City Council Election Endorsement

When I ran for City Council two years ago, I did so completely embracing the managed growth philosophy first promoted in Aiken by Dick Smith and Jane Vaughters. Like them I promised to oppose any ordinance or budget that would result in current taxpayers paying for infrastructure needed to support growth. I promised to be a careful steward of public monies. I promised to work hard to deal with the traffic issues we face. I also promised to rein in the influence of special interests in city government and place the concerns of Aiken’s citizens as my highest priority.

Now that Dick and Jane have fulfilled their promise to serve only two terms (much to the dismay of their supporters), it is time for a new chapter in Aiken’s politics. With Dick, Jane and others we searched for candidates with similar positions on issues of importance to Aiken voters, to run for office. I am pleased that there are three well-qualified candidates who are taking the bold step to run for office for the first time. Aiken is best served when voters have a choice of candidates with differing positions on important issues facing Aiken’s future.

Two of the candidates, in my opinion, have the right platform to address the important challenges we now face and will face when the economy improves and significant growth returns to Aiken. I strongly endorse Steve Homoki and Reggie Ebner to replace Dick and Jane.

At the Aiken Republican Club forum on Aug 17 Steve and Reggie, opposed the use of public monies to finish the Railroad Depot and the African American Cultural Center. Their opponents did not. I understand that the Aiken Corporation is considering asking the City of Aiken for a $1 million loan to complete the Railroad Depot and I have heard that the African American Cultural Center may need another million dollars to complete their project.

Both Steve Homoki and Reggie Ebner have advocated a managed approach to prevent problems associated with uncontrolled growth. They know the problems we will face if we don’t treat growth issues proactively.

Steve has also recognized that more needs to be done in the community to deal with the increased crime we seem to be experiencing. He feels that special consideration should be given to working with the youth of the community at the earliest stage of their development.

Reggie has worked hard with the City and the Woodside Homeowners Association to ensure that roads are built according to specification. He has potentially saved Woodside residents thousands of dollars in potential road repairs.

I urge my supporters to vote for Steve Homoki and Reggie Ebner on September 8. Alternatively, you can vote early at the County Registrations and Elections Office on Vaucluse Road.

Aiken City Council Candidates Debate

The following message is posted for for your information-

“Citizen’s of Aiken,

On Monday 8/24/09 at 7:00 p.m. in the Aiken Municipal Building conference room will be the Pacaderm Press Aiken City Council Debate. The Aiken Municipal building is off the Alley and on Park Ave. The Debate is sponsored by the Pacaderm Press a division of Lindell Group, LLC. The Pacaderm Press is a soon-to-be-launched Web-based newsletter committed to informing voters on political issues at the local and state level. Colen Lindell, Publisher of the Pacaderm Press will host the debate. The moderator’s will be Radio Talk Show Host Tony Powers and Aiken Standard Editor Jeff Wallace.

All the Republican candidates for City Council have agreed to attend. There are four candidates for Aiken City Council At-Large. They are: Don Wells, Kent Cubbage, Liz Stewart, and Steve Homoki. Don Wells is only At-Large candidate seeking re-election. There are two candidates for Aiken City Council District 4. They are: Allen Brodie and Reggie Ebner.

Two Aiken City Council members Jane Vaughters and Dick Smith are stepping down at the end of their current terms. Please come out on Monday night at 7:00 p.m. to learn more about where the candidates stand on the issues. Contact Colen Lindell at colenlindell@hotmail.com or pacadermpress@live.com.

One Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

The following letter appeared in the Aiken Standard on August 19th. Below the letter I have posted a few photos that make it quite clear that there is a concerted effort by builders and realtors to replace the managed growth team of Dick and Jane with individuals who will reliably support their initiatives. By publishing the photos I do not mean to say that any of the candidates or the builders whose signs appear in them are not good people. They simply have a different point of view and by dint of their occupations are somewhat conflicted. It is for this reason that I urge you to vote for Homoki and Cubbage for the two at large positions and also vote for Reggie Ebner if you reside in District 4.

AIKEN STANDARD AUGUST 19

“With filings closed for the September 8th City Council primary election, it appears that the fact that Jane Vaughters and I have term limited ourselves has produced several well qualified candidates.

