When I moved to Smyrna in the early 70’s, Smyrna was a small, quaint town. Being a paperboy helped to make the adjustment to a new town a smooth one. Everyone seemed to get along well together and it made Smyrna a really great place to live. It’s time to bring that kind of harmony and good will back to town. That “small town feeling” is what has made living and working in Smyrna so great. Growth in and around Smyrna is inevitable. But if we work together we can reap the benefits that growth can bring, and still maintain the small town charm.
The growth in Smyrna must be structured so as to guarantee that it works to everyone’s benefit. I have the opportunity, on a daily basis, to talk to and work with people of all walks of life. I know many of our citizens have to face economic realities that they never thought they would have to deal with. Growth that favors and enriches only the developers is bad growth and we need to avoid it at all costs. Growth that brings businesses and needed services to town is good growth and should be encouraged and actively sought out.
Having a town government that is open and responsive to the people that we serve would be a good start. If elected as Mayor, I will set a date and time once a month when citizens can meet informally, face to face, with the Mayor and any interested members of Council, for in-depth discussions of issues that concern them.
We must cut out the costly “red tape” that makes it difficult to bring needed businesses to town. We must recognize that we are in competition with other municipalities in the area for good, clean businesses and needed services. We need to take care of our existing businesses to make sure that they can survive during these difficult economic times. Enforcement of our vacant buildings ordinance must be a priority so we can keep our town safe and appealing. Our downtown project will help to bring that area back to life and a source of pride for all of our citizens. We must remain committed to updating and maintaining our electric, water, and sewer infrastructure throughout the town to keep our long-term costs down and the high standard of service up. The town is in reality the services we provide our citizens, and these services must be offered as effectively and efficiently as possible so we can keep the costs of these services as low as possible.
For better or worse, Smyrna is caught in the middle of a growth curve that no one on Council can effectively stop. We must bring businesses to town to help us keep down the cost of town services to our citizens and to make Smyrna a convenient and pleasant place to live. We must commit ourselves as members of Town Council to lower taxes and electric rates. I don’t think anyone wants Smyrna to become primarily a bedroom community because then the costs for town services are solely borne by residents. I have worked hard for five years as Chairman of the Business Development Committee to bring businesses to our town and I believe I know what businesses are looking for and how to attract them to Smyrna.
The time is now for the Smyrna Town Council to act effectively to address the challenges of our times and to return to the small town harmony of the not so distant past. I am so proud of this town and the people who I have lived and worked with for many years. I hope that everyone will register to vote in the Town election. I ask respectfully for your vote. It is most certainly time for a change and I promise to do all that I can to see that change comes and all of Smyrna’s citizens benefit from that change.
Please note if there’s any Home Associations or Community Events that you would like me to attend. Please call me at 302-653-4381 to see if we can fit it into our busy schedule to come out to see you.
SMYRNA, Del. —
