As someone who lives and owns a business in Winter Springs, I understand the importance of protecting our quality of life, running the city like a business, and exploring innovative solutions. Please review my record and my stance on the issues facing our city: Public Safety, Fiscal Accountability, Quality of Life, Expanding the Tax Base, and Other Challenges.

Public Safety:

• Consistently vote to support public safety, including funding recruitment, retention and training to strengthen our State and Nationally accredited Police Department.
• Foster long term partnership with our schools to ensure our children’s safety throughout the day, from pickup to return.
• Support enhancing citizen policing to augment our public safety efforts through the involvement of community volunteers, including programs such as the Citizens Advisory Council, Citizens on Patrol, Police Reserves, and Auxiliary.
  
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Fiscal Accountability:

• Was the only vote in favor of keeping our fire department under the control of the City of Winter Springs and against consolidation. Consolidation resulted in higher county fire taxes that, in some cases, were multiples of what Winter Springs’ citizens had been paying.
• Voted against implementing the fire fee each time it was presented. Was one of only two votes against adopting the fee that included questionable calculations and higher assessments for our lower-assessed properties and for business.
• Supported complete governmental transparency, voting for measures and changes to bring about accountability to our citizens and transparency in our budget.
• Support annual zero-based budgeting, which requires a complete justification by department for every dollar budgeted, a first for our city.
• Recommended and supported shifting to Sponsored City Events, paid for and funded by corporate and private funding and advertising dollars.   After hearing from many citizens regarding their enjoyment of our city events, the commission voted to fund 3 events and to provide life safety services to several other events that are held in the city.   In addition, the commission authorized the hiring of an events person to drive sponsorship and advertising dollars to pay for events in the city.  This position should be self funded and provide positive revenue to the city while providing the quality of life events our citizens have asked for..
  
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Expanding the Tax Base:

• Supported locating the UCF Technology Incubator in Winter Springs, which will result in placing numerous companies in the heart of our Seminole Way district. These companies will be the cornerstone of tax diversification effort that will ultimately relieve the tax burden on our residential property owners.
• Support establishing a committee to review and provide input on redeveloping the west-side business corridor.
• Support the continuous investigation of buyout options and partnership opportunities for the Winter Springs golf course while maintaining the conservation easement and protecting that property from development. 
  
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Protecting our Quality of Life:

• Support measures to protect our residential neighborhoods from commercial development and sprawl and confine business growth into designated business corridors.
• Support establishing measures to protect our tree canopy and sensitive lands and working closely with town center and SeminoleWAY developers to incorporate ecologically sensitive protection principles to developments, including, to the extent possible, preserves, green space, and wetland retention.
• Support investigating and enacting the steps necessary to ensure our continued water supply using best-practice approaches to conserving, procuring and protecting our water resources, while being a good neighbor to adjoining municipalities.
• Support maintaining our current park structure and taking advantages of no- or low-cost options to enhance and acquire additional green space as our city develops and our population nears build out. Support the creative use of common space in park and trail enhancements.
• Support developing a community center similar to the Lake Mary Events Center.
• Support developing an amphitheater and outdoor event venue for concerts, plays and the performing arts.
• Support developing a Center for Fine Arts in Winter Springs.
• Support negotiating with the county to develop a public library branch in the town center as the economy recovers.
  
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Other Challenges:

• Support integrating public transportation into our city to enhance commerce in our business district, bring tax relief to our neighborhoods, reduce traffic congestion and green house gases, provide a critical connection to our forthcoming rail system, and provide a transportation alternative for seniors and college students.
• Sustain our commitment to our senior citizens and will work to locate a senior care facility in Winter Springs so our residents do not have to move away from their homes as they age and need assistance.
  
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