POLITICAL EXPERIENCE:
Served on Hialeah's Economic Development Advisory Committee

CONNECTIONS TO DORAL:
First moved to Doral in 1993, relocated to Texas 1996-1999, subsequently returned to Doral; has business dealings county-wide, including Doral

EDUCATION:
Graduated Miami High, AA from Miami-Dade Community College, BA in Business Administration from FIU, will soon complete MBA program at Nova Southeastern University

PROFESSIONAL:
A BellSouth Regional Director for Miami-Dade for one year; previously worked for many years for a number of HMO's

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT:
Board of Directors Hialeah/Miami Springs/Northwest Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce, Alumni Board for FIU, Board of New World School of the Arts, Doral/Airport West Chamber of Commerce member, Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce member, and Arthritis Foundation Board of Directors.

BIRTHPLACE:
Cuba--immigrated to the US at six years of age

PERSONAL:
Married to Francis, with two children: Javier and Vanessa, a Doral resident.

WISH LIST FOR DORAL AREA:
1. Develop a more cohesive sense of community
2. Orderly growth/manage traffic congestion
3. Building institutional infrastructure
4. Incorporation
5. Make government more accessible and responsive

As we embark on the road towards incorporation, we need to prove to everyone--not to mention ourselves--that we are not only a community ready to be a city, but that we have the maturity, vision, and energy to create a first-class city. A cohesive sense of community is essential.

Orderly growth and managing traffic congestion will be very important to the community's future too. How do we continue to attract residential and business growth without creating the bumper-to-bumper nightmare that is already a part of life in so much of the county. Doral is smack dab in the middle of the county--that is one of the area's real attractions--it would be a shame to lose that.

Schools and places of worship provide a framework for our community--they are the basic institutions that really provide the backbone of the community. I know some members of the community council (past and present) and the West Dade Federation of Homeowners Associations (WDFHA) very hard to do this and we need to keep doing it.

In terms of houses of worship, there is a value to spirituality--having a spiritual home--and understanding that there is an important split between church and state, I'd still like to lend my help in providing outlets for each family's spirituality.

A very solid case for incorporation has been documented, expressed, and made by the community council and the WDFHA--anyone would be hard-pressed to find any holes in it. This is the sort of issue that I intend to press hard for should I be elected. Doral or any other community that wants to incorporate needs to be fiscally responsible to the needs of our bigger community, which is Miami-Dade County, while at the same time no one should deny us the right to govern ourselves within our own community.

The issues surrounding Miami International Airport right now squarely point to the misdirection of county government that is so busy running Doral and other municipal areas that they can't properly manage one of the county's greatest resources.

Blasting is an excellent example of why we need to make government more accessible and responsive. The issue disturbs me, disturbs me because if it is so apparent that it is hurting people's property and lives, why does it continue? It is a perfect example of government not being as responsive as it needs to be. We need a busload of people to go to Tallahassee, to get on the airwaves--we need strong leadership that gets the message out.

People also want to be listened to, want to make sure you'll act on whatever problem you have. They don't necessarily expect you to solve it, but at least work hard on it on their behalf. We need energized leadership that will do just that.

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