Westfield is going to grow whether we want it to or not. We currently have enough residential developments approved today, that if we never approved another development we have enough homes for a population of 80,000. The question isn’t if we want to grow, it’s how we control the growth. We need to control residential while also attracting more large businesses to Westfield.

I believe the key isn’t slowing down residential but increasing the quality and standards we demand from developers. We should no longer accept cookie cutter neighborhoods that are dense and built for speed. We should be setting higher standards for developers to produce residential developments that make sense for Westfield.

Live, work and play is a new concept that incorporates mixed-use developments. I would like to see more of these communities built around Westfield. These neighborhoods often include spaces for businesses and shared areas for work and play, providing residents with numerous resources that can support a multifaceted lifestyle.

Lastly we need to attract larger corporations to Westfield. Growing our commercial tax base will help fund infrastructure projects that we need in our community. Unlike residential, commercial uses don’t put a strain on school systems or public safety. Corporate jobs tend to be higher paying which is great for our residents and the community as a whole. We need to start enticing corporations to locate here instead of putting up roadblocks.

I’m passionate about the trail systems in Westfield. My family uses them on a daily basis and I understand the importance of maintaining and improving our trails. Not only do we need to take care of the existing trails but we need to add new trails to help improve the safety and connectivity around the city. We need innovative ideas and forward thinking vision to grow our trail system and how we utilize them.

One way to improve connectivity around Westfield is becoming a golf cart friendly community. We should embrace the use of golf carts throughout the community. This can be done in a safe manner that protects all pedestrians. The use of golf carts will make it easier for families to get around the city and help reduce traffic on our streets.

Secondly we need to make our trails safer. If that means spending money now on tunnels and bridges we should do just that. No more kicking the can down the road. Let's identify safety issues and get them fixed. Let's put safety first.

Increasing the amount of park land and quality of our parks would be an important agenda item for me. Protecting land for recreational use within our community gives all residents a place to escape. Land in Westfield is not going to get cheaper. If any opportunities become available for Westfield to add to our public lands you can ensure I will work to make it happen.

It’s also not always the amount of land but the amenities that we can offer as well. We have many parks that sit empty with no amenities. We need to increase more nature walks, ponds, dog parks, recreational activities, mountain biking and playgrounds within our existing parks. One way to help fund this initiative is increasing our park impact fee on any new home built in Westfield. This puts the burden on developers and new citizens to help fund our parks for a growing population.

Also, too many mistakes have been made over the years in preserving trees. We no longer can trust that the right thing will be done when trees are to be preserved. The city should take greater responsibility in preserving trees on commercial and residential developments. Tree inventories and protective barriers should be installed before any site development begins. Doing this is as simple as making it a requirement before obtaining a permit.

Westfield continues to be one of the safest places to raise a family in Indiana. We need to keep it this way. We should invest in new technologies and grow these services as our community grows. We should be listening to the needs of our police and fire departments and giving them the resources they need.

We need to put a 20 year growth plan in place now for both our fire and police stations. We are severely lacking in fire stations and need to be proactive in our planning to catch back up. We rely on the Carmel fire department too much and pay them hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. We need to keep this money in our community. When seconds can mean the difference between life and death we should always be willing to prioritize life.

Education is one issue that affects my family most! My wife, Emily was a teacher for 10 years and we currently have two children who are in the Westfield Community Schools. We will be spending the next 12 years in the school system. I want to make sure our School Board members have everything they need to make the right decisions for our children. While the city council doesn’t make direct decisions on the education of our children there are many things we can do to help ensure success.

Foremost, we need to control the growth of our residential developments. We need to ensure that our school system can handle the new children we attract with new housing. We need to make sure that there is a good mixture of new homes, apartments and condos. 

Secondly, we should establish an ad hoc committee that consists of school board and city council members. This would promote an open and consistent dialogue between the city council and school board members. We should work together on policy matters that affect our schools and students. We need more transparency, communication and support from our elected officials.

Transparency has been a hot button topic for this current city council. There has been a lot of bickering and fighting between the mayor, city council and clerk treasurer. We need this infighting to stop immediately and for our elected officials to start working together again. We need elected officials to have open access to all city documents at all times. I intend to look at ways to improve communication and accountability between elected officials, city employees and residents.

Also, as a citizen it seems extraordinarily hard to keep up with all the happenings around Westfield. Some of our current methods to keep citizens informed are outdated and need revisited. We need more effective and modern ways to inform residents. We need to look at new avenues that most of our citizens use. We should be utilizing Facebook, Westfield Current, mailers, newsletters and more to keep our residents notified.

We need balanced leaders that work together, who communicate and have a better vision for Westfield. If elected I would work with the mayor and city council members to bring new ideas, new plans and new growth to Westfield. We need innovative ideas that will help shape the future of Westfield for the next generation. We need vision that looks 20 years down the road and takes the steps to get there.

Our first step should be updating the Comprehensive plan. This document gives the community an idea of where and what kind of growth we want to see. This should be open to the public and involve both residents and shareholders within Westfield. We need a road map for our developers to better understand what and where the community wants growth.

Now is the time for change in Westfield, we are growing fast and we need solid leadership that can give vision for future growth.