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ISSUES

Some of you have asked me "What's your platform? What do you want to do as mayor?" I want what everyone else wants for La Porte and that is for it to be the best city it can be and a great place to live. Although we are making great strides in economic development, we still have a long way to go. Positive things are starting to happen, but we need to follow through and keep pushing for new businesses to choose La Porte as their home and we need to keep the ones that are already here. I want to make it absolutely clear that I do not have some axe to grind or some hidden agenda to push. The bottom line is this, as Mayor of La Porte, I would work diligently with my peers on city council and the city staff to keep the ball rolling on existing and new projects that would benefit the citizens of La Porte in a fiscally responsible way.

PARKS: As mayor, I would like to find new and creative ways to maximize the use of our parks and get the most bang for our buck. This is where the citizens of La Porte can assist by providing ideas and events at these facilities that will benefit us all.

5 Points Plaza: I encourage the citizens of La Porte to solicit constructive ideas that will help put our new town plaza to use on a regular basis.  There have already been concerts held there as well as Friday night movies on an inflatable screen, but we need more ideas and functions to draw people to this facility.  Someone mentioned to me about the possibility of a “Farmer’s Market” one Saturday a month.  That sounds like a great idea.  We need your ideas to keep coming in so that the city can make this a place where people want to come and enjoy themselves at various activities and events.

Sylvan Beach and the Pavilion: Like many of you, I am so impressed at the restoration project that was completed last spring that brought back a “real beach” to La Porte.  The walkways, benches, lighting and the new pier are all first class and the park is attracting record crowds.  As far as the pavilion goes, well, that is a dilemma that will take some time to figure out.  As most people are aware, Sylvan Beach is NOT a La Porte owned park, it is owned by Harris County.  Therefore, we have to consult with Harris County anytime we want to do something to/at Sylvan Beach and that includes the Pavilion.  I don’t have a definitive answer right now about what needs to be done about the Pavilion, but I do know that whatever happens, it will be a decision that involves public input.

Pecan Park: This new park on Canada Rd. is the new home to the La Porte Boys Baseball Association (Little League).  It is a top-notch facility and will be used by our youth for many years to come.  There are still a few finishing touches being done to the facility involving exterior fencing and hike/bike access trails, but it truly is a welcome addition to our parks system in La Porte and our parks department is doing an outstanding job and with the opening of this new park.

ROADS: The highway improvements on 146 have taken years to come to fruition and there are more projects on the way.

FLOOD CONTROL: There have been some great strides in flood control improvements, but we still have more that needs to be done. The city will continue to work with the citizens to focus on individual areas of concern as well as long term flood control projects. As Mayor, I would always welcome your comments, photos, and suggestions about flooding problems that need to be addressed in La Porte.

INFORMATION: I believe that one of the greatest services the city can provide to our citizens is information. The city's web site was given a major upgrade in the last year or so and is an excellent source of information. I would like to see us implement more technology for the citizens of La Porte as it becomes available and is cost effective as well. One of my main goals as your mayor will be to make sure the citizens of La Porte are informed about what is going on and to listen to what it is that you have to say.

CITY EMPLOYEES: I'd like to ensure that our pay scale  for city employees is competitive with the surrounding cities so that we can retain qualified, loyal personnel in all departments. I would also be looking for ways to get things donated or discounted whenever possible and that includes volunteers, grant money, co-op agreements, etc.

Is everything perfect in this city? Of course not, but we are in much better shape than many other cities across the nation. Do we have room for improvement? Yes, of course. However, do we want to step backwards and watch the other cities around us flourish and grow? I think not! I'm not sure that many people in La Porte understand that the role of our mayor is not to actually run the city. We have a full time City Manager who does that and he does a great job. The role of the mayor is to be a voting member of the city council and to act as a liaison between the council and the city staff. The mayor's role is not to try and micro-manage the city on his own. That being said, I am confident I can be a team player and strong leader as well. I may not always agree with others on the council or staff members, but that's why we have 9 members on the city council and a qualified staff of city employees as well as numerous committees made up of local residents. As a former high school coach, I understand the importance of teamwork and getting the most out of each person's talents. It's not about me.... it's about we!