In 1985, my family fled communist Yugoslavia (now Croatia) to escape oppression—my mother lost her job for refusing to join the Communist Party. We settled in Northern California, once the Golden State, where I built a life, married my wife in 2004, and raised our three children. But by 2021, California’s shift toward overreach, including forced COVID policies, drove us to Mesa, Arizona—a city that respects individual and parental rights.

After settling in Mesa, I saw signs of unsustainable policies creeping in, reminiscent of what diminished California and the same reasons why we fled Yugoslavia. Determined to protect our new home, I engaged at the grassroots level to understand Mesa’s challenges. As the largest U.S. suburb, Mesa deserves leadership that preserves its unique character, not one that mimics failing models elsewhere.