The online retail era will fundamentally rearrange Corte Madera’s economy and our town’s financial picture—indeed, it’s already beginning to do so. We see the effects in changes like shrinking sales tax revenue year over year and nearby malls that have long been community hubs suddenly struggling to survive. The importance of preparing Corte Madera for this new era was central to my campaign for Town Council, and the public overwhelmingly agreed. Throughout the campaign, we discussed the ways Corte Madera can stay ahead of these changes, including by supporting local businesses as they innovate their business models to retain and attract new customers, and by devising a “Plan B” tax structur
It's hard to imagine a worse first-ever vote as a public servant than being asked to increase the garbage collection rates by 14% due to an international crisis, but unfortunately, we don't always get to choose. Immediately after being sworn in as a member of the Corte Madera Town Council, Mill Valley Refuse Service (MVRS) presented us with a dire situation: China had suddenly begun refusing to import recyclables from the US, turning MVRS' business model on its head; now, what used to be a source of revenue for MVRS had become a ballooning expense, as there are almost no recycling processing facilities in the Bay Area. By the time they came before the Council, MVRS was facing a shortfall of
