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A COMMUNITY'S VISION |
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A HEALTHY COMMUNITY
Yes. It Is
That Simple
My vision for
Columbia is simple -
I want to
create a vibrant,
healthy community
for all the citizens
of our capital city.
If we are to
restore the health
of our community we
must challenge those
who tell us that
government is the
problem.
People who do not
believe in the
ability of
government to bring
about progressive
change for all
people have no
business running it.
That is why I am
proposing the
following common
sense,
community-centered
ideas to restore a
community first
ethic to City Hall.
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A SAFE COMMUNITY
- Columbia spends
approximately 50
percent of its
annual budget on law
enforcement yet
there is always a
need for more
officers. The
reason for this
phenomena is that
additional officers
are only part of the
solution to this
issue. We must
recognize that crime
is a generational
trend. The
community must adopt
both short and
long term crime
prevention
initiatives.
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Short
Term
The
never-ending
tactic of
throwing
more
officers at
the crime
problem will
only get the
community so
far.
The city
must also
adopt
non-traditional,
common sense
policing
strategies.
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Columbia
must
take
better
care
of
its
guardians.
The
city
must
institute
newer,
more
comprehensive
exit
interviews
and
performance
evaluations
-
from
the
officer's
perspective
- in
an
effort
to
identify
areas
of
weakness
and
strength
within
the
department.
The
only
way
our
community
can
create
the
kind
of
working
environment
law
enforcement
officers
will
want
to
embrace
is
to
give
them
the
ability
to
help
define
that
environment.
The
city
must
end
business
as
usual
and
begin
to
demand
continuous
improvement
in
all
aspects
of
the
department's
operation.
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Columbia
must
blend
traditional
policing
strategies
with
alternative
strategies.
We
all
witness
officers
patrolling
our
neighborhoods
in
squad
cars
but
how
many
of
us
really
know
the
people
that
are
protecting
our
community?
Columbia
must
increase
the
interaction
level
of
our
officers
within
the
community
with
the
following:
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Increased face-to-face interaction along with more consistent bike and horse patrols - particularly in high crime regions of the city. More intimate interaction with the public will facilitate greater awareness of local issues and neighborhood trends. Additionally, a higher level of citizen involvement with law enforcement will begin to restore communication and dissolve the isolation between citizens and law enforcement that occurs in many areas of our community. |
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An increased focus on police interaction with children and youth. Young people need to develop non-confrontational relationships with officers and learn that the police are an integral, non-threatening part of the community. Officers that regularly interact with all elements of the community will be more informed, capable and welcomed enforcers of our community's values. |
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Institute monthly Beat meetings in local settings such as neighborhood parks and schools. These meetings will serve as a regular forum where citizens can voice their concerns to police and the department can learn from the people who best know their community. Without an avenue for communication, the police and the community will continue to become more isolated from one another.
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In Chicago, the institution of the Beat program correlated to a 49 percent drop in violent crime and a 36 percent drop in property crime over a ten year period. Full Report Here. |
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Long Term
Through my
hands-on
work with
abused and
neglected
children I
have learned
that people
who are
abused as
children
are:
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6
times
more
likely
to
abuse
their
own
children
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85%
more
likely
to
go
to
prison
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75%
more
likely
to
drop
out
of
school
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45%
more
likely
to
develop
alcohol
and
substance
abuse
problems
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The lesson
of these
statistics
is that the
environment
our children
are raised
in is a
strong
predictor of
the
environment
they will
live in and
create for
others as
adults.
Columbia
must do more
to create
healthy
environments
for our
children.
This
includes a
renewed,
long-term
focus on:
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Creating
cleaner
neighborhoods.
The
physical
environment
a
child
grows
up
in
correlates
to
the
kind
of
environment
that
child
will
live
in
as
an
adult.
People
who
live
in,
and
are
invested
in,
clean
communities
are
much
more
likely
to
be
productive
members
of
society.
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Creating
more
safe
havens
for
our
kids
-
such
as
vibrant
community
centers.
Our
community
centers
should
be
clean,
safe
and
fun
areas
where
our
children
can
thrive
and
literally
experience
the
value
of a
healthy
community.
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Facilitating
more
hands-on
involvement
with
law
enforcement
so
that
our
children
learn
to
view
themselves
as
participants
in
the
community
instead
of
adversaries
to
it.
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Greater
involvement
and
support
of
groups
and
agencies
that
provide
the
less
advantaged
members
of
our
community
the
tools
to
succeed
in
society.
Today's
small
investment
in
the
lives
of
children,
and
those
with
children,
will
pay
dividends
for
decades
to
come.
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If we begin
to properly
care for the
long-term
well being
of our
children,
they will
become
productive
members of
our
community as
adults.
