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Westchester County, NY November 3, 2009 Election
Smart Voter

Quality of Life

By Karen Watts

Candidate for Council Member; City of Mount Vernon; 4 Year Term Ending 2013

This information is provided by the candidate
Issues surrounding the 'quality of life' are entirely too important to be placed on the back burner.
The people of Mount Vernon deserve no less than the very best from elected officials. I don't believe that we have gotten it. An initial step should be to review the needs of the city in the short term. Then, by placing the most talented, educationally and professionally prepared Mount Vernonites in leadership positions, address those needs.

Next we must address the long term goals. Many issues that should have been handled years ago, remain. For at least eight years, there has been a need to bond for capital projects. The disrepair of our city cannot continue. Our infrastructure is a mess. Aged firetrucks and fire houses, sanitation vehicles, massive street repairs, condemned and blighted buildings, the leaking roofs of our own community centers, broken elevators, air conditioners and windows that adversely affect our seniors and technology for municipal records all need attention. High tax levies are not the answer. Waiting for that great day when this miraculously takes care of itself has proven to be foolish and costly. Capital projects bonding is the only sensible way. Currently, interest rates are low, and our bond rating is good. There simply is no better time than now to address these issues. We have waited too long already.

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ny/wst Created from information supplied by the candidate: August 29, 2009 12:55
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