I’ve lived and worked in Nashville for 20 years. I’m running now because I see our vibrant city struggling with explosive growth, poor planning for infrastructure and transportation, and a public school system that is overburdened. I love this city and have the skills to collaborate in crafting solutions that will help all Nashville residents thrive and position our city for the bright and sustainable future I know we can have.
Thank you District 34 for electing me to serve as your Councilwoman!
ISSUES
Infrastructure
To continue being an “it” city, attracting businesses and enabling our workforce, Nashville must have the infrastructure, housing options, transportation, sustainability, and efficiency to match.
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Focus on more walkability and bikeability, sidewalks and traffic calming measures.
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Include affordable housing options in development projects and fold in improvements to basic infrastructure, including sidewalks, green spaces, and bike lanes.
Protecting Green Space
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Increase canopy cover. Ensure we stay on track with increasing Nashville’s canopy cover and expanding parks in all areas of Nashville to ensure a cooler, greener, and healthier city.
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Protect water resources and make necessary improvements to stormwater infrastructure, both natural and engineered, to reduce flood risk and protect rivers from polluted runoff.
Make sure that all new development incorporates sustainable concepts like Nashville Next’s Complete Streets, which has so far been very successfully applied in several projects.
Resilience
A resilient Nashville will promote wellbeing for all residents and could include:
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Collaborating, coordinating and maintaining transparency in how the Mayor’s office, council and city functions work together as stewards of Nashvillians’ tax dollars.
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Ensuring developers are adhering to the city’s Low Impact Development standards that protect our watersheds.
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Assessing return on investment not only in terms of financial returns on investment, but also social and environmental. On the social side, we should be looking at the social return on investment for our neighborhoods and ensure that our most vulnerable citizens are protected. On the environmental side, we must embed consideration of climate risks and adaptation into our planning and budgeting.
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Ensuring that we have an energy system that can still function even if other parts of the grid are disrupted.
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Maintaining our buildings, streets, stormwater and other public infrastructure so that we can withstand the impacts of natural and human-made disasters.
Meet Sandy
I was born and raised in Weston, Massachusetts. Growing up, I remember watching my parents take on volunteer work for our community as well as working hard as entrepreneurs, my mom as a caterer and my dad as a medical instrument manufacturer.
From that base, I have always tried to focus my personal and professional efforts on helping others. I went to my town’s public schools and later went to college in Hartford, Connecticut where I met my husband, Rick. Rick is a 9th generation Nashvillian with deep roots and a love of this city. From day one, Rick’s family made me feel grounded and like a true Nashvillian.
For the last 20 years, we have worked and lived in Nashville, in Bellevue near Edwin Warner Park with our two children, one with profound intellectual disabilities and developmental delays, who has kept us deeply involved in the Metro Public School system.Being in Nashville, surrounded by family and close friends we’ve made over the years, has enabled us to cope with this major challenge. Over the years, I’ve volunteered my time and talents to the Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance, holding various leadership positions for the Tennessee branch, raising funds for research to find a cure for my son’s disease. I am also a member of the Tennessee Advisory Council for Access to Technology, which ensures that people with disabilities have access to the technology and resources they need to enjoy equal opportunities.
Education:
B.A. Trinity College. M.A. John Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies, Ph.D. Vanderbilt University
Career:
In the first half of my career, I worked in the international arena on foreign assistance programs, managing large, multi-sectoral environmental policy and technology projects. When I moved to Nashville and started my family, I was a stay-at-home mom for five years, taking care of my son who has profound intellectual disabilities and my daughter. I went back to get my PhD when the kids were 5 and 2 respectively. After that, I worked in a variety of sectors, including nonprofits, academia, as the Assistant Director for General Services over building operations for Nashville and now for the private sector working on sustainable military housing.
Family:
Married, husband (Rick). Two children, Richard (20), Maddie (17)
Metro Council District 34 in Nashville-Davidson County encompasses the City of Forest Hills, Belle Meade Highlands, Burton Valley, Neighbors of Granny White, and parts of neighborhoods Green Hills and Bellevue
