Our Priorities
Now is the time for our city to move forward to take bold steps to give our children, the youth and recreation center they need and deserve. Now is the time to step up to invest more money in our parks and public spaces. Our world is in the midst of a public health crisis. Our nation has been traumatized with racial in justices and inequity. Now, more than even we need to reunite our community and create equitable opportunities for all!
Bring Civility and Good Governance to Pontiac allowing the city, mayor, and council to work together collaboratively:
Update the charter to institute mandatory training for all City of Pontiac elected officials in the areas of: City Charters and Ordinances, Human Relations (HR), Contracts, Business Interpersonal Skills, Municipal Budgeting, and Pontiac’s overall history.
Regular off-site meetings for Mayor and Council to build communication and trust
Implement Quality Process: Are we doing what our charter, ordinances, master plans, and departmental policies and procedures say we should be doing?
*Training and common goals will add stability and sustainability to our government
Create Youth Recreational Opportunities
Let’s break the bottleneck in our city government that prevent us from successful planning and problem solving
Establish a community council to study options for an interim youth center
Develop a 4-year, 4-phase plan to build or re-develop property for a youth recreation center in Pontiac and get full community input in the process (plan, design, fund, build)
Communicate plan and progress to community on a regular basis
Invest in our Parks to make them clean, safe and fun places to play, connect, heal and reunite our communities!
Local Parks are a critical part of the fight for a more just and equitable society. All communities have a right to parks that are clean, and safe. Our parks should highlight our diverse communities, reflect its character, and meet its needs. I am proposing the following:
Independent Parks and Recreation Commission
Establish a new parks and recreation department under economic and community development (great parks brand a city and contribute to its economic as well as community development)
Hire a parks and recreation director with grant writing experience to pursue funding for parks
Empower District 4 Residents and give them a chance to be involved
Establish a District #4 Community Development Council with regular meetings, to encourage community input and develop community leadership
Establish a District #4 Business Development Council to improve the business performance of local businesses.
Create partnerships within the city to help fund public features and pursue other placemaking techniques to create unique business clusters within District #4!
*The new economy is all about “place” - making places special, makes businesses successful!