Priorities

My priorities for Park Township are:

You can continue on to read more about all of those below, or use the links above to jump to a section.

 

Transparency & community involvement

My number one priority will be increasing communication between the Board of Trustees and the constituents they serve, and between the township and the public as a whole.

People want to know what’s going on, and how they can participate and be heard. I believe it’s up to the township to make that as easy as possible for folks.

So let’s shine a light on what is happening, and improve public input. To that end, I will push for:

  • creating official Facebook and NextDoor pages for the township
  • regularly updating those Facebook and NextDoor pages with info on what will be on the agenda at upcoming meetings, and then with the results of the meetings, along with posting the manager’s reports and community happenings. Those will continue to be posted to the township’s website as well, and via the township’s email list.
  • opening up public comment during Board of Trustee meetings to zoom attendees
  • during Board of Trustee meetings, holding public comment periods both before and after board discussion, with any votes held until after the second public comment period
  • holding public outreach workshops on major issues, and allowing for questions and answers during those discussions
  • forming volunteer citizen committees to talk about major issues, with participants from all points of view being heard
  • continuing to ask for public review and public comment

I will hold regular “coffee with the supervisor”-type meetups where folks can drop by to talk about any concerns, or offer ideas. If you have questions or comments now, you can reach me at [email protected]

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Keeping existing beach access

The townships’s draft master plan has a phrase in it that I love: “Park Township is a welcoming community where recreation and nature come together.” Many, many people live here in Park Township because of how close it is to the beach.

Making sure that future generations continue to have easy, walkable access to the beaches is critical. This isn’t something that should be reserved for the rich, or require a car.

You should be able to take a quick walk to the beach after supper with your family, or wander over to enjoy the view. That’s an amazing part of living here, and I want it to continue for everyone.

So I intend to do everything I can to keep our current road ends and other public access spots open, and I do not believe we need to spend a lot of money to do that. Where possible, I also would like to improve access on the South Side.

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Tree preservation

Trees play a huge part in the beauty and character of our township. You can tell you’re in Park Township when you get to the trees!

Their canopies provide shade in the summer and spectacular colors in the fall, their buds let us know that spring is here, and their empty branches allow the sun through to warm us in the winter.

We are lucky to have many tree-lined streets and wooded areas. I want to do my part to preserve those for future generations, and to encourage the planting of more trees.

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Improving public safety

Public safety involves a number of areas, with the major ones being police, fire, water, health, and disasters. We need to make sure services for all of those and more are able to meet our needs.

For example, while Ottawa County Sheriff’s department provides police services to the township, the county will no longer be providing paramedic services. Going forward, those will be provided by our fire department. We will need to fill open positions there, and support our fire department to meet their needs.

I would like to see additional warning sirens added in case of severe weather, more promotion of water safety, and greater enforcement of speed limits. Let’s keep our township safe!

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Being fiscally responsible

I am a frugal person, and don’t believe in wasting anyone’s money. I’m not a huge fan of our high property taxes, and do not want to increase those. I believe in being fiscally responsible, and that I should take even more care with taxpayer money than I do my own. That’s my promise to you.

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