It was love at first sight for MHCSD Board Member Andy Su and his wife Lisa when they saw Mountain House for the first time. With a new baby girl and plans for more children, Su and his wife initially set their sights for a home in San Jose or San Ramon. "The other areas we looked at just didn't have what we were looking for at reasonable prices," said Su. "When we first visited Mountain House, we fell in love with the house, the neighborhood and the plan."

An emergency room doctor for more than 8 years, with a special interest in finance, Su jokes about how he did something he would never do under normal circumstances. "We made an offer on the house 6 days after we saw the house for the first time," said Su. "For such a large financial commitment, I typically take much more time to adequately deliberate the pros and cons of the decision. "This time I responded as though I were in the emergency room." I assessed the situation quickly and decided to buy immediately." The decision, albeit somewhat quick, was a good one for Su and his family. "Five years of living in Mountain House and he can easily list a large number of community assets.

"I think that Mountain House has a wonderful and diverse group of residents who are interested in helping our community. Our Master Plan is great. My family and I love the parks and community events", said Su. Su ran for the MHCSD Board because he wanted to serve his community. Now that he is on the Board, he has a list of both short-term and long-term goals he would like to help implement.  One important short-term goal for Su is to have the MHCSD survey the community on a regular basis; perhaps once a year. "I want to know from all of the residents what they think the Board's priorities should be," said Su.  In addition, Su would like to assure all play areas in Mountain House parks are of equal quality and he would like to see more community events.

Long-term goals for Mountain House include growth, retail and assuring development is built according to the Master Plan. Su believes that a short-term challenge for the MHCSD might be a decrease in revenues. "For the next few years, we may have to think outside of the box and do more with less," said Su. Su's experience in personal finance and his critical thinking abilities are the assets he feels he brings to the MHCSD Board.

I've reviewed literally hundreds of corporate annual reports and can quickly determine how a company stands financially," said Su. " I will be looking for ways to help the MHCSD balance community needs with financial responsibility." As he begins his role on the MHCSD Board. 

Su has listed some golden rules to help guide him:

• Listen to the residents.
• Help when we can.
• Stick to our current Master Plan.
• Strive to maintain the difficult balancing act between needs and fiscal prudence.