Candidate letter: Mona Parks

Posted September 22, 2009 at 7:19 pm and filed under City, Opinion.

Editor’s note: During the next month, The Garner Citizen will feature a letter written by each Town Council candidate.

My family and I moved to Garner more than 30 years ago because of its big-city amenities and small-town charm: close proximity to Raleigh, quality education, multi-use parks and cultural opportunities are just a few of the reasons.

Mona Parks

Mona Parks

Now the citizens of Garner are at a turning point; it’s time to combine ideas — merge the old with the new to get a fresh perspective — to make Garner the best town in which to live, work and play!

If elected to serve on the Town Council, I will listen to your thoughts and ideas to advocate on your behalf. Together, we can make Garner a more viable town for visitors, businesses and, more importantly, you the resident.

My platform is simple: to enhance educational opportunities for our children, promote environmental sustainability in local planning and attract and develop a vibrant and economically viable downtown.

Education

I believe it’s important that we enhance the educational opportunities available to our children.  While the state government governs many of our school policies, there are so many avenues Garner is able to utilize to improve the quality of its schools.

For instance, we could solicit volunteers, such as retirees, who are willing to give back to the community in various capacities.  It is a great partnership; retirees are able to lend their time, talent and expertise and our students receive an aide or a mentor.

Smart growth and eco-sustainability

I believe that promoting smart and environmentally sustainable growth in local planning is vital and that they go hand-in-hand.  Our forecasted growth should carefully plan for environmentally safe communities as we invite new businesses to move into our town.

We should review and enhance the Garner Volunteer Fire Department’s capabilities in order to maintain a state of readiness in case a disaster occurs. We need bike lanes and more sidewalks throughout the town so citizens can enjoy the luxury of riding or walking safely; we could have promoted physical health, public safety and a more sustainable lifestyle if more people could have walked or rode their bikes to the July 3 celebration.

I will only support smart growth that leads to vibrant business development opportunities to make Garner an economically viable town. I support and welcome the revitalization and landscaping upgrades of downtown and along Hwy 70.

We are close enough to our past to know what our future needs. Vote for me on Nov. 3. To learn more about my platform or to contact me, please visit monaparks.com. I would love to hear from you!

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