Chris
Jones: YOU
GET
WHAT YOU PAY FOR . . . .
Or do you? Good consumers make
sure they get what they pay for and that the services they receive are worth the
cost. This is especially true in hard times such as these. When I looked at
recent city budgets, I don’t believe you are getting fair value for the taxes
you currently pay. Almost every year your taxes go up, so it’s time to look at
the return you’re getting for your money.
Each year the Police Department submits a budget that they believe is
necessary to protect you. Public safety is the primary goal of any municipal
government and the budget should reflect the Department’s estimate of what is
needed to provide this protection. Yet over the past 5 budget years, the Police
Department has returned surpluses amounting to over $2,500,000. If the budget is
inflated and they don’t need the money, then you are being overtaxed. If the
Police really do need the money and they don’t spend it, then your safety is
put at risk.
Other departmental budgets invoke the same questions. Are the roads in
Shelton
so well maintained that the Public Works Department can run a 5-year surplus of
$2,800,000? The estimated surplus for 2008-2009 is $1,300,000. That’s money
out of your pocket that you could use for yourself and your family.
With all this excess money floating around, why is the city’s fastest
growing expense line item Long Term Bonding? Why are $700,000 of your tax
dollars going to a well connected developer and we have to bond for a $5,000
lawn mover? Why should you have to pay over $1,000,000 in legal penalties
because the Mayor and the Board of Aldermen mismanaged a land seizure? That
money would have been better spent to improve our roads or to maintain city
facilities properly.
As your Mayor, I will manage your tax dollars so they will be spent
prudently on essential services. Credit-card bonding for normal budget items
will end. City department budgets will be based on what is necessary to
adequately serve the taxpayers, and not merely inflated to build a surplus.
Under the Jones administration, city departments will develop schedules of long
range maintenance requirements and of vital capital projects. These will be
prioritized and implemented on a schedule that will save the taxpayers money.
Instead of reacting to problems, we will be proactive in handling the city’s
current and future needs. I will share these plans with you so you can see the
direction the city is taking. You’ll be given opportunities to express your
views on when and where your money will go. And I’ll listen. Under my
administration, you will get the city services you want and pay for. You can
take that to the bank.
Chris Jones: Planning for the
Future
As
Shelton
faces major economic problems from the nationwide financial crisis, prudent
fiscal planning is the best way to insure the city’s financial stability.
Under my administration
Shelton
will move from a reactive, wait until it breaks mentality to one that plans for
the future as the most effective way to maximize revenues and control expenses.
Shelton
is running out of land that can be used for commercial/industrial development.
This reality demands that all new development in those commercial/industrial
zones generate the maximum taxes per acre, bring in high paying jobs, and
complement the type of community that currently exists in
Shelton
. Strip malls do not meet these criteria. We must begin by looking at the
city’s current plan of development especially along the
Housatonic
River
extending from the
Commodore
Hull
Bridge
toward
Stratford
to see if the current plan meets those criteria. In order to best manage
development, my administration will bring together Planning and Zoning members,
potential developers, and private citizens to prepare a plan of development that
assures appropriate land use while protecting the city’s character and the
fragile environment. Are there areas in the city that are underutilized and do
not create high taxes and high paying jobs? If so, what can we do to revitalize
these areas? My administration will listen to the ideas of all our citizens to
help identify and address those areas. As for cost containment, planned
maintenance throughout the city must be a top priority. Poor maintenance
ultimately costs the taxpayers money. Maintenance conditions on all city
buildings, including our schools, will be analyzed and across the board
maintenance schedules will be established and implemented. As your mayor you
will never see a compressor at the Community Center pool remain out of service
for 10 years as happened under the current administration. Or the heat at the
Senior
Center
turned down so low that the pipes burst. Likewise, the city will actually
prepare a comprehensive capital improvement plan, which will include the school
system, and develop a schedule to make needed improvements that will minimize
the impact on the tax payers. We must stop bonding for items such as fire gloves
($38.00 a pair) and only use borrowing for major capital projects. If conditions
warrant, I will begin to set aside a portion of the city’s surplus as a
“rainy day” fund to handle short term problems without having to resort to
costly bonding. Recurring capital expenditures such as purchasing city vehicles
should be paid for as part of
Shelton
’s annual budget. And if a city department is turning back hundreds of
thousands of unspent dollars from their annual budget every year, it means they
don’t need the money, and I will adjust their future allocations accordingly.
As your mayor,
Shelton
will transition from a credit card mentality to one that is based on a fiscally
responsible pay as you go philosophy. I will work every day to keep taxes as low
as possible and that every tax dollar is spent wisely on essential city
services.
