HomeMy WebLinkAboutShaun Moran
Shaun J. Moran
615 Taylor Street
Ashland, Oregon, 97520
3/2/2018
Dear Mayor Stromberg and Ashland City Councilors,
I am interested in being considered for the Ashland City Council Position #3 vacancy. I would
welcome the opportunity to work with you to serve the citizens of Ashland.
Please find my enclosed resume and answers to the questions which were asked.
Sincerely,
e
Shaun J. Moran l1`
Shaun Joseph Moran
615 Taylor Street
Ashland Oregon 97520
Employment: Owner: Hoot Owl Estates, Trail Oregon
Vacation retreat offering fishing trips and cabin rentals on the Upper Rogue River
2009- Present
Head of Execution Services, Managing Director
Noi•eanbea 2010 IO Jame 2013
J.P. Morgan Chase Japan Securities Co., Ltd.
I was in charge of transforming the J.P. Morgan institutional agency execution services platform
which involved a detailed technology overhaul, extensive cost-benefit analysis and a revamp of
the entire client/broker process. I was tasked with overseeing all institutional client order flow
and execution in Japanese equities for the firm in Japan. I had 25 direct reports. A large part of
my job vvas to improve J.P. Morgans client execution capabilities, analyze client profitability and
introduce broker attribution modeling to better understand employee efficiency and
accountability. Additionally I was involved with the learning and development program to mentor
younger key employees in the equity franchise.
Head of Execution Services, Managing Director
11a'v 2000 to Fc hrncn•v 2009
Merrill Lynch Japan Securities Co., Ltd.
From 2007 headed Bank ofAmcrica/Merrill Lynch execution services platform which consisted
of oversight of offshore and domestic sales trading, cash trading execution, low touch wading.
listed futures and options, facilitation and portfolio trading. I had 42 people reporting to me. Our
offshore sales trading team routinely rated top in Japanese equity. Outside of day to day
management responsibilities I ran the learning and development program for the equity business
which focused on development of key performers/upcoming talent which became the template for
Learning and Development program in Asia. I modeled leadership and team building with all
members of the equity business. I covered many of the most senior and important accounts with
global Agnificance to the Merrill cash equity franchise in Japan.
National Sales Manager in Retail Division, Managing Director
September 199H to April 2000
Massachusetts Investment Management Co., Ltd.
lead of the MIS retail mutual fund sales channel in Japan. Responsible
for developing the mutual fund channel sales network in both the domestic
and non-Japanese banks/brokers. Supervised a three man Japanese sales team
and conducted day to day business management and investment discussions in
Japanese.
Head of Japanese Equity Derivative Sales Team, Vice President
July 199-1 to August 1995'
Daiwa Securities America, ("Tokyo Office)
Supervised a total of five Daiwa America employees in Tokyo covering overseas clients
trading listed, OTC equity derivatives and Japanese equities. Provided market
information, news, and trading ideas.
Education: Yoshida Institute of Japanese Language, Tokyo, Japan.
Completed intensive Japanese language program. 1990-1992
Bates College, Lewiston, Maine B.A. Political Science. 1985-1989
Edinburgh University, Edinburgh Scotland
Concentrated in Comparative Politics and Asian Political Ilistorv. 1987-1988
Volunteer: Board Member of Ashland Emergency Food Bank. 2015-Present
Citizen Member of Ashland Budget Committee. 2015-Present
Ashland Chamber Behavior Task Force. 2015-2016
Ashland Food Project Steering Committee. 2017-Present
Ashland School Board Bond Committee. 2017-Present
Ashland School Board Budget Committee. 2018
Tokyo English Life Line (TELL)
I Iclped with organization and fund raising for group which was an F,nglish support life line
for English speaking community in Japan who sought help and counseli110. 1991-1993
Other: Fluent Japanese. Very strong sales presentation and people skills. Proficient in Microsoft
[_,xcc] and Microsoft Word, Financial Scrviccs Series 3,7,64,24 rc istered
References: Available upon request
1) What do you think are the biggest issues facing the city?
Ashland's Fiscal Health and Sustainability
One of the most significant issues facing our town is the financial health of our city. Ashland faces
daunting fiscal headwinds and I believe we are unprepared to deal with this fiscal reality. Ashland's
budget has ballooned because the City Council refuses to address alternatives to continued increased
spending and the result is constant raising of taxes and fees to pay for that spending. That is simply not
sustainable. Our addiction to spending is putting our beloved town at risk. It is long past time we start
doing the hard work of prioritizing how we spend on those services essential to the future of Ashland.
