Having lived in a variety of suburban environments, I've experienced firsthand the negative impacts of outdated (though sometimes well-intentioned) or misguided planning policies: social isolation, fewer children enjoying the outdoors, gentrification, lack of accessibility (walking & biking) to vital resources and services, lack of affordability, disinvestment, inadequate social services, and an overall lack of social cohesion.

To the extent that these issues exist in Wilbraham, they have significant social, psychological and economic impacts for our neighbors. I believe the Planning Board has the shared responsibility to be aware of and to address these issues, and their impact on our community.

I believe in participatory planning, one that involves the people directly impacted by decisions being made. I plan to rely on the real, lived experiences of each of you.

Simply put: I want to be on the Planning Board because I believe your personal lived experience in town matters. You need to be heard, and it will be my job to listen.

I care about your experiences in town, and I want you to help shape our town Master Plan – a shared vision for what we want Wilbraham's built environment to be.   

As a designer, I'm trained to facilitate the development of a shared goal, identify root problems that prevent us from reaching that goal, and subsequently helping create solutions to better achieve that goal. More importantly, I'm trained to prioritize and give a voice to the people that use what I design.

While I didn't initially set out to get directly involved in politics, I felt that the Planning Board is a really effective mechanism for citizens to make a direct impact on building the neighborhoods we all want to live in. And I plan to be your advocate.

• I play the Uillean Bagpipes, (Here's a small clip from St. Patricks Day).
• I often spend time restoring our 200 year old home and learn a lot of skills to do so.
• I enjoy the many events around town with my family.
• I'm an aspiring woodworker, gardener and musician.
• I also love to spend time being an overly snobby coffee drinker.

We joke in our family that we used to live in a place where the people were nice, but not kind. Now we live in a place where people are both nice AND kind. It sounds cliche, but my favorite thing about Wilbraham are the people in it.  

I also really appreciate the beautiful landscapes, the New England architectural details, the rich history, the town events, and sometimes I even enjoy the occasional..."conversation" on the Facebook town pages.

• I was on season 4 of So You Think You Can Dance where the judge, Mia Michaels says about me, "The ballroom guy…..is a hot disaster".
• As I was doing ancestry work looking for any recent immigrants, I learned that most of my ancestors on both sides came to America prior to the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
• My wife and I backpacked for 3 months with our then 3 month old son, on a research/humanitarian trip through Peru and Ecuador.
• We used to live in the same town as Brandon Sanderson (a prolific Epic Fantasy writer) and met him at a small town event.