Thank you for electing me to Joshua City Council Place 4.
I have been in the Joshua area for over 20 years and graduated from Joshua High School in 1990. I have been living in the city since 1997 in Mountain Valley where I office from home and run my I.T. services company, AcceliNet. My beautiful wife, Erika, is a stay-at-home mom raising our two wonderful boys Alex and Ayson.
Having been self-employed or in family business for most of my adult life I bring to the council a business-minded point of view in managing our resources. I believe in fiscal responsibility both in my personal finances and that of the city with funds entrusted to us by the Joshua taxpayers.
I will work to attract the most valuable of businesses to our new Joshua Station retail center to not only serve the residents of Joshua, but bring in those from outside our city to shop here. I will do my best to work with our existing businesses to help them grow and expand. The success of our local merchants and service providers will be success for us all. I'll support an active economic development plan to assist not only new businesses wishing to locate in Joshua, but also offer assistance to existing businesses wanting to expand or improve the appeal of their sites.
In the not so distant future I would like to see the city embark on a revitalization and development project in our "Heritage Overlay" district on Main St. This could be a wonderful compliment to Joshua Station and yet another source of pride in the history of our city for the people of Joshua.
I am excited to see what the future will hold now that alcohol sales have been approved by the voters. We've already seen a jump in commercial interest and I'm sure it's just teh beginning.
Possibly the most important thing I bring to the council is accessibility and communication. This website and even more so, my blog, will be a source for fellow citizens to see what I as a council member have before me and a place for you to contact and connect with me where you will know you are heard. I have come to realize that the best way to make a difference and inspire people to action and involvement is at the local level.
I ran for city council to make a difference in our community. I believe in representative government. I believe in two-way communication between elected officials and constituents. I believe in being true to the tax-payers who entrust the government with their hard earned money to do what's needed and right for the people, not themselves. I believe in being responsible for your actions and creating your own success. I believe in treating others as you would like to be treated and I believe in looking forward and making the future into something better than today.
It is the relationship between elected officials and constituents that led me to run for this position. If you write to your elected officials as I do and get tired of form letters in return then join me in making a difference in Joshua and beyond. I'm here to not only work with you on issue specific to Joshua, but to pass on your sentiments to our state and federal representatives as well. You and I together will be part of the solution!
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CITY DRAINAGE ISSUES
In 2008 the voters approved a bond package that will correct three areas of repeated drainage problems in the city; Joshua Meadows, the Confield Street area and Mountain Valley. We'll begin those projects this year.
PAID FIRE DEPARTMENT
In 2009 the City of Joshua hired its first full-time paid fire chief, Wayne Baker. Since that time the department has done exceptionally well and is a great source of pride for the city. In the coming years we'll look more at developing a plan to add additional paid staff to best cover daytime hours when our dedicated volunteers are less available due to work schedules.
RESTAURANT ALCOHOL SALES
What an accomplishment for our city! For the first time since prohibition it is now legal to sell alcohol within the city limits. Having just passed in November 2011 we've already seen numerous retailers in town take advantage of this opportunity and much more interest in businesses choosing to build here. The future is bright.
GARAGE SALES
I support residents being able to put out more garage sale signs. I would accomplish this by requiring a deposit for signs. People would be more likely to pick up their signs and return them if they were going to get their money back and if they did not, then that revenue would help fund our code enforcement officer picking them up. This is a change I hope to bring before the council again in 2012.
CITY PARK
I’m very excited about Joshua getting its first city park. This has become a focal point for not only our residents, but hundreds of visitors from outside the city. The Star Group newpapers recently awarded our park as second best in Johnson County.