Former Finance Director Bev Adams warned us about several critical factors which put our city at risk. 1)
Soaring Health Care costs 2) PERS, by 2021-2023 according to many reports, will see a huge jump in
costs 3) spending that has pushed our budget up 20% over the last two years and up 50% since 2008.
Shouldn't we try to prepare for these financial hits with increased reserves? We need to insure taxpayer
funds are used as efficiently as possible. We need cost metrics attached to city goals and objectives to
ensure there is accountability.
Ashlanders are incredibly generous and forgiving with our taxes but in addition to the inexorable rise in
property tax, our utility bills, have skyrocketed, with water and sewer fees almost doubling in 10 years.
With the addition of new fees, the utility bill has clearly become unsustainable for the average working
Ashland family. Looking forward, the financial burdens will not get any easier as the latest budget
assumes Ashlanders will see a 30% increase in the costs of these same services by the 2021-2023 budget
period.
Unfortunately our reality is that "all roads lead to the budget and our city's fiscal health". No issue
should be more important to the people of Ashland than the financial health of our city. Why? Because
if there is no oversight in how our money is spent, we won't have the funds for the essential services we
all want and demand. Repeatedly asking taxpayers to pay more without holding our own city
accountable is unfair and unsustainable. I think our city government needs to "cut first" before asking
Ashlanders to contribute more. We need to be more cognizant of the financial decisions made today in
order to maintain the unique "quality of life" and the "Ashland values" that make our town such a
special place. I hope to add my time, professional experience and knowledge to help achieving this
essential goal.
I
I have added a few ideas which could help address some of these budget irregularities and put Ashland
back on the road to recovery:
• Follow the lead of Paula Brown, our new Public Works Director, who recently suspended a $23
million water treatment plant project until she can determined if the project is absolutely
essential for Ashland.
• Reset how the budget is compiled and agree to fund core city services but embrace zero based
budgeting to insure each department head justifies the "other programs and expenditures" they
want to fund before they automatically get added into the budget.
• Have the city administrator oversee a review of the budget where all department heads justify
the assumptions used to make projections for their budgets. Identify which projects and costs
are absolutely necessary vs desirable. Projects not absolutely necessary should be put on
hold.
• If every department found a way to cut costs or spending by just 2% it would save our town $3
million each year which could fund our new police officers and other projects.
• Embrace the suggestions presented by the Budget Committee, to cut costs, during the budget
process this past summer and find ways to work together to achieve city goals.
Housing and Affordability
How can affordability ever be a reality if we don't stop increasing the cost to live here? How can our
citizens ever expect to buy a home or rent a place to raise their families if we don't start to think outside
of the box and look to solutions that we haven't considered before to solve our housing issues? Our city
leaders have been grappling with the issue of affordability and housing for decades. We need to move
past the talk and get some things done. The future of Ashland depends on it. Here are a few ideas I
think can help.
Providing affordable housing to families and our work force demands an approach which involves
embracing higher density smart building, non-profit housing developments and the adoption of land use
regulations which lowers costs and stimulates growth and development of new housing in our
community. The time is ripe for decisive action on this issue. In many ways the plight of our local
economy is linked to our housing issues. Some of the biggest challenges faced by Ashland businesses are
around attracting staff and skilled workers. The Ashland Chamber of Commerce showed that many
business said the "high cost of living" in Ashland made it difficult to find the right candidate when they
were looking to hire. We need more jobs that give people a livable wage so they are able to rent or buy
homes in our community. We need a broader vision - business as usual isn't working.
While working to preserve Ashland's unique historic and architectural qualities, we need to evaluate
existing building restrictions and regulations to allow for more creative in-fill projects for commercial,
residential and mixed use projects. We need to allow for higher density buildings or more buildings on
each lot. We should learn from other municipalities where urban planning and forward thinking is
leading to livability, greater affordability, reduced costs and economic opportunity for its citizens. We
need all stakeholders to be represented at the table. I hope to play a critical role in the housing
development and policy discussions as a city council member.
i
Job creation and our Undiversified Economy
In Ashland we are blessed to have Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Southern Oregon University which
both provide wonderful benefit to our local economy. But with most of our "economic eggs" in the
service sector basket in times of economic duress, like we saw in the last recession, our economy is
vulnerable. We need to have a more diversified economy in Ashland so we can better manage the
unforeseen economic shocks inevitably to come. I think we need a fresh strategic vision to address the
pressing issues of job creation and economic vitality, both of which have been stagnate over the last
several years.
