Digging Deeper: On The Issues...

While my attitude towards government may have convinced you that I am, in fact, a reasonable guy, you probably want to know what I concretely have in mind for our fair city. Here are a few thoughts, some more specific, some less. I'll add more as folks ask for them.

Energy
I'll point to just one part of this puzzle, something Council can directly affect: street lights. We can significantly reduce energy use and related costs, improve aesthetics, and not sacrifice safety. It'll take a careful look at our city's needs and wants (How much lighting is necessary? What are the actual costs - time, capital investment, power, etc - in running certain lights?), then adoption of new standards, and continued oversight of a practical, phased plan. If we don't tackle our own infrastructure, what can we say to a new business coming to town?

Technology
For not much cost, both Council and city administration can become more modernized and streamlined. Here are some things I've seen lacking within the city:

• We're years behind on easy computer upgrades. Staff computers struggle to handle common applications, and the upgrades are in the low-hundreds of dollars range at most. Multiple versions of software on different computers makes maintaining the system that much harder. Failing to upgrade also means employees don't even hear about new productivity options .
• The city's website is hard to read, and I hope we didn't pay too much for it since the technology running its most useful features is available for free.
• It's great that we post electronic copies of agendas and meeting minutes so more people can have easy access. However, these documents are by-and-large not searchable, limiting their utility, especially to someone not already familiar with their content. A little training or a change in protocols fixes this, with minimal staff time involved.

Business development
Physically, we need infill – when we sprawl out, we lose the feel of the town, and it gets harder and harder to connect each of us to work, shopping, recreation, and each other. More broadly of course, development is about the jobs. With the College right here, we should be attracting more technical and innovative companies, workplaces that bring good paying jobs to our community, and that will grow as opposed to flatline. In other words, leverage what we have as a town - great arts and culture, quiet neighborhoods and peaceful green space, and over two-thousand young adults who are looking for real-world experience to supplement their studies.