employed for over 30 years in the real estate and appraisal business, and have been very involved in the community through service clubs and business organizations. I have been a resident of the district for over 31 years. I am seeking re-election for a second term on the County Board to continue to promote fiscal responsibility, economic development and job growth. We need to reduce our debt! We are spending over $93,000 per day on principal and interest, or over $34 million per year, when just 10-11 years ago the total county debt was $70 million. This does not give confidence to the private sector, where jobs are created. Taxes have exceeded inflation and this also creates tough times for seniors trying to stay in their homes. We needed to exercise extreme caution when spending the taxpayer’s money. Repair needs to be made to the roads, the county’s bond rating and the reserve fund. We need to spend wisely as public safety and human services come first. We should provide economic development incentives to attract more private sector jobs and reduce the lengthy and intrusive permitting process for new and existing businesses that wish to expand sooner rather than later. These should be common goals for all of Dane County! Clean lakes, what a novel idea. The rhetoric has spewed for years with little being done. I learned how to swim in Lake Monona at Esther Beach some 50 years ago. I support the initiative by the Clean Lakes Alliance. However, I have concerns that the $27 million initiative has earmarked over $15 million for land purchase. The county has spent over $60 million on lands in the past 10-12 years and the lakes are still a mess. The DNR is extremely happy with the improvement at Lake Wingra and that effort was due mostly to the removal of 6,800 carp at a cost of $4,000. Again, spend wisely. My business experience along with my community activities will help bring a private sector and small-business point of view to the discussions. I’m proud to be a member of the “gang of 10” and will continue to seek more transparency and efficiencies in government.