About
Dear UA Friends and Neighbors:
Seventeen years ago, my husband and I chose to make Upper Arlington the place to raise our family. Today, I still love the great traditions of our community and want to ensure that it remains a vibrant City desirable to young couples looking for their first home, to residents raising their families, and to senior citizens wanting to remain safe and active in the community.
As you learn more about me, you’ll find I am not a one-issue candidate. I have been a longtime volunteer who rolls up her sleeves to get things done. Whether it’s petitioning to build a gymnasium in our children’s school, providing a leadership role for the various committees on which I have served, or leading the charge to communicate the good news about our City and schools I have been there. Now is the right time for me continue to serve the community by seeking a position on City Council.
My extensive leadership and communication experience will be put to good use as we move our City forward in the 21st Century. When elected my primary focus will be to initiate positive and meaningful discussions among residents, Council members, City administration and staff, as well as with organizations in our community. Together we have the passion and wisdom to ensure that Upper Arlington continues to serve its citizens today — and well into the future.
After speaking with residents about their vision for Upper Arlington, I heard common issues and concerns that deserve to be addressed by elected leaders:
Financial Responsibility: Residents feel it is critical to protect our investment as taxpayers through careful spending while we remain vigilant about maintaining the City’s extremely strong credit rating.
How I can make an impact: I plan to work with staff and residents to continually prioritize the needs of our community and budget for much-needed capital improvements. We must keep a tight rein on operating expenses and carefully examine alternate solutions before choosing the best course of action. At this time – in this economy – it’s a critical balancing act to protect our investments and control costs while delivering the superior services that residents expect. In addition, I support the City’s effort to choose sustainable uses of our resources and will find ways for our community to become more environmentally conscientious.
Commercial Zones: Residents agree that we need to revitalize our commercial land in order to increase our income tax base and reduce our reliance on other sources of revenue. At the same time, residents are cautious about maintaining the character of our residential neighborhoods.
How I can make an impact: We must continue using the programs and incentives that are in place to bring office and professional jobs to the City at the same time we help current employers to thrive. By increasing our income tax base, we are putting a long-term revenue stream in place and relieving a future tax burden on homeowners. Our City Council must tap the community’s depth of human resources such as those who serve on the Community Improvement Corporation (CIC), our City staff and the UA Chamber, as well as other real estate, development, and legal experts in our City. Collaboration among all interested parties — including residents — is the only way to make our economic development program work.
Infrastructure: In every survey conducted by the City, in my discussions with residents, and in the recent Traffic Calming Workshops, it is clear that residents place a very high priority on upgraded streets, curbs, and sidewalks.
How I can make an impact: While the City’s seven-year Capital Improvement Plan will fund more than $42 million for street repairs between now and 2015, we need to continually evaluate and identify areas with the greatest need. In addition, the City must better coordinate the timing of projects to take into consideration the school calendar, local events, and other crucial dates in order to minimize disruption by the street crews. Additional income tax dollars that come from our economic development program will go a long way toward funding our Capital Improvement Program.
Communication: We need to improve the transparency of decision-making from our elected and appointed leaders, maximizing the use of technology to help residents stay informed.
How I can make an impact: Communication is my strength, and I am committed to using my extensive leadership and communication skills to serve residents as they seek more input into our City governance. Most residents are willing to be part of a community conversation if they know it will be a positive experience where all viewpoints are valued. The staff already has embraced a new approach for encouraging community participation and used this new method during the recent Traffic Calming Workshops. I have decades of experience building consensus, remaining open-minded and using a common sense approach to problem solving.
For those willing to seek information on their own, the City will soon launch a new website that is easier to navigate; this is in addition to retaining the traditional methods of communicating with residents, such as our newsletters and newspaper columns. I applaud these efforts.
Upper Arlington benefits tremendously from generation after generation of residents who take great pride in our community. The traditions we share make Upper Arlington unique — a place that people desire to call home. If we work together to build a stronger UA, I have no doubt that we will remain a premier central Ohio suburb.
You can send me an email, connect with me on Facebook or use this form and let me know your thoughts, opinions and concerns.
Sincerely,
Debbie Johnson