Name one recent city decision or action that you disagree with. Be specific and explain your answer.
One of my campaign themes is to focus on the future and not the past. Questions like this keep our community from focusing on the task at hand, which is to minimize the effects of the COVID-19 crisis and develop a plan to come out stronger on the other side.
Our city’s lack of a post-COVID recovery plan risks putting our community behind surrounding communities even further.
Preparing our city finances, and our local businesses, for a possible second spike in cases is paramount. With winter months approaching, we need to ensure that our small businesses have the resources they need to stay in business.
The city should also be prudent and not commit to any significant financial obligations until we know how much more occupational tax revenue will drop because of this crisis. Particularly worrisome is a permanent loss of state government commuters if it becomes apparent that they can be just as productive at home in a neighboring county. The next mayor will need to work with city staff and determine how we will continue to meet payroll and essential services without significantly depleting our rainy-day fund. My financial experience will be essential during this critical period.
Further, the next mayor and commission need to have a plan ready for high impact projects, such as workforce training, and business promotion like the #ShopLocal2021 initiative to ensure Frankfort comes out of this crisis stronger and more competitive than surrounding communities. This can be an opportunity if we have the vision to seize it.
In a typical year, perhaps another decision would have topped my list. But this is 2020, a year that is testing our country’s mettle when big decisions and strong leadership are needed to keep our communities together. From this perspective, some of our local political decisions seem minor. As mayor, I will focus on COVID recovery and building our economy for a successful future.