How long have you lived in Lakewood?
I have lived in Lakewood since 2008 but grew up near Sloan’s Lake so I feel like a lifelong Lakewood resident. My mother’s family moved to Ward 3 in the 1940s, so there is a lot of family history in Lakewood.
What motivated you to enter public service?
I have been serving my community for years both as a neighborhood leader and as an attorney. The need for leadership, especially within the growing Latino community and with the civil unrest we have experienced of late, became apparent. I like to help people and want to make our community a great place for everyone to live. I am a problem solver and an advocate.
What issues are you most passionate about?
I have always been extremely passionate about justice issues and justice reform. It is why I became a lawyer and why I named my child after Atticus Finch from “To Kill a Mockingbird.” As MLK said, “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” This will be my main focus on Council.
I am passionate about diversity, inclusiveness and equality in all forms. As a minority woman, that experience is front and center. I seek to expand equality and curtail prejudice wherever possible.
I am also passionate about protecting the environment for our children, creating a safe and healthy community for all citizens, and caring for those less fortunate.
And I am passionate about being a voice for the People, which I feel has been lost from the local level on up.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I wish I had spare time. Any spare time I do have goes to my kiddos.
I hope to be able to travel again someday, as I have lived and traveled in several foreign countries.
What is your professional and/or educational background?
I obtained a Juris Doctorate at the University of Colorado in 2004 and have been an attorney ever since – having started my career working for the famous Walter Gerash. I have had my own solo general law practice (Springsteen Law Firm, LLC) for most of that period, servicing clients in diverse areas of law including family law, personal injury, criminal defense, and estate planning – among anything else that walks through my door. I intend to focus on civil rights in the future and am planning to start a nonprofit in that area.
I also have a B.A. in International Studies and an M.A. in International Administration with a focus on Conflict and Security. I have studied at the University of Amsterdam, University of Copenhagen, and University of Gothenburg. I started out in the travel business, and originally intended to work in international law.
As a single mom with two fantastic boys, I have had to learn to juggle a lot and how to survive adversity. I feel I represent an important contingent of our community who live in this challenging real-world scenario with me. So I may not always have ample time, but I have specific insights that I bring to the table.
I hope that my constituents will listen to what I have to say before deciding what I represent. I am honest and sincere, and truly want to help our city become the best it can be.