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AN ACCOUNTABLE COMMUNITY
- Columbia must
rededicate itself to
fiscal
and bureaucratic
accountability.
As elected
representatives of
the people, City
Council must act as
responsible stewards
of the people's
resources.
Columbia's leaders
must ask themselves,
"If this were my
money, would I spend
it in this manner?
Would I throw my
personal resources
at problem A, B,
or C without
demanding
accountability from
the beneficiaries of
my money?
What is the rate of
return on my
investment in this
project?" Our
community possesses
great promise, but
many of our greatest
opportunities go
unrealized due to
wasted and
mismanaged
resources.
We have a moral
obligation to work
for the betterment
of all of our
community's citizens
- rich and poor,
black and white,
businesses and
individuals.
We also have a moral
obligation to do so
in a responsible manner.
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A CLEAN COMMUNITY -
Every
Columbian deserves
to live in a
community that is
not detrimental to
their health.
I hold a Master of
Environmental
Management from the
University of South
Carolina and will
bring a strong
environmental ethic
to City Council with
the following
initiatives:
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Facilitate
the creation
of energy
efficient
housing.
In addition
to the
obvious
environmental
benefits of
efficient
housing, low
income
families are
particularly
vulnerable
to the cost
of energy
and can
spend nearly
1/5th of
their
monthly
income on
utilities.
This
constant
struggle to
make ends
meet often
contributes
to the cycle
of crime and
poverty in
our less
affluent
communities
- much of
which spills
over into
our more
affluent
areas.
The good
news is that
off the
shelf
technologies
and
techniques
allow for
the
affordable
creation of
energy
efficient
housing
today.
The time is
fast
approaching
when local
governments
will be
forced to
mandate
energy
efficiency
out of
necessity.
Columbia is
poised to be
ahead of the
curve by
working to
create green
housing
today.
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Develop and
adopt green
building
standards
for all new
government
and
commercial
construction
in the city.
Government
and industry
are
voracious
consumers of
energy.
My
experience
with
environmental
management
systems
has taught
me that
green
systems not
only reduce
waste and
improve
quality of
life, they
also save
money.
Less waste
equals less
investment
in energy
and other
resources.
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Develop and
implement
department
wide
Environmental
Management
Systems
(EMS) for
high impact
departments
within the
city.
Effective
EMS have the
ability to
reduce the
city's
environmental
impact and
save the
taxpayers
money by
reducing
waste.
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Adopt and
begin a plan
to implement
the
2005 United
Nations
Environmental
Accords
to make our
community a
more
vibrant,
clean and
balanced
city.
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Ensure EVERY
indoor
public place
in Columbia
is smoke
free. Second
hand smoke
causes
nearly
50,000
deaths
annually in
the United
States.
As a
society, we
must take
stock of our
values and
decide which
is more
important -
a Bar /
Restaurant
owner who
has an
unfounded
fear of
losing
patrons or
the health
of our
children and
our
families.
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A PROSPEROUS
COMMUNITY
- The more
prosperous Columbia
becomes, the more
healthy the entire
community will be.
By working with the
entire
community, Columbia
will be more a more
balanced and
productive city.
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Adopt the
goals set
forth in the
Greater
Columbia
Chamber of
Commerce's
5-year plan:
"Navigating
from Good to
Great."
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Develop
and
initiate
a
greater
level
of
inter-governmental
cooperation.
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Build
trust
and
create
opportunities
for
all
citizens.
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Continue
to
improve
Columbia's
quality
of
life.
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Support,
maintain
and
grow
vibrant
neighborhoods.
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Redefine
and
give
expanded
definition
to
community
development
in
the
Riverbanks
Region.
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Coordinate
existing
and
future
business
growth
requirements
with
particular
attention
to
workforce
development.
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Maintain
the
region's
reputation
as
one
of
the
most
pro-military
communities
in
the
country.
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The city
must work to
create a
business-conducive
environment
across the
community.
There are
many areas
of Columbia
where a
renewed
focus on
safety and
attractiveness
will create
an
environment
that will
beckon the
entrepreneurial
classes of
today and
tomorrow.
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Columbia
must
continue to
build on the
successes it
has already
realized
with the
Vista, Five
Points, and
the Devine
Street
Corridor.
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Ensure that
Hospitality
dollars are
used as they
were
intended -
to increase
tourism
revenue in
the
community -
not as a
slush fund
for pet
projects.
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A FAIR COMMUNITY
- Columbia needs to
restore balance to
its government and
its community.
If we want a society
that is comprised of
healthy communities,
then we must accept
that glaring
inequalities within
our city are counter
to this goal.
If we value the
whole of Columbia,
then we must equally
value everyone who
works, lives, plays,
and breathes within
our community.
When we neglect one
portion of our
community, we are
damaging not only
that portion of the
city - we are
damaging ourselves. |
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