MY PRIORITIES FOR WESTLAND
TO IMPROVE YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE
INVESTING IN EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD ACROSS WESTLAND
I am committed to investing in Westland’s neighborhoods to improve our infrastructure and increase property values for residents across the community. From Annapolis Park and Norwayne in the Southeast end of the city to the Tonquish subdivision in the north end and every neighborhood in-between, we need to continue making investments in every neighborhood. We need to continue the work of repaving neighborhood roads, upgrading water and sewer systems, and ensuring pedestrian safety and walkability by fixing broken sidewalks and connecting sidewalk gaps.
We need to be financially responsible with your tax dollars to ensure we have the long-term funding necessary to invest in capital improvement projects in every neighborhood across Westland. By improving our infrastructure, we are creating safer, more connected, and more vibrant neighborhoods and increasing property values for all Westland residents.
IMPROVING OUR PARKS & REC PROGRAMS AND SERVICES
My wife Sharon currently serves on our Parks and Recreation Advisory Board here in Westland. I know that great amenities like beautiful, well kept parks with new things for people to do in them can go a long way in attracting new residents to our community and improving the quality of life for everyone who lives here. We must increase investments in our parks and continue to add new recreational programs and services for kids, families, and seniors to enjoy year round.
I want to partner with our Parks & Recreation team to do just that. We can continue to expand popular programs like pickleball, baseball, softball, and soccer across the city by building new pickleball courts and investing in our current facilities. We can work with our Parks & Recreation team to create recreational leagues for pickleball and softball and other programs to help keep our community healthy and happy.
I also believe that we need to work to together to see if we can bring back a City Recreation Center with a public swimming pool for residents to enjoy. Since Westland lost the Bailey Recreation Center back in the 2010s and our outdoor pool closed, Westland has been without a pool and a rec center. Bringing back a new recreation center and/or public pool has been a top priority with many of the residents that I have spoken with. I want to work with the City Administration and the residents of Westland to try to find an acceptable way to fund and maintain a new public pool/recreation center for City residents.
KEEPING OUR WESTLAND COMMUNITY PROTECTED AND SAFE
Equitable and well-funded fire, police, and public safety services are vital for any community. From keeping residents safe to decreasing crime and increasing property values, ensuring that we are adequately funding and staffing our public safety services is critically important. Our city has made a lot of progress over the past several years increasing staffing levels and investing in new equipment and technology for our Westland Fire and Police Departments.
We need to support our Westland Firefighters, Paramedics, and Police Officers with the pay, benefits and resources they need to keep our community safe and to keep them working in Westland. If we want to attract and retain the best people for the job we need to offer competitive pay and benefits with our neighboring communities to ensure we don't lose people to them. Additionally, our first responders deserve having the equipment, technology, and tools they need to do their jobs safely and ensure that they can always respond to a crisis in a timely manner; from investing in new vehicles like ambulances, fire trucks, and police cars to upgrading our communications and radio equipment.
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As an Attorney at law, I've represented marginalized voices and those in need inside the courtroom. I understand how important it is to have policing that treats everyone equitably, fairly, and with respect. I am committed to ensuring equitable and just policing for all in Westland by fostering accountability, transparency, and trust between law enforcement and the community. Whether it be by implementing reform initiatives such as enhanced de-escalation training, supporting community policing programs, and or having greater oversight to ensure fair and unbiased practices. By prioritizing these reforms, we can create a safer, more inclusive Westland where every resident is treated with dignity and respect.
SUPPORTING PROGRAMS TO IMPROVE OUR HEALTH
Supporting mental health and public health initiatives is crucial to improving the well-being of Westland residents. We must continue to invest in initiatives like our Social Work program that has partnered with the Westland Police Department. These investments will help us ensure that individuals and families have access to vital resources and support services when they need them most. From responding to a mental health crisis to helping someone who is battling substance abuse, our Social Work program helps many residents in our community. I want to continue investing in and expanding our programs to help those people who are struggling with their mental health or battling a substance use disorder.
Additionally, investing in new ideas like a first-of-its-kind community paramedicine program can help address urgent health needs, particularly for residents with chronic conditions or reoccurring
healthcare issues, improving access to health services while alleviating pressure on our first responders. Community Paramedicine programs have been successfully started by other communities across the country and have improved residents well being, while reducing the number of runs Paramedics have to go on. By prioritizing these programs and efforts, we can build a healthier, more resilient Westland for all.
