a campaign none the less

Well I have to admit there is more to a political campaign then I ever imagined. Is it any wonder why people that aspire to become politicians join either the democrat or republican party?
These two parties are so well funded that most of the leg work has already been done for the eventual winner of the primary. What fun is that?
What happened to the days when someone that aspired to be a politician actually went out on their own and proceeded to do the legwork portion of the campaign? This is a new experience for me, not being a honed politician and all but I'm looking forward to meeting with as many people as I can that reside within this district. Taking the pulse of the local people to find out what bugs them the most.
I stand for Constitutional government and let the chips fall where they may.

On a side note we are getting closer to having the required signatures to get the city of Springfield audited. The more people become aware of the real issues the more they want to become involved in the process. I can see the city council right now trying to explain away the "good ole boy" practices that have been going on for years. The city leaders have made promises to the police, and the firefighters and then reneged on it. How can one trust the word of someone that continiously tries to stab you in the back?
When I first heard of this problem I tended to believe the city leaders, after all the police and firefighters unions will do anything to get "perks" for the men and women in blue.
Upon futher investigation I found my thought process to be flawed and found that the city leaders made many promises that are now being swept under the table.

Our downtown district is BOOMING but of course with the influx of taxpayers dollars it should be, but does the city have the justification to ignore the rest of the city while it concentrates on the downtown area????
Our Mayor seems to want to have us known as the "city of public parks" or that just might be his legacy that he saddles the taxpayers with when he finally leaves office. We have neighborhoods with NO sidewalks, streets with no crosswalks, areas where people can cross the street that have neither a crosswalk or a light to allow such a manuever, we also have sidewalks that don't allow handicap access. This is hardly the legacy of a "good" mayor or city council for that matter. How many millions of dollars has the ice arena lost since its inception into the city?

One per peeve of mine is the limited bike riding areas in and around town. For any bicycle riding enthusiasts riding on the north end of Springfield can be a lesson in vehicle dodging. Granted bicycles don't pay taxes nor do they collect taxes on the fuel consumption of a bicycle, but as a business owner, and homeowner here in Springfield I would expect that I or anyone else that chooses to do so could ride a bike in this city without the fear of being run over or off the road. After all I do pay my share of taxes to see to such. The south end of town has some nice walking/bike paths, but in order to get to them from the northend of town you take your life into your own hands to get to them.

It's going to be a great year and I look forward to hearing from the people to see if I can address their concerns.

Remember only you can change the status quo of government

VOTE

tom martz for 139th