Minutes 07/01/1996 - Laserfiche WebLink

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REMARKS OF ELIZABETH HASELL AT THE SWEARING-IB OF MARTINSVILLE CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, JULY l, 1996 MART1NSVILLE, VIRGINIA. This is a new Council. It can be a fresh start. I will work with my fellow Council members to bring some new ideas and energy and forward momentum to the governing of the City. I've had the pleasure of having a four-month conversation with the public during the campaign for Council, and this is what I've heard that people want from us. While working on Council I will do my best to move our City forward and fulfill the commitments I made to the voters of Martinsville. They gave me their confidence, their friendship and, a great many of them, their votes· In return I will devote a great deal of my time, energy and ideas to bring about a positive change in our economy, our education system, and our style of governing. With the support of my fellow Council members these are the priorities I hope we pursue: 1 .) Jobs and Economic Progress Launch in Economic Summit. Bring together in a conference or series of meetings the many organizations that are now working for jobs and economic growth of Martinsville and our region. Our purpose would be to understand one anothefs roles, increase our cooperation and sdi and pursue joint priorities to improve our local economy so that we are all working together efficiently. Involved would be City employees, PHDC, the Chamber of Commerce, MURA, Uptown Business Association, hopefully the County and state entities, private companies and organizations such as SILA. Such a conference was mentioned in the last Council's strategic plan and recommended in the Hammer, Silar, George report to the West Piedmont Planning District Commission. One thing I hope would come out of such a conference would be a City, County, State effort to acquire a major new industriul site. Complete and open the Clearview Business Park with companies that will build our tax base. I personally intend to be part of recruiting efforts to bring new companies and jobs to Martinsville and support local businesses and industry, including uptown projects and restoration and reuse of the Historic Henry County Courthouse. 2.) Education that Works Cooperate closely with our School Board to set mutual goals and do strategic planning. In a joint meeting soon we need to ensure that our new Superintendent conducts a complete evaluation of our school system to find dollars w/thin the newly approved budget to increase technology and strengthen the teaching of technology in the school, and to improve vocational education and technical training for those students who will go to work directly after high school. Increasingly we will need to find innovative ways to meet the growing needs of our youngest students. Where we can save money and improve services by sharing facilities and service with Heray County we should do so. This is tree of education and other services. I hope we will meet soon with the County Board to collaborate on our mutual, shared progress. 3.) Capital Proiects Make prudent investments in our City's infrastructure, some of which is obsolete and in dire need of maintenance and rehabilitation. We will need to set rigorous priorities, pursuing only our highest priority needs, not everything that would be nice to do. We must live within our means. Paying for these projects and positioning the City's financial future will be a major assignment for this Council. Our City employees have been nimble at attracting state and federal funds for City projects, and we should be doing all of that which we can. I believe I can help in this area. 4.) Volunteer Network Build a volunteer network to link retired persons and others who have spare 'time and considerable interest in helping in ttte...schools, with young children, recreation and cultural efforts and beautification projects, among others. 5.) Communications / Style of Governing As Council members we need to work to build a better image of our community, to find ways to emphasize our economic, cultural and personal assets outside our area. Council as a body needs to communicate better with our own people in the City and be more welcoming to public involvement. We need new ways to increase the public's understanding of and participation in the work of Council. Council meetings are aftended only by a very few of the most faithful. When no one attends or speaks to a town meeting we know we can do better. In pursuing these initiatives, I will work closely with and depend on Earl Reynolds and City employees, in whom I have great confidence. If this list of priorities sounds a great deal like my campaign statements, it's because I intend to do - or try to do - that which I have pledged. I urge everyone in the City, my constituents all, to please call me or write me at any time with your ideas and comments at 632-3865; P. O. Box 3903, Martinsville, VA 24115. I intend to represent each of you, all neighborhoods and unite our community behind a positive future for Martiusville.