In order to build a sense of trust from the public-at-large, I am proposing that every 2 years the city of Owensboro hires an unbiased third party firm to audit our city budget and look for inefficiencies or redundancies while comparing our city finances to other cities with the same population. This will show that elected officials are willing to be transparent and held accountable for any misuse of public tax dollars. My goal as mayor of Owensboro is not to increase your tax dollars every time we run into a budget issue, but to take a deeper look at the data we have and see how we can spend tax dollars more efficiently.
Just like a board member of an organization must recuse themselves from voting on a motion that may directly benefit them or their business, I am asking that the city council members sign a revised code of ethics and be forced to recuse themselves when voting on matters that can generate revenue for a business they are involved with, or increase the value of their assets as a direct result of said vote. This is a simple act of good-faith that will help instill trust in our officials and eliminate any backdoor dealings.
It is no secret that the majority of our city’s entertainment is focused in the downtown area on 2nd and 1st street between the RiverPark Center and Saint Ann St. where the courthouse is positioned. I am proposing that we finally rip off the band-aid and rezone that stretch of 2nd street as purely a recreational zone for arts & entertainment. Parallel to this motion, I would like to see the Daviess County Judicial Center moved to a more central location that is easier to access by the majority of people living within Daviess County. Having a dedicated entertainment district would allow for easier cross-promotion by businesses, more foot traffic and tourism revenue, and would incentivize new development as well as the retrofitting of historic buildings downtown.
As Mayor I would like to take a look at the salaries of first responders to ensure that our wages are competitive enough to bring in the best people we can to keep our community safe. I would also like to ensure that our first responders have budgets within their respective departments that can be allotted to community events and public relations. With the current societal climate I believe that it is imperative that citizens build positive relationships with law enforcement and that starts with giving them the right tools. As Mayor, I will also establish a group of individuals from our community to make up a board that will provide valuable input on the current police tactics and policies that are in place.
Owensboro is growing and we have made some serious investments with public funds that need to see a return. “If you build it, they will come.” Is not that case when it comes to large scale civics projects. We need to actively be advertising our great attractions to a much broader audience so that our citizens can reap the benefits of that extra revenue. This will also incentivize private companies to invest in new entertainment ventures which will improve the well-being of our citizens. If we can become a tourist destination, we can see tremendous growth in the activities and attractions readily available for our own people all while collecting tax revenue that can be put back into social programs and other community focused projects.
As Mayor I will have the city commission work with the appointed members of the utility commission to stop the regressive tax being placed on residents under the blanket of our municipal utility provider.
Point blank - the roads need to be fixed. When elected I will personally see to it that our flooding issues across the city will be met head on with REAL solutions, as well as ensuring that our city roads are not littered with potholes.
