Wayne Needs More Businesses, Council Candidate Says

To the editor:

At 35 years old, I’m the youngest candidate in this election, and the first question that I’m usually asked is simple: why am I running. To be honest, I never thought that I’d run for an elected office. I’m not even a politician. I’m just a regular person that’s frustrated with how much we pay in taxes and confused as to where all the money goes when there are so many empty stores and so few restaurants and entertainment.

To me, I’m a fiscally-conservative moderate who makes well-informed decisions based on what’s in the best interests of Wayne.

Don’t get me wrong, we love living in Wayne. We moved here three years ago from the City because we wanted to raise our kids in safe neighborhood with a great education system. We love our neighbors and the friends that we’ve made in Wayne. But every year, we pay thousands and thousands in taxes, and I just don’t understand where it all goes.

Like many residents, we have to travel outside of Wayne for our kids’ activities and birthday parties in addition to searching other towns for restaurants on date night. I just don’t understand why we have to spend time traveling to other towns when we should have all of these restaurants and entertainment services right here in Wayne. Where’s the return on our investment of the thousands of dollars that we’ve invested over the years?

Unfortunately, I haven’t seen any signs of that changing when I drive around town, from the empty storefronts to proposed housing developments. Who are the officials charged with bringing these changes to Wayne? How many of you know who your councilman is or what they do? I only know my councilman because of a leaked video before the primary election in June.

It’s time for us to demand more of our officials to lead and to take action. If elected, I promise to always make time for you to listen and answer any questions or concerns with the utmost respect.

So why am I running for office? Simply put, I promise to reinvest your tax money in Wayne by actively recruiting restaurants and entertainment for both adults and kids so that you can spend time with your family and friends right at home in Wayne. Bringing in restaurants and entertainment will boost our economy, which should bring us all some real tax relief.

Together, we can make Wayne even better with new ideas and a fresh perspective to fill those empty storefronts we see far too often.

James Durgana,
Democratic Council Candidate