Growth:
Martin County can be better place for all of us and I want to create
solutions for our future, instead of remaining in the current quagmire.
We cannot stop growth, but we can do a much better job of limiting
growth with proper planning. Martin County has been reacting to
growth, instead we must create a vision and plan our future. I will
bring leadership and a fresh approach to solve the problems that
have come with poorly planned growth.
Traffic
& the Indian Street Bridge:
As a traffic engineer, I have the expertise and the training to
create solutions to our traffic nightmare. Martin County residents
deserve the best traffic solutions possible and you don't deserve
the political bickering. This bickering only breaks down solutions.
Commissioner Heard has voted against the Indian Street Bridge time
and time again. Our residents deserve better and I think it is unacceptable
that we are held hostage in traffic every day. The Indian Street
Bridge should have been built yesterday, so the more we stall and
argue, the worse the problem becomes for our residents. Elected
officials work for the people who live here -- and it's unfair that
the construction of Indian Street Bridge continues to be stalled
year after year. We know the bridge needs to be built and stalling
only increases the cost.
Indian River Lagoon and St. Lucie River:
Martin County can no longer resign itself to being the dumping ground
for polluted water. However, the grandstanding and political infighting
must stop before we can create better solutions. This problem was
created 75 years ago when the residents in Stuart and Martin County
lobbied to build the C-44 canal so they could have western waterway
access. Now we must come together as a community to fix the past,
and we must do it together. For the past four years Sarah Heard
has blamed everyone else for the problem, but she has not created
any solutions or resolutions to the problem. Our residents deserve
better!
I think we can work more effectively with the South Florida Water
Management District and with the Army Corp of Engineers to keep
Lake Okeechobee lower. We can also help ourselves by using less
lawn chemicals and making sure septic tanks are not seeping into
the river.
Preservation:
We need to work with land owners to see how much land we can preserve.
I believe we can preserve more than 60% of ALL the remaining green
space in Martin County, but I can only do it if you elect me. I
believe one day Martin County could be the number one stop in Florida
for eco-tourism.
We need to preserve the best of what's left and make sure it's saved
from development forever. However, let's not just put a barbed wire
fence around it and allow invasive plants to overrun these preserves,
let's manage them properly. Let's partner with the Audubon Society
of Martin County, the Treasure Coast Wildlife Center and the Nature
Conservancy and restore this beautiful land to its natural condition.
Economy - Jobs - Workforce Housing:
We cannot be a two-class society; the rich and those who serve the
rich. We have to invite biotechnology companies and others to open
up shop here. Good businesses bring higher paying jobs. In turn,
that allows people who work in Martin County to be able to afford
to live in Martin County.
We need to create an incentive plan so builders will create workforce
housing for our teachers, firefighters, police officers and others.
Like many in Martin County, I want to have a combination of new
jobs and workforce housing here that will allow my three sons to
come back to Martin County to work and live after they graduate
from college. We need better jobs and better housing for our young
people.
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