HOLDING DTE ENERGY ACCOUNTABLE FOR POWER OUTAGES
Like so many families across Westland, my wife Sharon and I have experienced our fair share of power outages in our city thanks to DTE's unreliable service. We have had to invest in a home generator at great personal expense due to the unreliable power we have experienced. I believe that having reliable electricity is a basic human right and essential for so many things in our day to day lives. I believe that it is essential that our elected leaders hold DTE accountable for the constant power outages many of us experience in Westland. We need to ensure that all of our residents have reliable electrical service.
As your City Councilman, I want to partner with DTE to encourage more proactive infrastructure upgrades to the electrical grid to prevent outages and improve service reliability. Additionally, when power outages do occur, DTE must be held accountable for the impact on our residents. This means advocating for more significant bill credits to cover the costs of spoiled food, hotel stays, and other inconveniences caused by power outages. By working together, we can push DTE to continue taking the necessary steps to upgrade our infrastructure and provide fair compensation when outages occur. When they fail to do so, we must call them out and take them to task for extended outages, inadaquate bill credits, and a failure to make the necessary upgrades.
PROTECTING WESTLAND'S ENVIRONMENT AND GREEN SPACES
There is no Planet B, only our Planet Earth. We owe it to ourselves and future generations to ensure we are doing all we can to be good stewards of our local environment here in Westland. Westland already has a great Mission Green program to help protect our environment. From combating manmade climate change, cutting down on our use of plastics, continuing our curbside recycling program, and finding sustainable sources of energy to power our everyday needs there is more we can do to expand and improve our Mission Green initiative. I'm also committed to making Westland a greener city by planting more native trees and plants across the city.
SUPPORTING SMALL BUSINESSES AND OUR LOCAL ECONOMY
Our Westland community is reliant on a lot of big box stores, national retailers, and chain restaurants. We know that unfortunately the Westland Mall has been struggling over the past several years. We've seen many stores, from larger retailers like Macy's and Sears to smaller ones like Hallmark and Olgas, close inside the mall. That's why we need to continue to work to redevelop the mall property and bring new ownership and development to the mall area.
We've already started the work of revitalizing our Shop & Dine District and the area around the mall with the new Nankin Square Park, but there is more we can do. By working with outside companies and organizations we can find new business partnerships to help us redevelop the Westland Mall area and build the downtown that residents have been asking for. With new partnerships and investment opportunities we can attract exciting, new businesses to our Shop & Dine District and make it a destination area once again.
This also requires us to allow for more mixed-used zoning. I believe that the area around the mall needs to be zoned to allow for both commercial and residential development. This will allow for people to live, work, eat, and play all in our downtown area. I would like to see if we can attract businesses where there is a retail store on the bottom and nice apartments and lofts up top.
Small businesses are also the lifeblood of our local economy. As a small business owner myself, I understand the struggles that they can face. I want to ensure that we are providing support for our small business community in Westland. We can work on initiatives to assist in marketing to help our small businesses grow and provide assistance to improve the exterior look of their buildings. Also, I would like to see the City offer resources to help small businesses that have just started up or are struggling to get by.
MAKING WESTLAND A WELCOMING COMMUNITY FOR ALL
Making Westland an inclusive, welcoming community for all to call home is a priority that reflects my values of treating everyone I meet with dignity, equity, and respect. I want our city to continue to strive to create an environment where people of all backgrounds feel welcome and want to make Westland their home. No matter your race, ethnicity, religious affiliation, ability, sexual orientation, or gender identity, everyone is welcome in Westland.
I stand against the divisive and hateful attacks that we've seen against people of color, people who identify as LGBTQ+, those with disabilities, and people of different faiths. I want everyone to feel valued and supported in Westland . Diversity is a strength, and by embracing the richness of our varied cultures, identities, and experiences, we can build a stronger, more vibrant community. My commitment to inclusion means ensuring that everyone has a voice, that all people have access to opportunities, and that Westland is a place where everyone feels welcome to call home. Together, we can keep building a community that celebrates our differences and works toward a stronger, more unified future for all.