A Few More Reasons to Re-Elect Jim Gardner

Last time we looked at my accomplishments in the areas of finance and safety. I started with these two because they are the main obligations of government. Here is a summary -

• Saved $1,000,000 paying of the Alton Pkwy bond
• Saved $1,000,000 (or more) by avoiding costly district lawsuit
• Saved $500,000 by limiting focus of General Plan
• Earned nearly $1,000,000 by selling off empty lot near railroad tracks
• Earned $500,000 extra in interest income.
• Kept 400-bed homeless shelter out of Lake Forest
• Created advanced child safety classes
• Helped create First Responders Grab n' Go
• Helped create "transitory housing" ordinance to protect neighborhoods
• Pushed for Intersection Collision report
• Supported "Active Shooter" protocols
• Helped set up 3 Neighborhood Watch programs.

Today I want to focus on Business in the City and our Communications Strategies

HELPING US COMMUNICATE BETTER

• FB Live. At the start of the year, I asked our Communications Department to set up a way in which we could broadcast our meetings and allow residents to participate. Together we developed Facebook Live as a channel of communications, and expanded it to go beyond the Council meetings. We were the first city in the U.S. to do this. It could not have been done without the tireless work of Brett Channing, Jonathan Voltzke, and Skylar Hunter, but the idea and the impetus came from me.
• Mayor's Minute. Working with our Communications Department, and despite the opposition of Scott Voigts, we developed a weekly video series called “The Mayor’s Minute” that broadcasts information about what’s happening in the City and previews upcoming events. The program is among our most popular social media developments. The idea came from me, and I help write the scripts, arrange for the guests, and choose the locations. Credit for the excellent work itself goes to Brett, Jonathan, and Sklyer. See the photo.
• Pop Up City Hall. Working with the Communications Department, I pushed for the idea of a Pop Up City Hall that brings the city to the people. To date we had two very successful events, one at Lake 1 and one at Portola Hills, where dozens of people stopped by to ask questions and offer comments. No other City does this. See the photo.
• Reports. In my desire to make government more transparent, I advocated for and got approval to compel written quarterly reports from the City Manager and from Council members and representatives who sit on various Boards. I also asked for and got weekly reports from our Attorney keeping us updated on legal issues.
• State of the City. Since April 2018 I produce a quarterly "State of the City" report to communicate fully with residents, businesses, and people seeking to move to Lake Forest. No other Mayor does this.

No City does more to communicate with their residents, and our social media engagement is 3 to 4 times as great as neighboring cities. All of these innovations were introduced this year under my leadership. We've done more in 9 months than was done in 9 years.

FOSTERING A BETTER BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT

• Ribbon Cuttings. Working with the Chamber of Commerce, we doubled our ribbon cuttings this year and the Chamber has grown accordingly. At my suggestion the Chamber now adds material to our City Council hand-outs promoting Chamber events and local businesses. The Chamber and the City have never worked so well together. Thanks to Mary Visconte and Jeremy Olsen who worked closely with me in achieving these goals. See the photo from the Dunkin Donuts ribbon cutting.
• Entrepreneurs Academy. Working with Economic Development, we created a South OC Entrepreneurs Academy in which multiple cities collaborate to produce a 12 month program for small business owners. The Academy was part of my push to develop programs to prevent homelessness, and also my concern that Lake Forest was carrying the weight for educating the region. Carlo Tomaino has been instrumental in getting this accomplished, and Dwight Robinson helped with some good ideas.
• I created the “Mayor’s Business Council” that includes a few dozen business owners and organizations who meet quarterly trying to improve the business environment in the City. The Chamber of Commerce has been very helpful. See the photo.
• Shop and Dine Month. At my suggestion, the one week “Shop and Dine” was expanded to a month long celebration. The Chamber is a big supporter of this event and worked with Economic Development to make the transition seamless. See the photo.
• Best of OC. At my instigation, the Council celebrates our local businesses that are recognized by the OC Register as the "Best of OC". Our annual award presentation is coming up in November.
• Working with Economic Development, we helped attract the furniture superstore AtHome to fill 80,000 square feet in Town Centre Shopping Mall. This is part of a new aggressive stance to attract businesses to the City. Two weeks ago I spoke at the Asian Business Council of Orange County and dozens of businesses signed on to explore the possibilities.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Jim Gardner is on the City Council for Lake Forest where he serves as Mayor. You can check him out on LinkedIn and/or Facebook and you can share your thoughts about the City at Lake Forest Town Square on Facebook His comments are not meant to reflect official City Policy.

Dr. Gardner has office hours every Tuesday from 4 pm to 6 pm at the City Hall. In addition, he holds a town hall meeting every quarter. The next meeting will be Oct 18 at 7 pm at the Lake 1 Clubhouse (Ridge Route).