What I Would Do If Elected to Office...

Greetings, Fellow Voters.  Primary Day is quickly approaching, so please mark your calendars and remember to vote on May 21st!

I am running for Springfield Township Commissioner - 4th Ward and have had the pleasure of meeting quite a few of my neighbors to share why I am running for office.

If elected to office, there are a few projects I would happily volunteer my time, energy and resources to pursue:

1) Establishing a Youth Council. Based on the photos on the Springfield Township's website, it appears most - if not all - of the current Commissioners are over the age of 45. Hopefully, I haven't offended anyone!  

If we want our Township to continue to be an attractive place for people to live, work and visit, we need to make sure we are providing the services and amenities residents and taxpayers want and including younger voters in the planning process. By enabling students and young adults to have an active voice in governmental affairs, our Township will benefit from new ideas and be willing to explore new possibilities.

2) Minimize future tax increases by applying for state and federal grants. Since neither the job description for Commissioner nor the Township budget are posted online, I cannot say with 100% certainty that the Township has someone on staff dedicated to researching and applying for grant opportunities.

As a fundraiser, I am ready, willing and able to apply for grants that help to reduce an organization's operating or building costs. Tax increases can be partially avoided by offsetting the Township's budget with private and corporate grants.

3) Utilize social media effectively. The Township has finally updated its website in an effort to become more user-friendly; however if you need access to a particular file or service you are limited to 9-5 office hours, which is extremely inconvenient for someone who works during the week.

I will be happy to start an e-newsletter to communicate Township projects and events (...which would also save on postage and printing), use Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to share information easily and affordably.  While we're at it, I would also post a copy of the Commissioner job descriptions, Township budget and voting record, so the public can track the Township's performance and their tax dollars. 

I look forward to seeing everyone at the polls on May 21st!