VOTE411 Voter Guide

1. City Finances, hoping to assist the Chairperson of the Finance Committee with resolving our issues and getting our bond rating back. 2. Schools, while County Schools rate above normal, Marion City Schools continually score in the lower half of Public Schools. Hopefully, the School Board will agree to work with City Council to address the issues. Marion will not be able to grow without our schools. 3. Opportunities for Youth, The City needs to revisit recreational activities for our 13-17 year old residents. Currently there are very few opportunities for this group. We need to meet with this age group and find out what they are interested in,

As your councilman I will in response to and activate programs, policies and legislation that support bringing together efforts of safety, security and economic stability. Having served previously on Marion City Council I voted to begin increasing hiring more police officers after coming out of our national economic downturn and voted to combine our 911 dispatch call center with the county reducing our response time with handling emergency calls as well as supported job growth opportunities in manufacturing and small business in neighborhoods and downtown revitalization efforts with over 30 years experience in working as a preservation contractor and project coordinator and serving on several statewide and local boards. I would be honored to serve our city in which we can take pride.

The first is to get the city's finances in proper order. Working with council and city officials, we need to have an accurate audit of all city expenses for the past several years. Before we can be successful at achieving any goal of city improvement, we need to have an actual, workable budget from where we begin.

The second is working to bring our housing and commercial buildings up to code, for both property owners and renters. We can work with existing city and state ordinances and codes, and partner with community groups (i.e. Habitat for Humanity and the Land Bank) to help people maintain their property and repair blighted and abandoned homes.

The third is to work with first responders to combat crime and drug sales in our community. I intend to support groups that are serving the homeless and addicted population.

1. The City government needs to make a greater effort to improve transparency in our City government and services, especially as it relates to our poor and marginalized communities. By using our existing communication platforms, the City could provide its residents with a list of local organizations that provide services they need. 2. The City Charter proposal. Detailed information is needed so citizens can make an educated vote. I propose holding public information sessions to address citizens' concerns and questions. 3. Our government must work with our neighborhoods and business community to promote the success of local businesses. Establishing community and business liaisons would facilitate establishing the needs of our neighborhoods, which should be paramount in determining the businesses we encourage to come to Marion.

1. 5 Year Vision 2. Sewer/Sanitary Systems 3. Housing

We need a 5 & 10 year road map for the city. A vision that everyone can get behind and work towards. Simply waiting around for the next thing or next big announcement is not god enough. We need to create an action plan that all city officials can use to as guide to reach our goals and objectives for the city. Without a clear vision officials are floundering. The sewer and sanitary systems remain one of the biggest concerns for residents in many neighborhoods in Marion. I am currently working on legislation for a Lateral Loan Program that can be a zero or low interest loan to address these concerns. Housing remains a serious deficiency in Marion. I will continue to lead on the Zoning Committee to ensure we look at all available options to address the housing crisis in Marion.