Tesorero de la ciudad — Ciudad de Escondido

I'm a native Southern Californian. I was born and raised in Los Angeles County. I met my wife of 31 years (and counting) at UCLA in the early 1980s.  We moved to San Diego after marrying in 1985, and we've lived in Escondido since 1991. Our two sons are the product of the local, public schools and the University of California.   My Law degree was earned from USD (with honors) in 1992, and I attended school at night while working full time.  Since 1999 my law practice has focused on advising Special Districts in a variety of legal matters, including the hows, wheres and whens of investing surplus funds.  I've spend 9 years serving on the local school board, and three years before that running the school's local education foundation.  I'm not endorsed by any member of the current City council, and that is a plus.  My loyalty lies with the taxpayers and voters, who chose to make the Treasurer's position a directly elected office thirty years ago.  I will keep the position independent, I will broaden public access to the investment performance scorecard, and I will do what I can to educate the city residents on how its government does, and is supposed to function.

Public service and government used to be held in higher esteem than is the case today.  I'd like to be a part of the effort to restore faith, trust and confidence in government.  I'd like to do my part to make Escondido a better city, one that serves all of its residents well. 

Professional Experience

• Engineering Manager at a large defense contractor within the chief engineer's office on a multi-billion dollar program. Routinely responsible for decisions and recommendations that have impacts in the millions of dollars. Active DoD Top Secret clearance.
• Principle owner and operator of a local business, most commonly seen as "Searchlights of San Diego". Fully responsible and accountable for all financial decisions. 

Service Experience

• Infantryman, U.S. Army, medically retired due to severe wounds received in combat (Iraq). Awards include: Combat Infantryman Badge, Purple Heart, Army Commendation Award (3x). Held multiple positions of trust, including training room NCO, responsible for all personnel records of the company

Investment Experience

• Fiscal conservative
• Independent management of personal investment portfolio for 20 years, including a wide range of investments including Stocks, Bonds, Funds, Treasuries, and other Private Activities
• Focus on investment fundamentals has yielded significant returns
• Blessed with a family of savers and investors, who continue to provide valuable knowledge and insight

Formal Education

• M.S. in Electrical Engineering, The Ohio State University, in 2002
• B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering, The Ohio State University, 2000
• Additional Business & Finance coursework

Family

• Married for 16 years to Heather M. Clark
• Two sons and one daughter, ages 13-6
• Two dogs and a cat

Recreation

• Hiking Daley Ranch with Jeff, my lab/dachshund mix
• Kayaking
• Paddleboarding

Our City Treasurer is the voters’ direct link to our community’s future fiscal health. This trusted position requires integrity, transparency, and accountability--qualities that I demonstrate continually. You can count on me to be a quiet professional, faithfully representing you, the voter.

Central to my candidacy are these critical features:

• I am non-partisan, seeking a non-partisan office to represent the taxpayer's interests. I will remain unaffiliated with any political party throughout my service to voters. You deserve a Treasurer who is not beholden to political party influences.
• I will give the position of City Treasurer the full-time attention it deserves. Our tax dollars must be overseen by an elected Treasurer who will closely monitor the situation for more than a handful of hours per week. Under my supervision, the Treasurer's office will provide independent financial impact statements on significant agenda items considered by the City Council, so that the voters have an elected voice of the taxpayer without partisan bias.
• I will monitor our City Reserves faithfully, and carefully monitor our investments and risks to those investments. When our Reserves stay at the same dollar amount for several years, the effects of inflation erode the benefits of our savings. Our Reserves must be managed by someone who understands risk and can work to ensure our Reserves remain viable for many years. I am the best fiscal option for you, the voter.
• I will not use an elected office as an advertisement for my professional services. My focus will be on serving our community. My outside business interests will always avoid the appearance of impropriety, as the taxpayers deserve.

As a steward of your tax dollars, I will focus on continued responsible growth of our budget reserves while supporting our vital community services. While I am a fiscal conservative, I believe many social programs can ultimately save taxpayer dollars in the long run and promote growth. I believe in an efficient government that has a positive and energetic culture, a true City of Choice for our residents and businesses.

It would be an honor to serve you.