On the issues for our future...

As the Chair of the Finance Committee, I know what it takes to develop fiscally responsible budgets, begin the process of saving versus borrowing, and will maintain & improve our Senior Property Tax Relief Program:

• Fiscally responsible budgets will help to keep Westbrook affordable for residents and business for many years to come while striving to deliver the services everyone expects & deserves. To this end, I will advocate that the State of Maine to follow the previous laws enacted by the voters by allocating appropriate revenues to us in the forms of Municipal Revenue Sharing & State Aid to Education.
• Saving versus borrowing for capital expenditures will help to reduce the the nearly $3 million of annual interest paid on debt. Moving smaller lease purchases and work to increase annual road maintenance funds to our annual budget process will help to cut down on borrowing & interest along with developing reserve funds for larger projects like schools & city facilities.
  
• Our Senior Property Tax Relief Program will help seniors struggling to make ends meet with increased costs and property taxes. I will work to see that the program be maintained & improved over the years to help seniors on an annual basis.

I believe Westbrook needs to continue to be a leader in our region for economic development, improve our efforts for business retention & expansion, and continue our efforts for downtown growth/development:

• With Westbrook's close proximity to Portland, the Maine Turnpike, and the Jetport, we are in position to continue to be attractive for business and residential development. I will work to keep us a leader for economic development in the region by continuing to use the tools we have to attract new growth and development that ultimately will help to share our current tax burden with more.
  
• At times, we tend to focus on all new and leave our current businesses behind. I will work to ensure we launch an effort to bring focus to our current businesses with the goal of retention and expansion.
• Our downtown is poised for great success. In order for the downtown to flourish more, we need more people there. I will work to attract residential and lodging developments that will help increase downtown business. I will also work to create a downtown hub for transit and tourism allowing a place for more to come and learn about Westbrook.

I believe in investing in our public safety with an improved presence of police patrol officers, increased traffic enforcement, and maintaining public safety staffing:

• As our city grows, the need for more police presence is important. We have the nearly the same amount of officers patrolling our streets as we did in the 1980s. I will work in a fiscally responsible way to develop a plan to increase this force to better protect our community and public safety staff.
• As a longtime elected official, one of the top complaints that is received from citizens is about speeding cars and traffic concerns. I will work to also increase our traffic enforcement division, which I helped to create in my early years of serving. 
  
• Our public safety departments have worked for years to obtain grant funding to help establish new positions. I will work to maintaining that staffing in an effort to keep our community safe.

I will work to explore solar power options for city facilities, LED street lighting, improvements for our trash & recycling, along with continued work surrounding improvements to the Presumpscot River:

• As the market and laws surrounding solar power continue to improve, it is imperative we explore these options for our community. I will work to develop a plan to make investments in solar power helping to make our community sustainable for decades to come. 
• Recently we have seen many area communities take ownership of their street lights from CMP and convert them to LED. This not only helps the city to save on utility costs but also improves safety. I will work to develop a plan to bring this lighting to our community and even work to also include downtown WiFi as also done in nearby communities. 
• As Sappi commences the process of removing the Saccarrappa Dam, it is important we continue our efforts to improve access to the river for recreation and economic opportunity. I will work with all involved parties to ensure the newly acquired land following dam removal will be used to the best of its ability. 

I believe as the CEO of the city, I will work to recruit & retain professional leaders for our city staff with succession planning and positive employee morale:

• I will work to create a workplace that employees feel supported and appreciated. This will help us to retain current staff and attract new professionals.
  
• I will work to create succession plans for important city positions that will allow us to grow and develop our employees to remain with the city for many years.