The knowledge needed to raise Ward 5 to its highest potential is held throughout our community. It resides with our civic leaders, our business men and women, our brightest thinkers, our moms, or dads, our families and our everyday ordinary citizens who have intimate experience with living and working in Ward 5. What I bring to the service of Ward 5 is the humility, judgment and vision to work with these great minds and to create a team approach that brings our entire community to the table. By engaging everyone in the process of building a stronger community we will achieve what no one group would be able to achieve alone.
I encourage everyone with thoughts and ideas in support of our community to visit our Ward 5 Voices page to share your concerns and perspectives. I believe that together we can make Ward 5 a better community, a better place to raise a family, a better place to educate our youth, a better place to start a business and a better place to call home. Please review my thoughts below and considering joining me in my efforts to bring a new approach to Ward 5!
Trust & Accountability
-
Integrity: True integrity and the measure of a man or woman are shown by the actions one takes when they believe no one is looking. Our elected officials must be held to this standard and as your perspective Councilmember I promise to use such a benchmark for my own actions. I undersand that as your Councilmember my duty is to the residents of our Ward and our City. I promise to not make the election or the seat about me, but instead about the issues most important to those I serve.
-
Elected & Hired To Serve: Our elected officials and government employees are engaged to serve the public and the greater good. Officials and employees must approach their duties with the understanding that they are in service of local residents and taxpayers. The myth that a government job is "for life" must be slashed. The individuals who rise to meet this level of service should be awarded and those who fall short should be filtered out of the system. The District must clearly outline the expectations for its employees and must have the willingness to enforce such standards.
- Accountability: Citizens and those working within the system should have the ability to reach an independent party to report shortcomings as well as extraordinary service within taxpayer funded programs. A more direct connection between performance and pay will strengthen the relationship between citizens and their government.
Education
-
K-12 Education: Our schools have been called the great equalizer but far too often failing and achieving schools have co-existed within the same system. We must locate the weakest link in our educational system and rally the resources needed to repair it. I look forward to working with the experts in the educational field to analyze the needs of our community, to take examples and models from the best schools meeting similar needs and to create a system that truly prepares our youth for their future. We must understand that schools are not a "one size fits all" product and that having schools with appropriate age seperation is important for the development of our youth. The lose of a dedicated Middle School within Ward 5 must be reviewed and steps taken to provide our children the resources they deserve. Schools must be heavens in the communities they serve and afford students a safe and secure place in which to learn, grow, and acquire the skills they will need to be successful in their adult life. We must also realize that providing the resources for our youth to have a successful future does not end at the closing bell of a school day.
- The Whole Package: There is more to educating our youth than simply a focus on schools, teachers, and curriculum. We must build a system that supports our children from the class room to after school activities to their first job and beyond. We must build solutions that include more comprehensive afterschool programs ran by the community, strengthened summer internships and employment options and even the creation of a small business / youth mentorship program. We must engage the entire community to create the environment where our young people will see the possibilities of their futures and have the support available to achieve them.
A Safer Ward 5
- Community Involvement: While the District is enjoying a decrease in crime, particularly those of a violent nature, we must not ease on our efforts to build the safest neighborhoods possible. As law enforcement strives to remove criminal activities from our community we as citizens must aid their efforts by identifying the causes of illicit behavior and working to eliminate them. By creating community environments where standards of behavior and moral benchmarks are communicated to all individuals in a clear and unified manner, we empower all of us to do our part in setting the example that will help elevate our communities. This type of team approach will provide the type of positive peer pressure that will help deter the poor choices that often escalate into criminal activity and will create an environment that helps to eliminate crime before it can even occur.
Economic Development
- Creating Opportunities: Ward 5 must work to position itself as a leader in economic development within the District. Red tape must be cut to help encourage the opening of both small and medium sized businesses. These businesses will lower unemployment rates increase tax revenue and help fund the vibrant future ahead of Ward 5. Such development must be executed with a "big picture" approach. To create sustainable communities we must ensure that the economic development undertaken in Ward 5 is carried out in a responsible manner. As outlined by other Councilmembers, it is important to create livable walkable communities in which the amenities we all seek are within convenient reach. Local businesses and business leaders will play a key role in the development of Ward 5 and should be seen as part of the resident and business partnership that will be critical to our long term success.