LIST OF ISSUES
EDUCATION
I attended Shelton public Schools, and Shelton's schools are some of the best in the state, but we have had issues with funding, and our education budget. We need to get our schools the funding they need so our students can excel. I will go through the budget, and find the money our schools need to give Shelton's youth a proper education.
We also need to bring Shelton's public school system into the 21st century. Smart boards, laptops, computer labs, and materials that are up to date are all essential to modern education. As an aspiring teacher I have heard all the stories, and have seen first-hand the amount of effort and money that teachers put into the classroom. We need to help our teachers, and give them not only the proper texts and technology, but proper support.
As Mayor I will work with the Board of Education, and the PTA (Parent Teacher Association) to get our teachers, and students, the support they need. We need to expand programs like engineering, sciences, the arts, music, and literature. We also need to support our after school programs, because learning does not end at the classroom. Education is more than budgets and funding. Education is about laying down foundations, and building on those foundations to create an atmosphere where students and teachers can succeed.
Transparency
We need our government to work for its people. For that to happen, the people need to be informed. We need greater transparency in our budget process, and throughout the city government. I will work with the Alderman, and the city departments to give the people of Shelton a better picture of what its local government is doing.
We need the trust of the people to govern properly. Government transparency starts with an open dialogue with the people. As mayor I will start a public online forum where the people of Shelton can contact the mayor’s office directly, and actually get a response. In addition to that, I will open up our government to the internet age. We have so many social media tools at our disposal. We need to humanize our government, and have the community be involved.
Speaking of community involvement, as mayor I will create a new position in my administration, the community liaison. A person or small group of people who will build the city’s new internet presence, and be the direct link from the people to the mayor. The community Liaison will also conduct polls and surveys, so that I, as mayor, will know exactly how the community feels about issues in the city. It will drive up voter turnout, inform the electorate, and create a government we can be proud of.
PARKS AND REC
We have some of the best parks in the state. I love Indian Wells State park, but we need to focus on smaller community parks, and recreational areas. I live across from a basketball court that is in desperate need of repair. I’m sure there are other parks within Shelton that need renovation as well. This also includes sports facilities, and playgrounds at our schools. I will form a plan to survey these areas, and invest properly.
I’m going to include arts and entertainment in here as well. I am a member of the valley film community, and they have been advocating for a film festival for years. I believe this is an awesome idea, but I would expand on it, and create a Film/Art festival in Shelton (or work with our neighbors and create a Valley festival). I will also not limit this to one festival, we need to support our art and music communities. I would work with my community Liaison, to start activites like attracting authors to speak at the Plum Library. Bring in interesting performers to local stages, and reach out to the artistic community.
Shelton has plenty of culture just waiting under the surface to be discovered. All we need to do is look.
ENVIRONMENT
Shelton has an excellent recycling program and we are home to one of the best state parks in Connecticut. I would further those programs and promote a green plan for shelton. I would work to bring in green industry and enhance the programs we already have in place.
DOWNTOWN
A plan for Shelton's town centers is one of the more important topics in this race. I keep hearing that downtown, specifically Howe Avenue, needs to be revitalized. It is my opinion that there are actually two downtowns in Shelton. The first is the neighborhood around Howe Avenue and the second is Huntington Center, which circles the Huntington Green. Shelton is not just defined as one street. If Shelton is to grow and thrive, then we must include all of Shelton in our plans.
Any plan for Shelton must start with the correct information. I would conduct traffic studies in both areas. There has not been a proper study of traffic in these areas in recent years. We need to know how many cars pass through these areas and where they are going. We need to find out what time of day cars travel through these areas and how long people stay in the area. We should also conduct a survey of commuters to determine why they travel through both downtown areas. Without research and information, any plan we come up with is based on speculation at best.
