Issues

Jobs

Economic Development and job creation is on every voter’s mind. Whether you are a working single parent, business owner, or student in Athens, job creation is vital to your success and the success of our community. Two important things that we must do in Athens-Clarke County to stimulate economic development are promoting internal growth and leading by example. We should look to create new jobs right here at home. We have a diverse group of business owners and developers here in Athens, and one of the first things investors and developers are going to look at is the prosperity and success of local businesses. They will also look at the resources we provide as a community for job providers. If we can show potential developers that Athens is the place to grow their business, based on the resources we provide and the success of our current businesses, we can recruit quality jobs for our citizens.

The importance of this issue is second to none. We cannot improve our education system with a diminishing tax base. We will not have the adequate resources to combat rising crime rates without more jobs. Poverty reduction programs will continue to be cut as we fight to balance our budget. Fees for services to citizens will increase, and environmental preservation efforts will slow to a crawl. Voters want this to be our number one issue, and my campaign will lead the field in job creation ideas and economic development.

We are developing a full economic development and job creation plan based on the following principles:

1. We must start our job creation efforts at home.
2. We must provide resources for our current businesses to grow and expand.
3. We must encourage and help entrepreneurs start their businesses and keep them here in Athens.
4. We must increase our skilled labor force to improve our chances of recruiting good paying quality jobs.
5. We cannot wait for businesses to express interest in our community. Instead, we must search for jobs with the same fervor as a recent college graduate with a mountain of student loan debt.
6. Local image and perception is important.
7. We must utilize every resource within our community to grow and improve Athens Clarke- County for everyone.

Education

Education is an important issue that affects every person living in Athens-Clarke County. According to the department of education, 27% of parents choose the location they live based on the schools in that area. Our economic growth depends largely on our educational achievement.

The local school system cannot effectively educate our children without the support of the entire community. Our local government must do all it can to increase academic achievement. We can do our part by providing additional resources and tools for students to use outside of school. When I ask voters what issues are important to them, most say jobs and education. Nearly every day someone tells me that this community needs more for kids to do after school. My administration is committed to ensuring that every child in Athens-Clarke County is provided a safe, fun, and educational place to go after school. I will also make sure ACC youth have the transportation access to get to afterschool activities.

Job training and ongoing adult education is also very important. We must ensure Athens-Clarke County continues to build a skilled labor force to increase our economic development. My administration will support adult education programs that benefit our community.

We must not take for granted the importance of education in our community. Voters expect more to be done, and my administration will act accordingly.

We will focus on the following areas:

1. Increased transportation access for youth after-school activities
2. Additional after-school tutoring programs
3. Career exploration initiative – I.E. city sponsored shadow and internship programs
4. Increase in local music and arts program funding
5. Use of the Harlem Children Zone model to enhance parental and community involvement and age group targeted initiatives. ( More information on the model at www.hcz.org)
6. Encourage local churches to get involved
7. Take measures to increase local eligibility for federal and state grants
8. Introduce local incentive program to recognize and reward local students for their educational achievement
9. Promote the importance of education throughout the community and local government
10. Adult training and educational enhancement programs
11. Introduction of Innovation and Education Park plan

Transportation

Transportation is an issue that affects our community in many ways. Cities with effective transportation systems attract more jobs and protect their environment. Cities throughout the country have had great success managing traffic by implementing innovative strategies including flexible work weeks, which allow employees to come into work at different, more road friendly times throughout the week. Many cities also utilize a strategy called “park and ride” which allows people to park at a certain location and then be picked up by a bus to be taken to their destination. Other cities even encourage employees to work from home when possible.

According to the American Public Transportation Association, “for every dollar invested in public transportation, four dollars is generated in economic returns.” There are several budget-friendly approaches to improving our current public transportation system. As we increase convenience, we increase ridership. This will strengthen our bus system revenues, allowing us to expand service and better serve Athens.

We must also utilize new technologies to help residents and visitors navigate Athens Transit.  Every bus in our city already has a GPS system installed. We should revamp the online application that shows riders exactly where these buses are, making it simpler to use and therefore more effective for the riders. This will increase convenience for our citizens, as well as tourists who visit our city and are unaware of bus routes. Another issue we must tackle is the traffic congestion in our city.

One simple way to improve traffic congestion is better synchronizing red lights throughout the city. As we drive in Athens, we sometimes see lights that do not work efficiently. For example, a citizen recently complained of several traffic lights that activate when there is no car in the lane and remain activated even without traffic. Emphasis on solving problems like this will help traffic flow more easily.

In understanding the importance of public transportation to our local economy, we propose to:

1. Increase convenience of public transportation
2. Incentivize use of public transportation
3. Explore innovative strategies like “park and ride” and flexible work weeks
4. Improve the visual aids that help riders determine location of buses
5. Improve light synchronization to increase flow of traffic and reduce congestion

We will focus more on the following issues each week.

• Budget
• Poverty
• Crime
• Environment