Greetings, and thanks for stopping by our website. I am excited about the opportunity to lead our wonderful City of Fort Lauderdale and, hopefully, this website will provide you with some helpful information about our campaign.
My wife, Susan, and I both grew up in Fort Lauderdale. As a kid, I fondly remember playing tennis and football at Holiday Park, playing baseball at Bayview (Coral Ridge) Park and basketball at George English Park, swimming at the Hall of Fame Pool, spending days at the beach with my family, and fishing in and around this city. Fort Lauderdale was truly a tropical paradise and a fabulous place to live!
Fort Lauderdale has grown over the decades yet we still have the finest beaches, beautiful waterways, nice neighborhoods, and wonderful parks. With the growth, Fort Lauderdale has now developed a dynamic downtown and riverfront region that improve our quality of life, and a rejuvenated beach region that is an attractive destination for locals and tourists. As Fort Lauderdale prepares to celebrate its centennial in 2011, we need to ensure that it remains a “world class city” and a place that is enjoyable to residents, tourists, and workers alike. As such, we need to identify those areas where we want development, redevelopment, and/or growth (e.g. downtown) and manage the same in a progressive manner. We need to identify those areas where we do not want any more activity (e.g. residential neighborhoods) and protect these neighborhoods from over-development. Along those lines, we need to preserve and protect our natural resources, beaches, parks, and historical and cultural landmarks; acquire even more space for parks and recreational activities; and, enhance and improve our Riverwalk and riverfront areas, as the New River is an underutilized and underappreciated treasure.
With respect to our local economy, we must continue to promote tourism and trade; recruit and retain attractive businesses; maintain our marine industry; revitalize our real estate market; develop a better transportation system; and remain the center of commerce, government, law, and education in Broward County.
With respect to local government, I strongly believe that city government can be, and should be, a positive force for improving our quality of life. We need to develop a strategic vision for the future of Fort Lauderdale, and then unite the residents, business community, and public servants behind that community vision. The elected officials need to provide strong, principled leadership in a collegial and cooperative manner, and we need to treat our staff, the public, and each other with respect. To be successful, we have to combine positive and proactive City leadership, competent and qualified city management and staff, input and investment from the entire business community, and – most importantly – citizen involvement. Together, we can accomplish our goals and achieve our vision!
Today, Susan and I are raising our four children (Marianna, Jacqueline, Preston, and Susanne) in Fort Lauderdale, and we still believe, like many of you, that this is a great place to live, work, play, and raise a family!
Best wishes for a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!
