Posted October 27, 2010 by admin in Issues
Poverty does not have to continue at the rates we have now. Here are three specific things I would do to alleviate poverty.
1. End the notion that we will always have high poverty in Athens. Some candidates and people in our government think we will never have a low poverty rate. We cannot make a difference until we actually believe poverty is not here to stay.
2. Focus on Education: (Specially within the community after school)
- Most businesses choose new locations based on an educated work force and the institutions in place to train the workers they need. Therefore, we must immediately put into action job training programs and plans to get workers ready for a new industry. The University of Georgia and Athens Tech are perfect resources. We have to create new training programs and enhance current ones.
- 27% of people choose the location they live based on the schools in that area. We lose millions of dollars in tax revenue as people move to nearby counties (with so call better schools) and come to work in Athens. This lost in revenue not only affects our local government, but it affects our local businesses as well. If we focus on improving our education system, we improve our economy at the same time.
- Preparing the next generation for good paying jobs. We often look at the immediate future and tell voters what they want to hear. Rarely do we invest in the future. Every single child we graduate from high school has a better chance of getting a job. They also have a better chance of going to college, which in turn allows them to get an even better job. If we invest in our children’s education now, we will not have to pay for their prison term in 10-15 years.
- Many of the other candidates claim the mayor should not get involved in educating our children. I strongly disagree. As mayor I will not have an opportunity to directly make policies that affect our schools, but I can enhance our community efforts to encourage and provide our youth with the tools and resources they need afterschool. Teachers cannot do everything to educate students, and some parents simply do not or cannot do enough to help. That is where our community centers, afterschool programs, and other youth engagement tools come into play.
- I have already proposed ideas, such as the promise neighborhood grant, that funds these types of initiatives. You can read about Athens winning the grant on my website. As a result of receiving the $500,000 planning grant, we stand to receive up to $100 million to fund after school and community programs. When I proposed the idea of going after the grant last year to local officials, not a single other candidate was involved. They all later offered their support for the program which grew into the Whatever it Takes initiative (learn more at WITAthens.org).
3. Jobs:
My plan to create jobs in Athens: Innovation Triangle. This plan will use all of the assets in our community to create jobs for every type of employee.
- Step one: Job Training and Research- Use our institutions for training purposes and attracting new businesses. For example, the Terry College of business has one of the best entrepreneur schools in the country. I have already spoken with the director about organizing training seminars for local businesses and new startups. New businesses could also partner with UGA for research opportunities and market studies.
- Step two: Focus on new high technology jobs and create a small business incubator in Athens. Major universities around the country with good business schools often partner with their local government to create free or low price office space for startup companies to establish their business and bounce ideas off each other. The concept is simply helping new businesses at their vulnerable startup stage. These new entrepreneurs have access to experts, (I.E. UGA Terry College of business) and each other. This type of environment has been proven to help new businesses succeed and expand. This also helps us keep those businesses in Athens. Technology firms and companies that require limited space are perfect for these types of environments.
- Step three: Service and manufacturing jobs. As we secure better paying jobs with new businesses opening and new industries coming to Athens, we will see our service jobs increase. These type jobs can offer living wages to low skilled workers, if the rest of the community has higher paying jobs and more money to spend. Manufacturing jobs will also follow our new industries and startup businesses. For example, TigerDirect.com is one of the largest online electronic retailers in the country. They just opened a distribution plant a few miles outside of Athens-Clarke County.
- The concept of the Innovation Triangle is that one sector sparks growth and development in the other. Each division builds on the next and creates jobs for the entire workforce.
Posted October 26, 2010 by admin in Uncategorized
My plan to create jobs in Athens: Innovation Triangle. This plan will use all of the assets in our community to create jobs for every type of employee.
- Step one: Job Training and Research- Use our institutions for training purposes and attracting new businesses. For example, the Terry College of business has one of the best entrepreneur schools in the country. I have already spoken with the director about organizing training seminars for local businesses and new startups. New businesses could also partner with UGA for research opportunities and market studies.
- Step two: Focus on new high technology jobs and create a small business incubator in Athens. Major universities around the country with good business schools often partner with their local government to create free or low price office space for startup companies to establish their business and bounce ideas off each other. The concept is simply helping new businesses at their vulnerable startup stage. These new entrepreneurs have access to experts, (I.E. UGA Terry College of business) and each other. This type of environment has been proven to help new businesses succeed and expand. This also helps us keep those businesses in Athens. Technology firms and companies that require limited space are perfect for these types of environments.
- Step three: Service and manufacturing jobs. As we secure better paying jobs with new businesses opening and new industries coming to Athens, we will see our service jobs increase. These type jobs can offer living wages to low skilled workers, if the rest of the community has higher paying jobs and more money to spend. Manufacturing jobs will also follow our new industries and startup businesses. For example, TigerDirect.com is one of the largest online electronic retailers in the country. They just opened a distribution plant a few miles outside of Athens-Clarke County.
The concept of the innovation triangle is that one sector sparks growth and development in the other. Each division builds on the next and creates jobs for the entire workforce.
Posted October 19, 2010 by admin in Uncategorized
Preserving our neighborhoods must continue to be a focal point for local government. We all want to create jobs and encourage economic development, but we cannot do it at the expense of our neighborhoods. I don’t believe the citizens of Athens want to stop our commercial growth, but they certainly are frustrated with a long string of projects which have come through and resulted in eyesores or causes for unnecessary congestion due to poor planning and design. We can do better and we need to reach out to the community to ensure we address problems in the planning stages.
Posted October 11, 2010 by admin in Contests
As election day approaches, we will step up our effort to Refuel Athens.
We want to Refuel our economy, our schools, and our fight against poverty and crime.
You can help us Refuel Athens by texting “Voter” to 46786 for FREE GAS. Please tell your friends and family. Only Athens-Clarke County residents (or students) can participate in the Free Gas event. On October 22, 2010 we will send a text to all the participants with the Free Gas event location.
Thanks for signing up. Let’s REFUEL ATHENS together!
Remember to Vote November 2nd.
(Standard text Rates apply)
Posted September 24, 2010 by admin in Uncategorized
I want to give recognition to the amazing people who helped secure the grant. Tim Johnson and Family Connection deserve most of the credit for all the work they did to pull this community together in support of this initiative. He started the Whatever It Takes group with many community leaders to apply the Promise Neighborhood model in Athens with or without the federal funding. When I first spoke with Tim about the grant last year he was the only person in the community that listened and took action. His dedication to this cause and all the other community members are the people who will make our new promise neighborhood work. I look forward to being part of the group.
Posted September 24, 2010 by admin in Updates
On September 21, 2010 the U.S. Department of Education announced Athens, GA as a recipient of the Promise Neighborhood grant. This grant was only awarded to 21 cities in the entire country. Athens now stands to receive up to $100 million in funding over the next ten years to support our youth by providing resources and tools for them afterschool. Glenn proposed the idea last year and encouraged local leaders to apply for the grant.
Glenn was excited by the news on Tuesday.
“This is an incredible opportunity for Athens to end our cycle of poverty and improve graduation rates. Our youth will not only have great teachers in school, but they will have the support they need in the community afterschool. This grant is an anti-poverty initiative and a stimulus for Athens. Jobs will be created and services for children and parents will be increased. I congratulate all the wonderful people who made this happen.”
