Vision
As I see it...
Comprehensive Plan
Cicero has been expanding at an exponential rate. While it's great to see so many businesses and families make the decision to settle in Cicero, we are lacking a plan to accommodate this rapid growth. With more housing developments, apartment complexes, and businesses being built, our town continues to show its struggle to properly handle the increase in population. We need to build a collaborative & comprehensive plan that will prioritize initiatives and projects that will better serve our increasing population.
Fiscal Responsibility
Taxes are always at the forefront of people's minds when you talk about government. It's no secret that New York State is the most heavily taxed state in the United States. To that end, I can agree with all of you that more local taxes are not the answer. While everyone recognizes that taxation is necessary to pay for the services that the town provides, we must find and implement new ways to spend tax dollars wisely to improve our current infrastructure that will benefit all residents. With increasing state taxes, county taxes & school taxes, it's important to bring in new ideas and think outside of the box to better utilize the town's tax revenue to prioritize what our residents want and need.
Traffic
Anyone who lives in Cicero knows that we have a traffic problem. Just drive between Bear Road and Route 31, or between Route 11 and Thompson Road. It's time that we get together with local and state officials to explore how we might be able to properly reconfigure our traffic patterns to accommodate the increase in traffic.
Student Involvement
As a community, we should take pride in our schools. It's true that it takes a village to raise a child. We need to create more programs that welcome students from our schools to help better our town. In doing so, not only is the town bettering itself, but our students are gaining invaluable experience that will help better them. We need to expand our current successful efforts such as the CanTeen to allow for more opportunities for students. I believe that by working in tandem with our Youth Bureau, Parks & Recreation Department, and our school district's administration, we can unlock the full potential between the two.
Communication & Transparency
I think it is absolutely crucial for local government to be as open and transparent with all members of the community. It is time for the Town of Cicero to fully utilize the resources we have available to make information more readily accessible to all. To properly do this, the town needs a dedicated information officer that will properly utilize social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & Nextdoor. A new revamped, modern, and mobile-friendly website, and a robust messaging system that people can subscribe to for mobile alerts and notifications. The town can also take steps necessary to continue to live stream and archive the various Board Meetings so those who cannot make them in person can still virtually attend and watch. By implementing steps like these, we can help make sure people have easy access to what's happening in Cicero and don't feel misinformed or misled.
