My Platform specifics:

Suffolk has grown and matured over the last several years to well over 80,000 people. More importantly, our future has become a story of two communities. The North City-Center is a vibrant technology driven corridor and the Old Suffolk City and rural areas to the south represent much of our heritage. As our community has grown, so has the tax-base with city budgets over hundreds of millions of dollars each year. In the past budgets were smoothed over behind closed doors, however the stakes are much too great to tolerate or accept such a standard now. Each area of the city has its potentials, needs, and personalities and they demand direct and effective leadership, management and fiscal accountability. To support such goals as our future unfolds: it is imperative that we demand open and inclusive government that is transparent, accessible, and founded upon conservative fiscal policies. Government must value the taxes, fees, and payments that we all make and that underpin our public governance. As such, I would propose the following issues that define the changes we need to address to meet these needs:

Spending and Taxes:
-Must be affordable and defined by real needs that can be proven and articulated by fact. -All spending within the City Budget should express clear needs defined by consensus.
- PROPERTY TAX RATE EQUALIZATION should be the method we budget under.
-"The Homestead Exemption" should be strongly supported and approved by council, to relieve over five years of unchecked growth in the taxes on our homes and farms.
Revenue is not the problem in Suffolk, it is uncontrolled spending by COUNCIL…

Transportation:
-The King’s Highway Bridge must be one of our highest priorities. The mistakes of the past that led to the loss of this community asset must be resolved and a new bridge constructed at the original site. To build at the present site approved by the existing City Council will insure we never get a bridge, due to excessive costs of this up-stream site.
-The Hampton Roads Transportation Authority (HRTA) must be abolished as a fatally flawed plan that is widely rebuked. The PORTS and big business must share the cost of new transportation construction, or this issue will not be properly resolved in our favor.

Economic Development:
-Our community must do more to develop a clear strategic plan to react to and encourage commercial development that builds the tax base and creates more good jobs in Suffolk.
-To support such efforts, we must conduct "Economic Corridor Studies" that maximize and guide growth to benefit all in the community, and protects our valuable transportation corridors (RT-58, RT-10, RT-17, RT-13/32, and RT-460) so many benefit from.

Schools:
-Even though City Council does not directly control the School Board, it should demand fiscal accountability and excellence of their end product, their students and our children.

Term Limits:
-All elected seats, boards, and commissions should be limited to two-terms. This will insure fresh ideas and new participants that will improve our community.

Recycling :
-Must be approved to increase the life of our landfill, which will save our City Millions of dollars.


As a community we are at a crossroads, where chaotic leadership has contributed to mismanagement of our future. As a candidate for Mayor, I am asking for your support to lead our City in a more pragmatic business manner, that is fact based and results oriented. I respectfully ask for your vote in November, to allow me the opportunity to change our future and meet the bright possibilities that defines our community and its great people.