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.  Also, I was a  major advocate for the City to enact what is known as a "character" or "form based" housing code in the interior of the city.  This revision will allow construction of smaller homes and other creative housing solutions as long as these new units blend in with existing structures.  This will provide young couples, single persons and senior citizens who want to downsize with affordable options that did not exist under the previous code.  These new units will be attractive, efficient and affordable.

 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. This is what our code revisions will accomplish.

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 support providing our officers with competitive salaries and benefits as well as increasing the number of street patrol officers. I have advocated this position during my years in office and the statistics show that the crime rate in Monroe has dropped dramatically over that time span. I currently chair the Public Safety Committee and pledge to the citizens that I will continue to work hard to protect us from criminals.

My opponent in this election not only opposes any and all efforts to strengthen the police department, he actually wants to fire numerous officers for personal reasons. I suggest that citizens contact him and ask for an explanation.