MY PRIORITIES AND GOALS

PRESERVING OUR COMMUNITY
Restore the General Fund year-end balance to a level which will provide us with insurance against future economic down turns and emergencies.
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Establish a monitoring and assistance process to make sure our number one source of revenues and convenience, our commercial areas, will survive the new competition to the north.
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Establish a process to preserve our neighborhoods and home values by maintaining public property, such as streets, and assisting home owners maintain and enhance their homes.
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Fight against the superfluous spending of money on perks, fads, gadgets and consultants.
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Champion the elimination of cost inefficient programs which no longer serve a public purpose.
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IMPROVING OUR COMMUNITY AND CITY OPERATIONS
Reopen the doors to city hall by requiring timely public notice on all items before any policy making discussions occur at Council or committee meeting.
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The City does not exist to provide employment opportunities. The staff should be evaluated each year to determine if they have the talents and expertise necessary to meeting the demands of the future. Those who are arrogant and rude to the public and fellow employees should be asked to make a career adjustment. The extensive use of consultants should be discontinued.
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The budget procedure used by the City Manager is so generalized, causing the Council to ask him if specific items are budgeted. Because the Council is responsible for $50 million dollars per year, they should have an itemized budget in an understandable format which can be quickly searched.
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The Council must take control of the purse strings. Until I made the request for the bills, neither it nor its Finance Committee even bothered to look at the list of the bills being paid monthly.
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Require the Neighborhood Development Corp. to submit an audit and workable program before it makes any more promises to the community and/or receives additional tax dollars.
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THE BOTTOM LINE
Spend less and spend wisely. Don't spend just because you did so in the past. Justify.
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Allow NURA to keep the business community viable and strong instead of directing it to buy property and make street improvements for the City. Improve streets and other city property before it becomes a bumpy eyesore. Require Members to provide public notice to the Council before they travel out-of-state at the taxpayers' expense. Use existing Federal CDBG money to enhance the housing stock instead of building fences along selected streets. That is what the General Fund is for.
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Just because a program or service exists, it doesn't mean it must continue. Council members should not be allowed to make non-emergency policy decisions if they were not placed on the required public agenda in advance. Hire and retain employees based on their qualifications. If a consultant has to do a City employee's job, it might be time for them to consider another employer. If a budget doesn't tell you and members of the Council where the money is going, it is not an acceptable budget.