As early voting approaches I want to take a few moments to share with the citizens of East Ridge where I stand on some of the major issues that have been brought up about the new East Ridge Court Clerk position. First and foremost East Ridge is my home and has been for a long time. For nearly 23 years I had the privilege of serving our city as a police officer during which time I worked extensively within our court system. I was able to learn the process and see what works well and what does not. I have seen our court system at its best, but i have also seen it breakdown over the past several years. It is no mystery that the debts owed to our city are extensive and that, for me, is unacceptable. If elected this is the first and most important issue that will change. For me this is bigger than just critiquing and criticizing our elected officials or blaming our current employees, thats simply a way to ignore the larger issue that the system we have in place has failed. To fix this problem we must look at what we are doing, find the problems, and find more effective and more efficient ways to run our court system. This process includes furthering the education of our current employees, the modernization of our processing, and making sure we have the best people in the positions that we have available. Another issue that must be raised is the fact that some people simply cannot afford to repay these debts. To address this I want to help establish a community service program in which these people can pay off their debts by providing services that will benefit our city. Alongside fixing our old issues I want to make sure we are more available to our police officers and the public by extending our hours so the questions and issues that need to be addressed can be done in a timely, effective manner. I also want to make sure our court costs and appearance bonds are updated to be more in line with that of the rest of the state, assuring that our court system is earning the money for our city that it was designed to. Lastly, I want to address this good Ol boy stereotype that has been given to me. People are free to label me whatever they feel they need to, but I want to be very clear that I am in this race for the City of East Ridge. I see issues that need to be fixed and I am dedicated to making sure they get fixed. Thirty-eight years ago I joined the police force because I knew I could do good things for this city and make a difference, and six months ago I decided to run for this office because I felt the same way. I am determined to see our city thrive and this is a position in which I sincerely feel I can help make that happen.
Posted on: Thu, 17 Jul 2014 02:55:52 +0000
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