I appreciate the value that cruise ships and their guests bring to the island. They represent one of the many ways our economy survives while generating income for residents, businesses, the city, and the harbor. There have been a number of concerns discussed in the arena of cruise ships calling on Avalon recently and while I agree that the ships themselves need better regulation overall to help our environment worldwide, most of the concerns find their root causes in other topics: infrastructure including sewage, water, roads & circulation, noise & pollution, and more. Multiple entities are working on some of these changes already with updates to the Mole and service opportunities planned or in the works to help change how guests flow into Avalon. I support the resolution that was recently passed, appreciate weekly ship limits and agree with much of the town regarding the quality of life being valued over financial gain. I trust in the city manager’s & harbor master’s ability to make decisions based on those guidelines. I had previously been in support of a more permanent or semi-permanent docking system to allow for greater accessibility for a wider variety of guests but I also value the current tendering system’s ability to place a limit on the number of guests per ship that we can accommodate at any given time. Avalon can be a driving force and proving ground for significant change in the cruise industry which I look forward to leading by continuing to build better relationships with other port cities in California and around the world. I’m encouraged to improve community relations through their charitable outreach via the Carnival Foundation, Disney VoluntEARS, & others to make these relationships more reciprocal and am ready to review wharfage fees and other revenue streams to increase infrastructure funding.