1. The city of Georgetown is struggling financially to keep many much-needed public services running for our citizens. Some people would say that our city budget says a lot about what our values are as a community. What services and programs do you think are especially important for Georgetown and what are your plans about how to pay for them?
The two most important services that the city provides is the police force and the fire fighters, which should never be cut in the budget. Any service that encourages community involvement or bringing the community together should be included. Examples are the pavilion and the water park. My main plan is to bring more businesses into Georgetown, which will bring in more revenue into the city, which will help pay for needed services.
2. What are some of the things you most want to accomplish in office if elected?
Make Georgetown a destination of people in surrounding communities. Bringing in businesses that most people go to Lexington for which are not available here in Georgetown. My goal is to create a “Hamburg North” which will bring in more revenue for the community, while keeping the small town feel. Georgetown is one of the fastest growing cities in the commonwealth and bringing in revenue from all over the state and neighboring states would help in that growth. Building an arena or outdoor arena would help in accomplishing this goal., buy bringing in smaller musical acts or possibly rodeos and horse shows.
3. Many municipalities around Georgetown offer curbside recycling services to residents, which both prevent waste from ending up in costly landfills and can make money for cities when they operate at scale. The Georgetown City Council has considered expanding recycling to include curbside recycling, but a downside might be increased up-front costs. What are your thoughts on the possibility of offering curbside recycling services in Georgetown?
Recycling has become a very important part of our lives and should be implemented here in Georgetown. Recycling reduces the carbon foot print of Georgetown. Creating a task force to research the long term costs and benefits of curbside recycling is a high priority. It shouldn’t be a burden on the tax payer.
4. Georgetown isn’t a very friendly place for bicycles right now and there are few bike lanes or other spaces to make cycling safer. Do you have thoughts about bike lanes or projects like extending the Legacy Trail into Georgetown?
Creating bike lanes would give residents a safer way to exercise without the fear of being hit by vehicles. Bike lanes would encourage workers to commute to work on a bicycle, which would save the worker money due to rising gas prices. We could also add bike racks to local businesses and buildings for people to have a safe place to park the bikes while either at work or shopping. It would also be beneficial to Georgetown to work with the city of Lexington and the horse park to extend the Legacy Trail to Georgetown, which would showcase the beauty of Georgetown and all that is has to offer to people from Lexington.