Ashland business are not booming. Business license data tracked by the city proves my point. There
were more business licenses issued in 2008 then there were in 2015 and the last few years has only seen
tepid growth. Many businesses over the last several years have languished while others have decided to
leave Ashland all together as regulations, higher costs, taxes, surcharges and fees have stymied growth.
Businesses are good for Ashland and help support our economy so we need to find ways to help our city
government become a more valued partner to those businesses. We need to empower the
entrepreneurs that want to come here to start businesses, retain and expand the businesses that are
here and leverage the organizational assets we already have in town through better partnerships with
SOREDI, OSF, SOU and the Chamber of Commerce to insure we have a strong and resilient economy for
the future.
The economy continues to be a top priority for Ashland residents so we should work to attract,
encourage, and foster new companies from emerging industries and people with great ideas to come
here to flourish, raise their families and invest here. This will help diversify our economy. We have
several Enterprise Zones in town which could be a solution for new and growing businesses. We need to
stop talking around the issue and find ways to give entrepreneurs and creative innovators a place to
grow their vision. Let's find a way to put businesses that embrace "Ashland Values" into these spaces.
These "businesses" are the anchor of our local economy and we need to help them grow and prosper.
This is the key to balancing our economy and securing our future. We cannot be complaisant. We need
to strike the right balance between necessary code requirements and sensible decision making.
We need to be proactive and take a fresh look at our economic development plans and strategy which
have been unrevised since 2012. Our city invests hard earned taxpayer money in promoting economic
development each year but we fail to evaluate the reasons for the limited results they have produced.
That needs to change. I think we should revisit the idea of an Economic Development Ad Hoc
Committee. This might allow us to harness some of the untapped business skills and ideas from people
within our community, SOU, and people from different industries who could provide actionable
strategies to help balance out our economy. I look forward to helping in this challenge.
CEAP
The city has made great strides in addressing the importance of taking a proactive approach toward
Climate Change through CEAP. The budget committee agreeing to fund a full time CEAP employee in
the last budget has helped to insure the environmental policies of reducing Ashland's emissions of
climate pollution remain important. Our community is committed to taking responsible steps toward
contributing to the slowing of greenhouse gas emission and climate change. I support that approach.
Emphasizing the importance of climate friendly land use, maximizing the conservation of energy and
water and evaluating creative strategies like converting our Town and Public Work's vehicles to full
electric when they need to be replaced are great steps toward the commitment of climate change
mitigation. As part of the climate change discussion I believe we must continue to pursue a strategy of
protecting our forestland and our watershed through the good work of the Ashland Forest Resiliency
Project (AFR), seek ways to find incentives to make renewable energy more economically viable which
will accelerate the transition to clean energy, and work to promote and educate our citizens of the
importance of a reliable and stable water source. Our beautiful parks and our environment are an
important part of what makes Ashland special and I think it is vital that we continue to support this
environmental goal.
2) What is your primary motivation for seeking the _vacant council seat?
I am seeking the vacant city council seat because I am committed to Ashland. I want my wonderful wife
and our three young children to have the same opportunity, just like the thousands of families before
us, to grow and prosper in our amazing town. I believe that each of us as citizens has an obligation to
help and give back to our city when we can. Finally, Ashland needs new people in city leadership roles,
people with new and a fresh ideas, who can offer a different perspective and solutions to the issues and
problems facing our city.
I have the integrity, passion, enthusiasm and the time to help shape the focus and discussion on issues
that are important to the people and future of Ashland. I will work with all our elected officials to insure
that our city government works for the people and allows the voice of it citizenry to be heard. We need
leadership that persuades and inspires others to engage in the common goal of creating a better future
for Ashland. I know that is not an easy task but I am sure I can inject a fresh perspective into the
discussions and issues important to the citizens of Ashland. Most importantly, I am dedicated to being
transparent and accountable. I understand and value the significance of "saying what you mean and
meaning what you say" and believe it is essential that my statements are consistent with my actions and
true to my values and beliefs.
Through my work with the non-profits organizations and the many generous volunteer I serve with, the
school district and my experience as a citizen member of the budget committee, I have gained valuable
insight into the inter-workings of our city government. I have learned in detail, through two budget
cycles, how our city is financed and how it works. I have attended many city meetings outside of the
budget committee where my interests have always been to learn as much as possible about the issues
facing our city. Now I know I'm ready to take that next step, to reach out to have more of a voice and in
the process positively impact our community along the way.
