As a Bishop resident for over a decade, I am proud to call this place my home. I love this community for what it has been, what it is, and what it can be. Bishop is a wonderful town, but the rapid pace of the modern world brings unique challenges that we cannot afford to ignore. We must tackle them with well-informed, common-sense ideas that pave the way for prosperity now and in years to come. If there's one thing my background as a scientist and engineer has trained me to do, it's to solve problems; to identify relevant information, and use it to craft optimal solutions that are long-lasting. As your city council member, I would bring these skills to bear on what I see as the biggest issues we face today.

Housing

Lack of available housing will be one of my top priorities as a council member. Addressing it requires a coherent, multi-pronged approach that includes:

• Revisiting outdated zoning and parking ordinances to create more opportunities for residential development.
• Working with agencies to increase the land available for residential development within city limits.
• Incentivizing owners of vacant dwellings and vacant lots to create more inventory for rentals and sales.

Bishop's Economy

The modern economy is rapidly changing, and the growing list of retail vacancies on Main Street is evidence that our local economy is not adapting quickly enough. City council needs to be proactive in supporting businesses that can thrive in the 21st century. This includes:

• Recognizing that outdoor recreation and tourism, along with the services that support them, are some of the most promising engines of growth for Bishop's economy, and creating policies that make it attractive for these businesses to come here, and easy for them to thrive.
• Building infrastructure that allows Bishop to realize the full potential of the Digital-395 backbone and tap into the enormous potential of e-commerce.
• Introducing mixed-used zoning that will make it more flexible and affordable to maintain a business on Main Street.

Revitalizing Main Street

Rejuvenating Bishop's economy doesn't just mean bringing new businesses to Bishop -- it also means setting those businesses up for success by providing them with a place to thrive, by:

• Creating incentives and working with owners to offset the cost of bringing old storefronts up to code.
• Working with Caltrans to reduce unwanted traffic on Main Street, while keeping the commerce traffic that we want, making it safer and more attractive for residents and visitors.
• Relandscaping Main Street with shade and space, to make it an inviting pedestrian zone, and to create opportunities for sidewalk businesses.
• Developing a coherent and comprehensive plan for the airport corridor, to enable the city to capitalize on new business that will come from opening the Bishop airport to commercial flights.