Issues

Vicksburg is a city of history, resilience, and potential. Today, too many of our families live under the shadow of crime and uncertainty. Our neighborhoods need to be safe. Our children deserve to grow up without fear. Our law enforcement officers deserve the resources and leadership required to do their jobs effectively.

We will take immediate action to address the rise of illegal gang activity and fully fund and expand our police force while investing in cutting-edge technology to fight crime. We will ensure full transparency and accountability within the Vicksburg Police Department and strengthen relationships between law enforcement and the community they serve.

Fiscal transparency informs taxpayers on how revenues are spent and is an important component of effective public financial management. Transparency provides an opportunity for citizens to access the budget. There is accountability on both those who are expending and receiving taxpayer dollars. There should be more focus on projects that make sense and benefit the taxpayers.

Infrastructure should always be a top priority of any municipality. Quality roads and public transit are important in connecting communities, attracting business. These are investments cities make that increase economic activity. The role of city government is to provide the highest quality services at the least cost to the taxpayer. Maintaining our water system enhances the overall quality of life for residents by creating a healthier and more livable environment.

Code enforcement is important for maintaining community safety and maintaining property values by ensuring compliance with city regulations. Proper enforcement helps prevent properties from falling into disrepair. This negatively affects neighboring property values and the overall appearance of a neighborhood. 

Beautification is essential because a visually appealing city can instill a sense of pride in residents and motivate them to take ownership of their surroundings. Beautification projects such as planting trees, flowerbeds, and integrating public art often turn areas into more aesthetically pleasing places to live, work, and visit. Consistent efforts of removing liter and debris along with well-planned beautification efforts can make a huge difference in a historical tourist city such as Vicksburg.

Everyone in the business community benefits when a city is safe, infrastructurally sound, clean, and aesthetically pleasing. The city can foster a more business-friendly environment by effectively marketing the city and working closely with the business community by listening to their needs and responding to concerns in a timely manner.  The city should always be looking for ways to get visitors into the city and improving the visitors’ experience. Other ways business development can be supported is by providing incentives for investment. A progressive city should have the goal of creating opportunities for training and mentorship programs for entrepreneurs.

It is important to ensure that city parks and community spaces are safe, clean, and adequately maintained for all residents to enjoy. Recreation should continue to expand to include new recreational programs. This can be achieved by partnering with other organizations to offer diverse programming. It is my intention to support educational and quality of life initiatives concerning youth, education and families.

Many elected officials seek to take on projects that can be completed quickly due to the political pressures of having accomplishments. However, it is important to plan for the future growth of the city. There should be consideration given to setting long term community and development goals. Long term plans allow cities to plan for infrastructure needs like streets, utility systems, and other projects that align with anticipated growth and needs. In addition, I believe the city of Vicksburg needs a city planner. A city planner will be a crucial asset in developing strategies in how land is used, developing zoning regulations, addressing economic and community needs within the city such as housing. There will be challenges moving ahead into the feature and a city planner will utilize data to help us solve problems moving ahead.