I don't purport to have all the answers but I am a quick study and will master quickly what is at hand. I
understand the learning curve for any new member of the city council will be challenging. My twenty-
four years living in Japan taught me a cherished tenant of Japanese culture that being consensus
building and open communication are essential parts of the decision making process. I am willing and
eager to learn, be collaborative and productive as possible while working with other members of the city
council to find solutions to the issue and problems facing the people of our community.
3) What community and city activities have you been involved in recently?
My parents instilled in me the importance of giving back. My father served as a volunteer on many
committees in the town I grew up in for over 20 years. I remember my mother saying to my siblings and
me when we ran off to school, "do something nice for someone today" and helping others "is the rent
we pay for our time on earth". Those memories and the importance of those words have never left me.
When I learned of the great work of the Emergency Food Bank in 2009, 1 periodically would go down to
volunteer. But it was after we returned to Ashland in 2013 from my three year work assignment in
Japan that I pledged to get more seriously involved. Going to the Food Bank to unpack food provisions
and restock empty shelves let me see firsthand the numbers of people in need and how much this
organization was helping our community. My wife and I began to take our children there during Food
Drives and the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays to help. I got to know the people involved in the
organization and in 2015 1 was asked to join the Board of Directors. This has been an incredibly
rewarding experience.
In support of the Food Bank, I saw it as essential to ensure the Ashland Food Project, continued to grow.
I thought it was imperative that these organizations found ways to work better together as they share
similar core common goals. I was asked to join the Ashland Food Project Steering Committee in 2017 to
help them build out their vision and I serve on that board today as well.
As our family got involved in school and community activities, several people suggested that my
professional experience in finance could be a help to the city so in 2015 1 applied and was appointed
to the Ashland Citizens Budget Committee and I serve on that committee today. As a member I feel I
have an obligation to be professionally curious, to ask questions, to be inquisitive and thorough. It is a
role and responsibility I take very seriously.
Through family friends, and a mutual vested interest in a strong and vibrant school system, I was asked
to join the Ashland School Bond Committee. My wife and I understand the importance of ensuring that
the children in our community are given every opportunity to grow, learn and excel as they advance
through their educational experience. I understand that one of the most critical issues facing our school
district is to prioritize the educational needs of our children and then insure we find the best way to
spend the funds we have to achieve those priorities.
Additionally in 2017 1 learned of an opening on the Ashland School Board Budget Committee, applied
and was appointed. I hope to be able to help the School Board and Ashland School system with some of
the difficult financial decisions they make. I look forward to helping in any way I can in that endeavor.
In the summer of 2015 1 reached out to the Ashland Chamber of Commerce to educate myself about the
transient issues facing our town and the impact it was having on our business community. My concerns
were shared with the Executive Director and Board and I was selected in late 2015 as a member of the
Behavior Task Force Committee. Like many others I supported the campaign of "Reconsidering How You
Give" coupled with more police enforcement and oversight. That has gone a long way in addressing
behavioral issues in town which in turn better serves the citizens, tourists, and our business community.
4) What is the role of the city councilor?
The role of the city councilor is to serve the citizens of the community they represent. This sounds
simplistic but I understand it to be a complex task. A city councilor is someone who is committed to
serve, a great listener, a coalition builder and a problem solver who is results oriented and able to work
well with other to find mutually acceptable solutions to the problems facing our community.
A city councilor is someone who is willing to ask hard questions that others may be unwilling to ask,
Someone who is accountable and willing to stand up and be heard when it may be unpopular to stand
up. Someone who welcomes transparency, is passionate, persistent and dedicated to doing what is
needed to provide the best future possible for the citizens of Ashland. I understand that responsibility
and I have never been more convinced that I am ready for the task. I know as a city councilor I will
disagree at times with other members of the council, as each person will hold true to their own ideals
and principles but, as we agree to disagree, I pledge to be respectful of others and the positions they
hold dear. I am committed to finding common ground.
In a partnership between city government and the people it represents, I will not be afraid to support
policies that others may disagree with in order to best represent all the citizens of our diverse
community. There are extensive administrative, budgetary, and time demands that a city councilor
needs to understand and commit to, in order to be an effective member of the council. I am willing and
eager to undertake this responsibility.
I would appreciate the opportunity to meet with you and answer any additional questions that you
might have.
Sincerely,
n
Sha'~n J. Moran
II