Jim's Positions
Set the rules
There is a difference between controlling the growth and direction of our town and controlling the decision-making process. It’s time for our town to set the rules of the game. No more one-off decisions made in a closed-door session by one party. Let’s get a variety of opinions from all town residents and make a master plan.
Proactive government
Our town government is here to do more than balance the budget. It is here to provide ideas, to solve our problems, and to be proactive in improving our lives. We need to be ahead of the curve on development initiatives and get back what we deserve from the state and county in grants and assistance. This means actively pursuing such initiatives and working closely with our other elected officials and hiring a dedicated professional to achieve this goal.
Sometimes little things can improve our lives a lot. We need community involvement to set up neighborhood goals for each term that could be anything from more flowers to a local store to a new sidewalk, but without knowing where to go we will never get there.
Global warming is real and we need to do our part to reduce our contributions to this, the greatest threat to our existence. But it isn’t all about saving the world. Green policies also improve the quality of life of our residents.
Let’s televise and record our town board meetings and improve participatory budgeting.
Our parks need to serve two purposes: sports and recreation. We are blessed with some of the most beautiful nature in the world and we need to continue to build our park system to improve the lives of our residents.
Aurora needs a plan to ensure that we continue to develop based on our Aurora principles. This involves promoting small businesses in our community that reflect our progressive values and thrive in a 21stcentury economy.