Why Ken Bradley should be the Mayor of Winter Park.

BRADLEY MAYORAL ACTION PLANS

City of Winter Park, Florida

Dear Friends,

As a fellow resident who has treasured our hometown for more than 40 years, I believe Winter Park is at a crossroads – and not just because the national economy has weakened. Of all communities in the region, ours has been the most revered, envied and even copied. But as you know in managing your home, it does not stay pristine with inaction. And, with great study in the past several years about what shape our City is in, I can tell you that inaction is putting us at great risk, and we must get things moving in the right direction before it is too late to turn around.

I submit to you my commitment to becoming your Mayor with a tangible action plan I believe will help protect and enhance our way of life in Winter Park:

FINANCES: City revenues are too dependent upon our residential property taxes and Mayor Strong has done nothing but disable our ability to grow the commercial tax base.

• Broaden the tax base through commercial investments within Fairbanks, Denning, 17-92 and Lee Road corridors leading to at least a 65% residential / 35% commercial mix of property tax revenue by 2012.

• Immediately and permanently trim up to $3 million in non-essential, City government expenses including litigation fees and duplicate services.

• Establish General Fund Reserve targets at 10% by 2010 and increasing every year by 1% thereafter.
• Eliminate “double-taxation” or user-fees for Winter Park residents. Create a sliding scale of use for Winter Park residents / businesses versus those outside the City.

• Pursue bond refinancing at the appropriate time to lower interest costs within the City.

COMMISSION: We must change the way City governance operates to assure the voice of all citizens are heard, decision making is streamlined, time is not wasted and progress is made on key City strategic initiatives.

• Commission meetings will begin at 3:30 PM and end at 7:00 PM with a set agenda including a priority on the current financial standing of the City.

• Commissioners will come prepared to make decisions on all matters before them; staff will be directed to bring Commissioners up-to-date on issues, contracts, obligations prior to meetings.

• Citizen input will be solicited not just at Commission meetings but throughout the week before through e-mail, on-line surveys and comments. These comments will weigh equally in Commission decision making to those who are physically present.

• Commissioners and City officials will conduct town hall forums monthly throughout the City on various dates and times to become more accessible to Winter Park Citizens.

COMMUTER RAIL: As Mayor I will fully support the “will of the voters” by implementing a SunRail stop in Winter Park at the current Amtrak station and:

• Work with our County, State and Federal delegations / leaders to fully fund SunRail and assure its approval.

• Create additional forms of transportation to connect with Sun Rail west to 17-92, Fairbanks, Denning and Winter Park Village and east to key economic centers.

ETHICS REFORM: The current Ethics Advisory Board of the City has been meeting for nearly a year without any recommendations for approval. As Mayor, I will ask immediately for recommendations on the following:

• Limit seated elected officials to providing only up to $500.00 once from themselves, immediate family or any entity they are part of to any candidate for office on their same board.

• Create the Conflicts of Interest policies so before any vote impacting Citizens, Commissioners will have to declare their own personal conflicts and recuse themselves from voting if any conflicts appear.

INVESTMENT: We must broaden the tax base through commercial development create new, much needed investment in the Fairbanks, Denning, Lee Road, 17-92 corridors. To achieve this we must:

• Complete the “form-based codes” process to define streetscapes and neighborhood design to let property owners know what they can do.

• Develop minority investment programs in Winter Park including assisting in building minority-owned, Winter Park based businesses.

• Seek a permanent extension of the CRA “life” and utilize CRA funds for the purposes legally created for their use.

PARKS and RECREATION: We must keep the Park in Winter Park and keep our parks funded and citizen accessible. I will:

• Fully support Fleet Peeples Park as an “off-leash”, premier dog park for Central Florida.

• Define and fund several parks as premier destinations within Central Florida including Central Park, Mead Garden, Fleet Peeples Park and Showalter Field.

PARK AVENUE: As I have done in the past as President of the chamber, we need to convene the Merchants, Landlords and City to approve a strategic plan for Park Avenue that will:

• Create incentives for Landlords to keep shops fully occupied within the Central Business District.

• Create 40 new, ground level, convenient parking spots immediately.

• Encourage tourism for Park Avenue.

• Fully support side walk dining throughout the downtown district

• Create consistent hours for establishments within the Central Business District.

• Maintain the Post Office in its downtown location and let lapse the “Carlisle” option.

PERFORMANCE: City operations must become more performance based so Commission decisions and staff actions can accomplish our strategic plans. We must:

• Establish measurable performance standards for all key City services and City goals including the time from permitting to permit, time from project submittal to approval.

• Establish and manage the City on key measurable performance standards such as, average age, Park Avenue occupancy rate % and taxable values.

UTILITIES: We must manage these resources carefully and:

• Implement programs to reduce water and electrical consumption by 5% by 2012.

• Seek at least one new, renewable energy source by 2020 to provide up to 10% of the City’s electrical needs.

• Prepare for new sources of water called for by 2013.

• Keep electric utility rates affordable for residents.

WINTER PARK 2020: We must plan for the future, not just react when forced to. Together we must create a vision for Winter Park through the year 2020 to:

• Create the healthiest City in the central Florida. Establish Winter Park as a “blue zone” where life expectancy to 100 is achievable.

• Assure Winter Park schools are consistently “A” rated.

• Support the continuum of life centers already established within Winter Park e.g. Mayflower, Winter Park Towers, Plymouth.

• Assure the critical institutions of Winter Park – worship places, museums, Rollins College and healthcare institutions are amongst the top facilities in the nation for excellence.

Please see my entire Action Plan on my campaign website

www.BradleyforMayor.com

or contact me with your ideas or concerns.

Respectfully,

Ken Bradley
PO Box 531
Winter Park, FL 32790
(407) 645-1110