The League of Women Voters posed this question: “If elected, what will be your top three priorities?”

My Answer:

The #1 most important issue to me is strategic, long-term planning for the future. When I first took office, there was no long-term planning happening on Council. There was no vision for the future of Simpsonville, and no plan to achieve a better, brighter future. We have made significant changes in the last several years. We have a capital improvement plan. We’re working on the Downtown Master Plan. We traded in the previous Council’s “pay as you go” strategy for dealing with the sewer. We have planned for fiscally sustainable services (police, fire, public works, and recreation), not just for next year but for ten years down the road. Three long-term planning priorities are:

1. Completion and implementation of the Downtown Master Plan
2. Revisions to the City’s Comprehensive Plan
3. Focus on smart growth, which encourages a mix of building types and uses, diverse housing and transportation options, development within existing neighborhoods, and community engagement.