Candidate for
Council Member; City of Sunnyvale; Seat 7

Tim is a native Californian and 20-year resident of Sunnyvale who has been active in the community for over 15 years including 10 years of direct municipal government experience. He is a homeowner and lives with his wife, Yolanda Risch and their daughter Jennifer. Both Yolanda and Jennifer are active in civic, community, and charitable causes within the community as well. Serving as Vice Mayor for the last year and as Councilmember for the last four years has provided Tim with the experience needed to lead Sunnyvale. More information about Tim can be found in his vita and in his professional resume.

Tim earned a Bachelor of Science cum laude in engineering from UCLA and was selected the most outstanding engineering bachelor candidate in his graduating class for his leadership and academic skills. He then went on to earn a Master of Science in chemical engineering from the University of California at Berkeley. Following this, Tim moved to Sunnyvale where he became a practicing engineer.

Tim is a registered professional engineer by the State of California and has 20 years of technical and managerial experience in the aerospace and semiconductor equipment industries. Tim is an internationally recognized expert on high-velocity, aerodynamic ground test facilities for space applications. One of his former projects involved supervising the design of a $100 million wind tunnel complex for the European Space Agency.

Tim is a strong supporter of Public Safety having graduated from the Sunnyvale Community Public Safety Academy in 2001. He also regularly volunteers at events such as National Night Out and Public Safety's Annual Pancake Breakfast to benefit the Alicia Ann Ruch Burn Foundation. He was also a City and Corporate Liaison for the Every 15 Minutes Program, an intense two-day event to educate teens regarding the dangers of drinking and driving, in both Mountain View and Sunnyvale.

In addition to his Council duties, Tim currently is chair of the Valley Transportation Agency's Policy Advisory Committee and Vice-Chair of the Santa Clara County Cities Association Legislative Action Committee. He also serves on the Bay Area Water Service and Conservation Agency (BAWSCA) and the San Francisco Bay Area Regional Water System Financing Authority.

In 1997, Tim served on the Community Advisory Committee for Moffett Federal Airfield. While on the committee, Tim fought to keep commercial and general aviation out of Moffett Field. This committee identified alternative uses for Moffett Field that have since become the focus for the City's current airfield policy.

Also in 1997, Tim served on the City's Land Use and Transportation Study Group that contributed to the first integrated land use and transportation policy document in the City's recent history.

The City Council, in 1992, appointed Tim to the newly formed Sunnyvale Bicycle Advisory Committee where he served as its first chair. Under his leadership, projects recommended by his committee for outside funding were consistently rated superior allowing the City to obtain more transportation grant funding than ever anticipated. Tim is also a 1992 graduate of Leadership Sunnyvale and has continued to play an active role in the program for the last ten years by serving as a program instructor and as an active member of the alumni association.

Tim was nominated for Sunnyvale's Distinguished Citizen of the year award in 1996 and was recently awarded a prestigious Paul Harris Fellow by Rotary International.