Chris Jones Plans to Make
Shelton
Green
For over 30 years, backed with strong bipartisan support,
Shelton
has become a leader in the preservation of open space throughout the state. It
is now time to expand our efforts to preserve the environment. Climate change,
energy costs, and other environmental problems force us to reevaluate the ways
we manage the city. That’s why in my administration I will work to make
Shelton
a leader – perhaps the leader in
Connecticut
-- in making our community
environmentally friendly. We need to rethink how we plan and develop our city.
As mayor I will
- Continue
to seek out and obtain open space. However I will position the city to
secure parcels identified in our Open Space Plan before they are bought by
developers. Currently too many properties slip through our hands only to be
purchased from developers later at vastly inflated prices. This practice has
happened too often under this Republican administration.
- Work
with state and federal agencies to eliminate all contaminated sites in
Shelton
and to make the rivers that flow along our boarders free from such
pollutants such as heavy metals and PCBs..
- Where
possible city purchases will focus on products that protect the environment.
For example, hybrid cars should and will replace outdated gas guzzling city
vehicles. In several areas the Board of Education is taking the lead in
“going green”: they are using environmentally friendly cleaning
materials and are looking into retro fitting the school buses to run on
natural gas. All city departments will be brought into the process. Each
will be asked to suggest ways of introducing “green” ideas into the way
they run their department.
- I
will ask Planning and Zoning to examine and where necessary revise their
codes and regulations to allow citizens and companies to install clean
energy technology. Building regulations should be written to encourage new
construction to include clean technology.
- My
administration will work closely with other local communities and regional
organizations to lobby state legislators to enact legislation to make the
state more environmentally progressive, to improve mass transit, and to add
incentives for residents and companies to invest in clean energy.
Organizations such as CARE (Community Action for a Renewed Environment) can
help us in our efforts to protect our environment for generations to come.
And I will use the resources of the city –
Shelton
’s web site, libraries, etc. -- as a clearing house to make our citizens
aware of ways to be more environmentally friendly, to identify what tax
incentives are available, and to identify sources of additional
environmental information.
- I
will appoint a bi-partisan committee of knowledgeable, concerned citizens to
explore and recommend ways to make our city more eco-friendly and
environmentally progressive. One of the overall goals of my administration
will be to increase citizen participation in all aspects of city government,
to tap into the talents of our people to make
Shelton
a more attractive place to live and work. And this is an important area
where innovative thinking can accomplish this goal.
Ultimately going green will save the taxpayers money. By
investing for the future we will control expenses and be able to maintain a low
mill rate while providing our citizens with improved services. We must all work
together to leave our community as environmental pristine as possible.
CHRIS JONES SEEKS MAYORAL NOMINATION
Today, Chris Jones announced that he is seeking the
Democratic nomination for Mayor of Shelton. Chris, a lifelong resident of
Shelton
, is a successful small business owner in town as well as a member of the
Shelton Planning and Zoning Commission. Jones stated, “I am running for mayor
because I want to restore city government to the people of our community. The
current Republican administration works in favor of special interests rather
than the common good of all our citizens. Jones went on to say that he is tired
of the constant battles between the Mayor and various city departments such as
the Police and Fire Departments. “These on-going unnecessary disputes reflect
poorly on the entire community.” As
Shelton
’s next mayor, Jones promised to open the lines of communication with all
boards and commissions and to make the actions of the city more transparent.
“This is especially needed,” Jones said, “When it comes to the Board of
Education. I will work continuously with Board members to build a system that
educates our children for the jobs of tomorrow at a cost all of us can
afford.”
Chris also stressed the need to focus on maintenance of the City’s
infrastructure. “For years city roads, buildings and recreational facilities
have been shamefully neglected. Just drive down
Mohegan Road
and see the road is falling apart, not pot holes but the actual road is peeling
away. We can do better and I promise under my administration we will provide top
shelf maintenance.”
Jones reiterated his commitment to opening up city
government to all
Shelton
citizens. “We have large numbers of smart, progressive people who can and
would bring their ideas on how to make
Shelton
a better place to live and work. But they have been shut out of the process for
years. As mayor I’ll invite all our citizens to suggest new innovative ways to
improve our community. Over the next months I and my fellow candidates will be
walking all sections of town to hear what the people have to say. Together we
can move
Shelton
forward and make our town
Connecticut
’s showcase as progressive, balanced forward looking community.”
SHELTON DEMS Invite Municipal Candidates
David
Gioiello, chairman of the Shelton DTC executive committee invites all interested
Democrats who are interested in running for municipal office next fall to
contact him. We have openings on our slate at this point and would like to offer
Shelton the best qualified candidates available in the up-coming election.
Shelton needs new energy and ideas in city leadership and the SDTC has a group
of dedicated volunteers to support our candidates in their run for office. For
more information or to express your interest contact David Gioiello at 926-0712
or Seniorih@aol.com.
City Boards and Commissions meet on the schedule below.
