I retired with my wife, Linda, to the Sedona area in 2002 with a strong interest in contributing to my community. I have been active in Friends of the Forest (FOF), serving as Vice President and President from 2005 through 2008. In addition to volunteering on many FOF committees, I wrote grant applications resulting in awards totaling $457,000 to the Red Rock Ranger District

I am serving my second term as Captain of Yavapai County Sheriff’s Verde Search and Rescue Posse. I am a member of the Verde Valley 4-Wheelers (a Jeep club) and an active member of the Sedona Westerners, leading hikes and writing newspaper articles,

I wrote and self-published a tourist-oriented book on the geology of the Sedona area. The 64-page, full-color book, entitled So, Why are the Rocks Red?: A Guide to the Magnificent Geology Surrounding Sedona, has sold nearly 5,000 copies since it was first published in December 2006.

I have studied the Land Development Code and Sedona Community Plan. Since February I have studied many important issues before the community, including the condition of the city budget and the status of the city’s Wastewater Fund, in order to develop informed positions on those issues. I have shared my fact-gathering and conclusions with members of our community through Sedona.BIZ and my web site (mike-ward-sedona.com).

I hold a Doctorate in Education. Prior to retirement, I taught and managed the Parametric Modeling and Computer Aided Design (CAD) program at College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. I served as the Vocational Dean at two community colleges, Morton College in Cicero, Illinois, and College of DuPage, which is the largest single-campus community college in the United States.

As an educator, I held leadership positions in many local, state and national professional organizations, as well as numerous college committees and the Faculty Senate where I served for four years as Parliamentarian and two years as President. Between 1987 and 2002, I wrote three different CAD textbooks for AutoCAD, MicroStation and MS Modeler.

I am a team player who knows how to solve problems and move forward with the work of the group. I actively listen to others and am not afraid to put forward an idea and then refine the idea or even discard it in favor of someone else’s approach. I sincerely believe that my administrative and collegial leadership skills combined with my desire for public service would be an asset as a member of the Sedona City Council.