Local Local Local
As a resident of Sunny Brae I know that the people of Arcata want their local government to concentrate on local issues. Arcata residents deserve first-rate city services; we need to make sure our roads are repaired and maintained and we need to expand bike lanes in this town.
There are so many local issues that need to be addressed.
There is a shortage of quality daycare in this city and we need to do what we can to provide daycare to our working families. More people would recycle if we had free curbside pickups of mixed recyclables.
But I know that if we want to improve the quality of life for Arcata residents we need to find ways to increase city revenues. How can we do that? One way would be to encourage ecotourism. I don't understand why we sat back while the city of Eureka debated whether to approve a cheap motel or an eco-tourism environmental center. We should have gone to the backers of the environmental technology center with open arms and found them a place in our town, perhaps near the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary or the Community Forest.
We could also do more to promote cultural tourism. When we hold events like Shakespeare in the Park people come to Arcata, eat in our restaurants and shop in our stores. By supporting our local businesses we help generate sales tax revenues. And we can also take more advantage of the state-funded university right here in our town to elevate culture and entertainment.
As an attorney, I believe Arcata needs to fight for all the funds we are entitled to. We have to make sure that outside government agencies and private companies pay their fair share and obey the law. We shouldn't allow the county, the state, the federal government or corporations to tap our resources without a beneficial return. If we're entitled to county, state or federal monies, I'm determined to fight for it. If contractors are overcharging us, I want to make sure they won't work here again and that they’ll pay back any overcharges. If corporations are polluting our air I'll fight them on our own turf and our own terms to stop them. I don't think we should rely on some ineffective, federal or state bureaucrat to tell us that “they are in compliance.”
We hear too often that things can't be done because there isn't enough money. But I think many Arcatans would be willing to contribute more towards improving the city if given the chance and if they knew their money would be used efficiently. Why can't we follow the example of socially responsible companies like Working Assets, which lets its customers round up their bills and gives the spare change to worthy causes. In Arcata, local businesses could give customers a similar opportunity to round up their bills, so that the spare change goes into a fund devoted to beautifying the city and improving the quality of life in Arcata.
You pay your $23.92 cent phone bill and you round up to $24.00. Those pennies add up.
We need to think creatively and act decisively.
There are so many local issues that need to be addressed.
There is a shortage of quality daycare in this city and we need to do what we can to provide daycare to our working families. More people would recycle if we had free curbside pickups of mixed recyclables.
But I know that if we want to improve the quality of life for Arcata residents we need to find ways to increase city revenues. How can we do that? One way would be to encourage ecotourism. I don't understand why we sat back while the city of Eureka debated whether to approve a cheap motel or an eco-tourism environmental center. We should have gone to the backers of the environmental technology center with open arms and found them a place in our town, perhaps near the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary or the Community Forest.
We could also do more to promote cultural tourism. When we hold events like Shakespeare in the Park people come to Arcata, eat in our restaurants and shop in our stores. By supporting our local businesses we help generate sales tax revenues. And we can also take more advantage of the state-funded university right here in our town to elevate culture and entertainment.
As an attorney, I believe Arcata needs to fight for all the funds we are entitled to. We have to make sure that outside government agencies and private companies pay their fair share and obey the law. We shouldn't allow the county, the state, the federal government or corporations to tap our resources without a beneficial return. If we're entitled to county, state or federal monies, I'm determined to fight for it. If contractors are overcharging us, I want to make sure they won't work here again and that they’ll pay back any overcharges. If corporations are polluting our air I'll fight them on our own turf and our own terms to stop them. I don't think we should rely on some ineffective, federal or state bureaucrat to tell us that “they are in compliance.”
We hear too often that things can't be done because there isn't enough money. But I think many Arcatans would be willing to contribute more towards improving the city if given the chance and if they knew their money would be used efficiently. Why can't we follow the example of socially responsible companies like Working Assets, which lets its customers round up their bills and gives the spare change to worthy causes. In Arcata, local businesses could give customers a similar opportunity to round up their bills, so that the spare change goes into a fund devoted to beautifying the city and improving the quality of life in Arcata.
You pay your $23.92 cent phone bill and you round up to $24.00. Those pennies add up.
We need to think creatively and act decisively.
posted by Jeffrey Schwartz, Arcata at 9:18 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home