Let's talk about Santa Rosa.

If we haven't yet met, I am pleased to announce that I am running for the District 5 seat on the Santa Rosa City Council. Why? Well, the status quo is not working: Residents are not a priority, have no real voice—concerns are dismissed repeatedly and things are not okay in our neighborhoods. 

This is a non-partisan position and seemingly uphill battle to speak an opposing voice in saving our historic neighborhoods and cultural assets, reducing the tax burden on residents and property owners, and addressing the root causes of homelessness in our District firmly. Many deals have already been inked by the time residents find out—generally to our dismay; others in the pipeline for fast-track approvals. 

We feel strongly about local issues in our living rooms and in speaking one-on-one, but we have to prove we care at the ballot. Help me win this election.

Your vote for me will help repair our local democratic process, stop the abuse of taxpayers and improve support for our small businesses and working, middle class residents who are struggling. My opponent is a well-funded incumbent, who works tirelessly for the many unions and associations that back him: He is their voice. I represent the taxpayer as a citizen committed to the nonpartisan role in our local government. I will be your voice and your vote.

I was born and raised here, in what is District 5. I graduated from Santa Rosa High School in 1992 and also from the prestigious Howard University in Washington, DC, where I earned a B.A. in Advertising and furthered my studies in Art Direction for commercial advertising at the famed Portfolio Center in Atlanta. I’ve lived and worked in 3 metropolitan cities, in 6 different industries and in multiple facets of business development for over 20 years. To invoke the late-'90s: I love “making things happen”.

The things that have been happening in District 5 have changed the heart of our city over the past 4 years, and there appears little accountability for poor decisions and wasteful spending that cost us our safety, vitality and prosperity. How many friends and business owners do you know that have moved to other states? Our local taxes and insurance rates are high and our quality of life in District 5 is low. We buy fences and security systems and firearms because we are afraid. People laugh at us for living here. We need a change. 

Our city has money. Mismanagement and funding priorities are the problems: let's fix it. Vote for Hanna for the Santa Rosa City Council, District 5. 

With your vote, together we can push for: 

• Greater Accountability in Our Local Government

• Transparency and Accountability in Fast-Tracked Projects

• “Non-partisanship” Back in the City Council

• Much Needed Diversity in Race, Perspective and Experience 

• Fairness in Emergency Funding Priorities

• A Fresh Face to Represent Santa Rosa’s Most Visible District