All too often elected officials forget why they were elected in the first place, to represent the people! I believe our residents deserve a government that is transparent and listens to the will of the people. Should I be elected to council I would work with the City Manager to modernize the FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) process to allow requests to be submitted online. I will work with my colleagues on council to review the manner in which meetings are held in the city to ensure we are in compliance with the Open Meetings Act and meetings are easily accessible to all residents.

As a Councilman I will be responsive to residents and open to criticism. While we many not always fully agree on every issue, I will do my best to explain my stance as well as listen and work with residents to understand their point of view.

When you look at thriving communities you see diversity. Diversity amongst the residents and diversity of the businesses in the community. To attract new businesses and residents we need to show that we are committed to making Garden City great place tall home for all. Should I be elected to City Council I will work to enact Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion training for city staff and officials. In addition I will create and pass a non-discrimination ordinance making it clear that hate has no home in our city.

I will encourage citizen involvement and participation in our government and do not believe in silencing voices with opinions that differ from mine. I strongly oppose to the city’s current “Social Media Policy” which is weaponized against residents, volunteers, and employees and violates the first amendment. I will fight to abolish this policy to prevent the city from future lawsuits and ensure everyone has the right to express their opinion. We are stronger when we work together and incorporate different ideas.

Garden City residents have been paying for council’s mistakes for far too long, enough is enough. As I talk to residents at their doors the number one issues is the high tax rate we pay, and I agree. There is no reason the residents should be paying a separate millage just to keep city lights on. I will fight to make sure we are responsible with your tax dollars and don’t keep asking residents to pass another millage or bond.

In addition, I believe our residents deserve the best value and a job done right. I want to amend the city’s current contracting ordinance with a “Responsible Contracting Ordinance” that requires City Council to use a weighted scale system that ensures we are receiving the best value from qualified, responsible contractors who use quality materials and qualified employees.

Over the past 20 years Garden City has lost 9% of its population and has watched business shut their doors and leave our city, putting more of a tax burden on homeowners and remaining businesses. We need to focus on investing in our downtown area while bringing in unique and diverse businesses that draw new residents and visitors to our city to increase our tax revenue.

With an aging population we need to attract young homebuyers and families by partnering with our school system to improve schools, improve our parks by securing grants, and bringing in new businesses. I will also fight to repeal the sidewalk ordinance that not only punishes long time residents, but is hindering the selling and purchasing of homes in the city.

The safety of our residents and our city should always be a top priority, which is why we need to make sure our contracts with POAM and IAFF are competitive with neighboring communities so we attract and maintain quality Police Officers and Firefighters. In addition, we must make sure our first responders are well trained and have the necessary supplies to maintain their safety while protecting our community.

As we move into the future it is important that we do our part to be an eco-friendly community and encourage our residents to join us. I would like to partner with the Wayne County and our neighboring communities to initiate a green stormwater infrastructure rebate program that incentivizes residents to install and use things such as rain barrels and rain gardens which will help our waterways, decrease watering costs for residents, and could potentially decrease the flooding issues that have become so burdensome to residents.

I would also like to see pollinator gardens installed in our city parks. Pollinator gardens are both visually appealing and provide food for pollinating species such a bees and butterflies that approximately 75% of food crops grown in the U.S. depend on.