Biography

I was born in Washington, DC on 2/15/51. I was the first-born of five of a career Army officer. The first half of my life was spent moving from one military post to another all over the United States; I lived for four years in Asia. My wife (also an Army brat) and I moved to Hartford, CT in June of 1975.

I enlisted in the United States Armed Forces after graduation from high school in 1969. I volunteered for service in Vietnam as a combat medic from 1970-71.

On my return I joined the Vietnam Veterans Against the War. I am currently president of the Central Connecticut Chapter of Veterans for Peace; we have an active teaching program in the Greater Hartford schools for nonviolence and conflict resolution. I was a co-founder of the Veterans Educational Resources Agency (VERA), which organizes presentations in schools throughout Connecticut and Western Massachusetts on diverse issues, such as the impact of the Vietnam War on its veterans and on U.S. society.

I hold a B.A. in History (1997) from Central Connecticut State University, with a minor in Communications. I work as an assistant librarian at the Hartford Public Library.

I was a lifelong Democrat until 1996, when I joined the Green Party. I feel that the Democrats have abandoned their principles and are nearly indistinguishable from the Republicans.

Issues

• A Sensible City Payroll - As a Hartford public library employee and Vice President of the Evelyn Ball Non-Professional unit of AFSCME 1716, I am keenly aware of the constant attrition of city "line workers." These are the G-classifed civll service positions who do actual work in libraries, maintenance, security, sanitation, public works, parks and recreation, licensing/inspection, etc. These are the guts of the city and should be treated with fair wages and benefits. On the other hand, we need to trim the wasteful patronage jobs that are bankrupting the city: consultants, privatized services, and too many supervisors and assistants to the assistants who do no productive work.
• Make People the Priority - I promise to inform city residents via weekly public announcements about how much the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have cost Hartford taxpayers. The Iraq War has cost the city of Hartford 153 million+ dollars to date. Check out the National Priorities Project.
• A Sustainable Hartford - I will encourage solar photovoltaic panels on all new building renovation projects, and I will support local gardening for fresh food and vegetables. Sensible bus routes and better subsidies for mass transit to lower fares.
• Public Safety - Violence in the city has a direct correlation to militarization of America and the use of warfare by our leaders to solve political/economic differences. Our children are watching how we solve our disagreements and they are remembering.