There are simple traffic studies performed by the state every year, but they are not very detailed. They provide very basic numbers on the traffic flow in and out of Shelton and in the Howe Avenue and Huntington Square areas. According to a Connecticut Department of Transportation, Bureau of Policy and Planning survey in 2013, the intersection of Bridge Street and Howe Ave. handles about 13,000 cars a day. The one-way roads on each side of the Huntington green handle about 9,000 cars a day. That is a lot of traffic for those streets to accommodate every day. This information is a good start but it is only the beginning. We need to know more, much more before a real plan can be set into action.
Once these studies are done and we get the data, we can turn the data into a plan to reduce traffic and congestion, while encouraging citizens to enjoy these areas. The Shelton/Derby Bridge construction is set to begin soon, this is a critical area that needs immediate attention from the Mayor's office. We need to rethink these downtown areas, and make them places people want to be and not places people look to avoid.
My idea for the downtown Howe avenue area is to make it a more pedestrian friendly place to be. Our city centers should be places parents take their kids, and a place people think to go for entertainment. Along With the traffic studies, I would also perform a survey of the local business community, and the people of Shelton to determine what they think the trouble spots are and how to fix them. There are a lot of new housing structures up in downtown on Canal Street and the surrounding area. A survey of those residents would be a big signal to how we should go forward with downtown.
For the Huntington center area, this is where we expand community focus. We already have a community center in that area let’s use it as a foundation to making that area a community focus. We should have more community events and festivals on the green and with the traffic studies we can develop a new traffic flow to reduce congestion. Both the Huntington Center area and Downtown have parking issues that need to be addressed. That is also something these studies will look into.
BUDGET
My plan for the budget is designed to create a more open, and accountable budget system. Our Budget process needs a serious overhaul. It is antiquated, does not do enough to prevent theft, and even less to produce accurate department budget proposals. My proposal will give power to the voters to determine if the city’s budget is right for them.
First, I would require all departments to make budget proposals at the budget workshops, and that those workshops be recorded for public disclosure. This will open up the process to the public, and make each department more accountable for its own budget. All of the budget documents that are required of each department will be made public by my office, as soon as we get them. When it is time for my office to present our budget proposal it will also be made public as the Board of Alderman, and the Board of Apportionment and Taxation, receive my recommendations for the budget. All meetings about the budgets will be recorded for public disclosure and record.
Now some of this is addressed in the publication section of the city’s charter, regarding the budget. I want to take it a step further. The budget proposal will be front and center on the city’s website, and the other forums created by my office. I will also send have the information about the budget mailed to each resident in Shelton. Now I won’t mail them the full budget, that’s a lot of paper. They will get an overall view of the budget, and how to get further information. They will also be given notice of the public hearings for the budget.
Now regarding the surplus and future surplus by the city. To keep our bond rating we do need to keep a certain amount of money in a surplus fund. The amount we currently have is almost twice what we need. The city is not spending taxpayer money correctly, and there are many ways we can fix this. A five year study of the city’s budget should reveal gaps in spending, and where we are spending too much.
I do believe education is a place where we need to expand spending. I will work with the board of education to do so. My technology proposal on education will be something I push, but I know the B.O.E. has final say on their finances. I also want to make sure our emergency services, and police have the proper funding and support from the budget going forward.
Finally, and most important, I am proposing a voters referendum on the budget. Now this will not take power away from the Board of A & T, or Board of Alderman in the process. The way it will work is the budget process will go on as normal, all the way to the end. After the Mayor approves the budget there will be a special ballot referendum to the city. The vote will be divided by district, if all four districts vote down the budget, then it will not pass and the budget will have to be revised according to the city charter. This may not seem like much but it will gauge public support, as well as give the people direct voice in the budget.
My plan for the budget, just like my plan for Shelton is about giving the people a voice. I want everyone in Shelton to know how their money is being spent. We should be spending money appropriately, and provide support to important services like education, community services, fire safety, and law enforcement. With this plan Shelton can grow, and be proud of our budget.
