Five reasons you should vote for me
The purpose of any city government is to provide basic services to its citizens and to plan for, and manage, the city’s resources, growth and development. With this in mind, I ask for your vote because:
- I will continue to put the citizens of Chelsea first.
- The measuring stick that I use and will continue to use when considering any proposal that comes before City Council is: “Does the proposal benefit the majority of the population of Chelsea or help move Chelsea toward a better, brighter future?”
- I am a fiscal conservative.
- There is still much more to do. The projects outlined in my vision will cost millions of dollars; but I believe in being able to pay your bills. Increased revenue is the only way to finance improvement projects; and business development is the key to increasing the revenue necessary for achieving our goals. Only when we know where the money is coming from can we proceed with such projects.
- I have worked to improve Chelsea.
- Initiated the idea to rebid the city's trash contract, which added curb-side recycling while reducing cost for Chelsea families
- Drafted ordinances that were enacted, including Animal Control, Traffic In Subdivisions, and Process and Criteria for Acceptance of Private Roads for City Maintenance
- Made significant contributions to the drafting and editing of the revised Zoning Ordinance, Subdivision Regulations, and the Design & Construction Guidelines
- Researched the possibility of establishing a municipal court
- I have valuable experience.
- Chaired the Streets and Roads Committee of the City Council during the past eight years
- Served as the City Council representative to the Planning Commission and the Library Board
- Attended numerous classes and conferences to learn about the intricacies of city government and spent hundreds of research hours to gain an understanding of each issue that came before the council
- Certifications earned:
- Basic & Advanced Level Certified Municipal Official from the Alabama League of Municipalities (ALM) (achieved by only 12% of current municipal officials)
- Alabama Planning and Zoning Official from University of North Alabama
- Served on the ALM Committee on Transportation, Public Safety, and Communication.
- I have a vision for Chelsea’s future.
- Chelsea is a great place to live and raise a family because of its superior quality of life, great schools, and low crime rate. My vision for the city includes:
- Continue to fight to ensure that new construction employs architectural standards that will ensure that as the city grows, it will be a place we can all be proud of.
- Realigning of the Hwy 47 and 39 intersection that will ultimately provide a bridge over the railroad tracks.
- Improving services provided for all members of the family.
- Build a Community/Senior Center Complex that will include athletic fields and a 50-meter indoor swimming pool
- Plan for the construction of a permanent library facility
- Expand recreational opportunities to include new parks, ball fields, basketball facilities and walking and biking trails.
- Plan for and encourage development of a professional office complex that will create good jobs, reduce traffic on Hwy 280, increase the customer traffic for our local businesses, and encourage new businesses to come to Chelsea.
- Accomplish these goals in a financially responsible manner.
- Chelsea is a great place to live and raise a family because of its superior quality of life, great schools, and low crime rate. My vision for the city includes:
The City Has Made Progress
Given the challenging economic times, we have continued to steadily expand services to our citizens while balancing the budget each year. For example we:
- Built a new main fire station, purchased a ladder truck, and added a new rescue/transport vehicle along with the personnel to man them
- Expanded our library into a larger,more comfortable, and better equipped facility which has increased circulation by 25% over 2011
- Completed/added recreational and youth athletic facilities on Hwys 39, 47, & 51
- Partnered with Shelby County Board of Education to build a full-size gym at the new elementary school to support youth basketball programs
- Contracted to light the Chelsea High School practice football field to support our youth football teams
- Contributed over $1.1 million. to the county schools in our area over 16 years
- Completed a number of paving projects
Personal message to voters:
Because the city of Chelsea is a highly desirable place to live, we have experienced phenomenal growth in both population and our business community. With our low crime rate, superior quality of life, and focus on services for every member of the family, Chelsea will continue to grow and prosper.
In spite of the recession's affects on city revenues, we have made steady and significant progress in improving the level of services provided to Chelsea citizens over the last four years, while maintaining a balanced budget. Because we applied conservative fiscal policies to the budget process, while other cities laid off employees and cut salaries, we laid off none. We have had to postpone several major projects in our five-year capital improvements plan because we simply did not have the revenue to support them. As revenue increases through improvement in the economy and increased business development, we can start detailed planning for these kinds of projects. It is my hope that we will be able to move forward on these projects in the next four years; but we must have the revenue to support them, or at least know where it is going to come from, before we can begin.
As Chelsea's population expands, we will have to continue to increase and improve the services and facilities across the spectrum required to support our population; and do it in a financially responsible way. The areas of public safety, business development, infrastructure maintenance, and increasing recreation opportunities for all of our citizens are all areas that will demand attention in the next four years.
This election is critically important for the future of our city.
Please come to City Hall on Tuesday, October 9th and VOTE!!
Thank you,
Mike
