To be an effective City Commissioner, it takes more than good intentions and a good personality — it takes a plan. Below, I have identified five major areas in which I want to work with you to improve our neighborhoods and our city. But beyond just identifying the challenges we face, I also have proposed solutions. Many are common-sense answers to problems that, if implemented, can make amazing improvements in our way of life, while not busting the city budget. As your city commissioner, I promise to work hard every day to implement change and enhance our way of life.
QUALITY SCHOOLS
Strong schools are the cornerstone of a vibrant community. As Commissioner, I will work to convince more local businesses to parter with specific public schools to provide enhanced resources and mentoring. This exact formula has already worked in our community: the local homebuilders association adopted Mollie Rae Elementary School. Their employees committed to reading to and tutoring students at that school. The improvement was seen almost immediately, and in took only a few years for Mollie Rae to change from a troubled, “F” rated school into an “A” rated success story. Today, Mollie Rae stands as a shining example of what we can accomplish if, as a community, we are willing to take the time to make a difference.
SMART GROWTH MANAGEMENT
We all understand instinctively the importance of having schools that are not overcrowded and how important that is to the success of public education. Just as with education, smart growth management is the key to every other success or failure within our community. It affects not just education, but also transportation, public safety and our enjoyment of public recreation facilities. It’s unrealistic to think we can stop growth, but through careful growth managemant laws and enforcement of those laws, we can affect how we grow. New neighborhoods and new development must make sense for the needs of our citizens and the ability of our resources to maintain the quality of life we now enjoy. Together, we can make sure that new development does not burden our schools, roads and parks.
MORE INVOLVED RESIDENTS
Our greatest assets as a community are our neighborhoods. District 3 has a great mix of neighborhoods — each unique and different. College Park, Rosemont, Rose Isle, Park Lake Highland, Orwin Manor and Audubon Park are great traditional Orlando neighborhoods, filled with cozy streets, unique homes and rich with the history and traditions of Orlando. Baldwin Park is Orlando’s newest community and an amazing mix of houses, condos, apartments and commercial space.
But what makes our neighborhoods great are our neighbors. Last year’s hurricanes reminded us just how much we care about our neighbors and demonstrated our willingness to come together in a crisis. But, returning to our normal, busy lives, it is sometimes difficult to find the time to get to know our neighbors as well as we’d like. As commissioner, I’ll work to strengthen those neighborhood bonds by devoting the time and resources to strengthen neighborhood associations and make the City a true partner in these groups. The City needs to actively promote neighborhood activities and make it easy for us to come together as neighbors–not just when problems arise, but on a regular basis.
SAFER NEIGHBORHOODS
An essential element to a great neighborhood is that it is safe for families. Many of District 3’s neighborhoods are experiencing crime problems that are not being adequately addressed. Neighborhood watches are part of the solution, but we also need more support from the City and the police department. As Commissioner, I will see to it that more police resources are devoted to patrolling our neighborhoods to discourage crime. A stronger police presence will discourage criminals and make our neighborhoods safer.
MORE PUBLIC RECREATION FACILITIES
District 3 is fortunate to have new community centers in Rosemont, College Park and Baldwin Park. They are great facilities, but still limited in the number of residents they can serve. Realistically, the City cannot afford to keep building and staffing these centers. When Trotter’s Park was redeveloped, the City had an opportunity to partner with the YMCA to build a new Y on that property. Orange County and the Y entered into a similar partnership at Lake Nona, and that partnership has been a great benefit to the residents of that neighborhood. I think it was a failure of leadership that kept the City from achieving a similar result with Trotter’s Park.
As Commissioner, I won’t let that type of opportunity pass and I will actively work to partner with community groups to open up more facilities for resident use. Beyond groups like the YMCA, the public schools provide a great opportunity — recreation facilities are already in our neighborhoods and sit empty during the late afternoons, evenings and weekends. Our tax dollars pay for those facilities — there is no reason we should not be able to use them when students are not. The opportunities are there — our District just needs the leadership to take advantage of them.
