ISSUES

Monroe has had a serious problem with substandard rental housing for decades.  The root of this problem has been the fact that a handful of landlords have controlled the bulk of this market and have resisted the City’s efforts to bring these units up to adequate standards.  During my time as Mayor almost 20 years ago, the City began making substantial progress on this problem until The Great Recession hit in 2008.  The Recession and its aftermath set the City’s efforts back for several years.  However, once the national economy rebounded, the City renewed its efforts and progress is being made again.  The tremendous rebound in the housing market has now led to a situation where many people in Monroe, just like in other cities across the nation, perceive that they are being priced out of the market.  This is often termed as being “a lack of affordable housing”.  

While I acknowledge that there are no “easy answers” for this complex problem, I think there are a number of ways for our City to facilitate some solutions.  I have long been a proponent of faith-based housing initiatives such as Habitat For Humanity and Hope Monroe.  I was one of the folks who started the Walton Habitat chapter many years ago and was also one of the organizers for Hope Monroe.  The Walton Habitat chapter became defunct and now Gwinnett Habitat has stepped in to again start construction of units in Monroe and Hope Monroe is a partner in the effort.  

I believe the entities will be able to work with the City to utilize our recently enacted Infill Overlay District ordinance to build a substantial number of efficient, attractive, and affordable houses. The robust housing market here has also led some to worry about “gentrification” and long-term residents being priced out of the market due to rising taxes based on rising values.  I have a simple solution for this which is to enact a provision that freezes the tax valuations for “legacy homeowners” for as long as they continue to own and live in their houses so that they are never forced out due to tax increases.  Once these owners leave their residences for whatever reason, the cap would be removed and free-market values would again attach.I am also a proponent for exploring alternative housing models such as “tiny house” clusters and auxiliary dwelling units such as “backyard cottages” and “garage apartments” as long as all such units are properly zoned, constructed, and occupied by family units.  I think it is obvious that the American housing “standards” are changing and that municipalities must adapt to facilitate these changes by the citizens. 

As Monroe and Walton County continue to grow, we must develop new strategies to control traffic and prevent congestion.  It is obvious that the methods we used when the volume was far lower will no longer be effective.  The City is already working with several neighborhoods to implement “traffic calming” measures.  This process requires input from the residents regarding what measures they prefer and quite often it is hard to get a consensus.  However, once a neighborhood finds consensus, there are numerous options such as speed tables, traffic islands, speed humps, reduced speed limits, no truck zones, and so forth.

As most citizens know, the City has been lobbying the State for years for GDOT to fund and construct a truck bypass to get the tractor-trailers and other commercial vehicles out of the downtown area.  The project has finally begun and is projected for completion in 2024.  Once it is finished, the City will be able to convert the entire downtown area to a “pedestrian mall” whenever needed for special events.  I have proposed that we do so every weekend so that our citizens can patronize our downtown businesses without fear that they or their children will be hit by cars and trucks and will no longer have to suffer the noise and fumes that are created by the huge volume of traffic.

As Monroe and Walton County continue to grow, we must develop new strategies to control traffic and prevent congestion.  It is obvious that the methods we used when the volume was far lower will no longer be effective.  The City is already working with several neighborhoods to implement “traffic calming” measures.  This process requires input from the residents regarding what measures they prefer and quite often it is hard to get a consensus.  However, once a neighborhood finds consensus, there are numerous options such as speed tables, traffic islands, speed humps, reduced speed limits, no truck zones, and so forth.
As most citizens know, the City has been lobbying the State for years for GDOT to fund and construct a truck bypass to get the tractor-trailers and other commercial vehicles out of the downtown area.  The project has finally begun and is projected for completion in 2024.  Once it is finished, the City will be able to convert the entire downtown area to a “pedestrian mall” whenever needed for special events.  I have proposed that we do so every weekend so that our citizens can patronize our downtown businesses without fear that they or their children will be hit by cars and trucks and will no longer have to suffer the noise and fumes that are created by the huge volume of traffic.

All Monroe citizens want to live in a safe and secure environment without fear for their personal safety or the security of their property. Obviously, there is no way to guarantee such safety without a strong and effective police department. Monroe faces the same difficulties in this endeavor as every city across America. Our objective is to have the highest quality officers in sufficient numbers to protect us at all times. I think it is obvious that we cannot do this without substantially increasing salaries and benefits as well as increasing the number of street patrol officers. I pledge to the citizens that I will work to accomplish these goals over the next year. Monroe is currently losing officers because our pay scale is inadequate and that must be changed. 

My opponent in this election opposes any such expansion. As you know, he is currently suing our police chief personally as well as suing the City. It is obvious that if Owens is elected, one of his first efforts will be to fire Chief Watts to fulfill his personal animosity and “reimagine” the police department, i.e., get rid of as many officers as he can. I’m unsure as to what he plans as a replacement. I think citizens should call him and demand that he reveal his position on this issue.

Throughout my career in both private enterprise and public service, I have been a proponent for promoting business growth to provide good local jobs for our citizens as well as to keep sales tax dollars in our local economy. If we do not focus on these elements, the burden to pay for the services we require will always fall disproportionately on homeowners. During my time as Mayor, I helped bring what are still the two largest private employers in the County into the City of Monroe- Hitachi and the Walmart Distribution Center. If you re-elect me this year, my next economic goal is to change the way sales tax revenue is divided between the County and its cities. Currently, it is distributed based purely on population such that Monroe receives approximately 15% of the countywide sales tax even though our businesses generate approximately 40% of the revenue. I believe that must change and it should be distributed based on our business base instead of population. I believe this is fundamentally fair to Monroe’s citizens and will significantly reduce the tax burden on homeowners. However, the County will resist this change and tough negotiation will be required. It is my understanding that my opponent wants to leave things as they are. Owens hasn’t publicly stated his position so I suggest that citizens call him and ask about this.

The City has made a commitment to rebuild and improve all of our current parks and the citizens showed their support by approving the most recent SPLOST referendum. For the previous decade, the County operated the parks as part of the joint Service Delivery Strategy but failed in that mission. As a result, the City has taken back the job under the new SDS and we have already upgraded Pilot Park and the Mathews Park renovation is underway. We will next turn our efforts to the Town Green to make it a true town recreation center including a permanent stage, a splash pad for children, restrooms, landscaping, and parking. After that, the next projects will be to build out Hammond Park as an “all-inclusive” facility and then the new 123 acre River Park as our true “nature park”. One of my goals for River Park is to build a multipurpose trail from downtown out to the park. This would be mostly financed with federal grant funds and would provide a trail to be enjoyed by walkers, runners, and cyclists. It would be similar to those being developed in counties and cities all around us. Again, it is my understanding that my opponent opposes these projects, especially the development of the Town Green. Since he hasn’t stated his position publicly, I suggest that citizens call him and ask for a public statement.

Many City residents have asked that I address the cruelties being exhibited toward dogs in Monroe due to inadequate ordinances and enforcement regarding “tethering” and “backyard breeding”. I have consistently stated that the City should modify our ordinances to prevent these cruelties which are often connected to criminals who are involved in dogfighting. The major issue with this is the fact that, pursuant to the Service Delivery Strategy, the County is responsible for enforcing all of the animal control ordinances for the City as well as operating the animal shelter. In the past, we have been unable to reach an agreement with the County Commission on the extent of the ordinances; however, I think that a majority of the Commissioners are now ready to support these changes. I am ready to introduce the proposal within the City Council and to work with the County Commission to make both the ordinances and the enforcement uniform throughout our county. I do not know my opponent’s position on this so, again, I suggest that citizens contact him to ask.