I want to serve on the Petersburg City Council in order to finish the job that I started as Petersburg's State Senator. As a State Senator, I promised to bring $20 million dollars to the Pharmaceutical Ingredients Campus. I did that. I promised to knock down the blighted hotel on Washington Street and that objective was achieved. Finally, I promised to bring the Casino to Petersburg and that goal was met. But the job isn't complete. The infrastructure particularly in the 5th Ward which includes huge potholes, unpaved streets , unleveled sidewalks and bursting water and sewer mains need immediate attention. With the $20 million dollars in revenue coming in from the Casino, I can work to ensure that money goes directly to intfrastructure.

My educational background is in Chemistry, Economics, Business and Law. Additionally, as a former Commonwealth's Attorney, State Delegate and State Senator, I have over 20 years of experience with fine tuning budgets. I intend to use my educational background and 20 years of public service experience to help my fellow City Councilmembers run the City and City Government like a business...because that is exactly what it is! The greatest challenges facing Ward 5 are the deplorable conditions of the infrastructure. We have had over 150 water and sewer main breaks this year - many of them in the 5th Ward. The potholes and road surface conditions in the 5th Ward are disgraceful. The sidewalks are either non-existent or need major leveling.

The greatest challenges are infrastructure (supra) and schools. With regard to the first challenge, if I am elected to City Council, I make this solemn promise to my constituents. I will repair the potholes, resurface the roads, level the sidewalks, replace the water and sewer mains and I will use a portion of the $20 million dollars in annual Casino Tax Revenue to accomplish this objective. With regard to the second challenge, I am a former High School teacher as well as coach. I also served on the House of Delegatres Education Committee. I am intimately familiar with K-12 issues and I am committed to improving the Elementaary, Middle and High Schools in Petersburg. People know when "Fighting Joe Morrissey" makes a promise he keeps it!

In the broader sense. I desire to complete the work now in progress to fruition. Where I have for many years served in my capacity as Mayor and City Councilman with the support of our Council team. I've been able to accomplish life changing goals that assist our citizens with financial support, affordable housing in rebuilding our neighborhood and streets.

Leadership is about showing up, building partnerships, getting results, serving people, and having the courage and persistence to keep moving your community forward.

That philosophy is especially important when it comes to Petersburg's young people. Councilman Myers understands that the future of Petersburg depends on developing people as much as developing property. That means supporting young people, empowering local entrepreneurs, strengthening neighborhoods, expanding workforce opportunities, promoting homeownership, investing in community institutions, and making sure Petersburg residents have meaningful opportunities to build successful lives in their own city.

Housing Instability. Economic development must reach Petersburg's neighborhoods. I was instrumental in efforts addressing more than 200 unsafe and dilapidated homes in Ward 5, helping turn blighted and distressed properties into opportunities for rehabilitation, new housing, neighborhood reinvestment, and stronger residential communities.

I also helped advance home revitalization efforts designed to return distressed and underutilized residential properties to productive use. This work reflected a broader neighborhood-development strategy in which housing rehabilitation, property improvement, public safety, neighborhood appearance, and economic stability reinforce one another.