Running For Council

I will be an Aldermanic candidate in the November municipal election.

The next three years will be challenging, and we desperately need members on city Council who will take their direction from the citizens and help bring resolution to a growing number of issues:

Our Waterfront.
As our city grows, so does the need for recreational space and facilities, including more parks and beaches for the families who will be living here.

The Lawson Landing proposal does not address any of those needs, and balconies will never replace real playgrounds.

The Simpson Covenant was accepted by the citizens by referendum. The intent of that Covenant is as clear as it is simple, and if any member or members of the present Council needs an interpretation, it could be an indication that the real problem is not the covenant. A new City Council may be a more rational solution than a costly interpretation.

Planning.
City Hall's obsession with growth, and the continued erosion of the OCP has undermined any opportunity for orderly development and possibly opened the doors for developers to sue our city for millions, as some may insist enough precedents have been set, that building restrictions in our city no longer exist.

The OCP is the long term master plan to land use, and the orderly development of our city. When the time comes to review this document, the first step in the process should be town hall meetings to solicit input from the citizens.

As a final step in the approval process, the OCP should go to referendum. After all, the OCP belongs to the citizens, not the developers or city hall.

Transportation.
It doesn't matter how we look at it, as our city grows, so does traffic, and we have to build infrastructure that will allow North-South traffic to cross Harvey Avenue without stopping the East-West flow.

Relocating a traffic light half a block will not improve the flow of traffic significantly. We need over- and/or underpasses in one form or another, and soon, or we will have complete gridlock.

It would be tempting to suggest that we hire a competent professional consultant to help prepare a comprehensive, responsible mid- and long term plan for transportation infrastructure that will move traffic.

We need change at City Hall. We need a new team, a team with vision and leadership, to help prepare a responsible plan for the future.

The new Council will have to have a lot more respect for the democratic process and contractual agreements as well as the rights of citizens, including property rights, and the right to know what is going on in our city.

I am looking forward to working with citizens and groups to bring resolution to the many issues the new Council will be facing.

Andy Thomsen