You are reminded that before Jane and I were elected in 2001, City Council conducted its business very differently. Aiken was suffering from an unbridled growth surge, and new developments were being approved with little thought given to infrastructure capacities or aesthetics. The Comprehensive land plan was frequently not followed. City Council meetings were preceded by work sessions where the meeting agenda was discussed and decided off the record. The actual meeting was almost always brief to rubber stamp the already made decisions, and there was little public participation.

The final blow to the Council’s credibility took place in June of 2001 when more than 200 citizens (an angry mob in current terms) showed up to object to a large commercial project proposed for Silver Bluff Road in an area that was planned for residential use. Despite widespread public sentiment against it, the Council approved the project in a unanimous vote.

As a consequence of that vote Jane Vaughters, whom I had not previously met, and I decided to run for City Council. With great support from many citizens concerned for Aiken’s future the team of “Dick and Jane” won.

Within a very short time City Council work sessions were moved to the main chamber where everything is recorded, and minutes of both the work sessions and the general meetings are taken. The general sessions became much more open, and a new era of transparency began. The Comprehensive plan was updated and strengthened by adding a phrase that the plan must be followed unless there was a public interest reason not to. Traffic management and “Big Box” ordinances were passed and green space issues were addressed.

With our departure from Council Jane and I are very much concerned that City Council might again become overbalanced in favor of growth at any cost. As we look at the current list of candidates we believe that Steve Homoki and Kent Cubbage who are running for the two at large seats and Reggie Ebner who is running for the District 4 seat most closely share our views on growth management and fiscal responsibility. Reggie, Steve and Kent are well qualified and not in any way conflicted. Electing them will assure that a healthy balance of interests is maintained on Council

It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve on the City Council. There has been vigorous debate on various issues over the years but Council members have worked well together and achieved compromises that worked for both sides. I respect the views of all members and their willingness to serve.

Please vote for Reggie Ebner, Steve Homoki and Kent Cubbage on Tuesday September 8th.

Sincerely

Dick Smith

Aiken City Council “

ONE PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS!

There are many more examples around town. If you see a good one email it to me and I will post it.

League of American Voters on Healthcare

To contribute to the League of American Voters to pay for the following video to be published as an ad go here



Congressman Tom Price of Georgia speaks his mind on this awful move to shove the Obama Hralthcare plan through congress.

City Council Update and Election Info

AIKEN JOURNAL

SILVER BLUFF WIDENING-a small group consisting of officials from the County and City plus representatives from Gem Lakes and Woodside met on August 11 to review the SCDOT plan for improvements to Silver Bluff. As expected the plan was consistent with the revisions requested by residents and the City of Aiken last year and the revised roadway will be within the current 66 ft, wide right of way with very few exceptions. On Tuesday the group suggested some alterations and the addition of a signal light at the Town Creek intersection which will now be incorporated in the plan. The DOT will hold a public hearing concerning the plan. The hearing is tentatively set for September 17, 2009. We will keep you informed.

ABSENTEE VOTING BEGINS-Effective today the Aiken County Elections Commission is accepting early ballots for the City of Aiken Republican Primary Election to be held on September 8, 2009. Citizens who are at least 65 and all citizens who will be away on September 8th may vote early. Citizens may vote Monday to Friday between 9am and 4pm at the Elections office located at 916 Vaucluse Rd, Aiken. If you have any questions or want a ballot mailed to you please call 642-1528.

City Council Update from Dick Dewar

SPECIAL NOTE – On July 22nd, the South Carolina Policy Council and the State of South Carolina Comptroller, Richard Eckstrom, recognized the City of Aiken for posting financial information on the city web site. We are one of only a few cities in the State to post financial transactions on line. See for yourself what is available: http://www.cityofaikensc.gov/index.php?page=financial-transparency.

NEIGHBORHOOD CRIME STATISTICS. Wes Funderburg, our City Web Administrator, in cooperation with Public Safety staff, has completed an update for the listing of neighborhood crime statistics: http://www.cityofaikensc.gov/crimeanalyzer/statistics.aspx. The neighborhood areas are shaded in different colors and identified by name. Users of this site are also able to zoom in to a specific area of the city and view the crime reporting data that our Aiken Department of Public Safety reports to the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) and the FBI. Over 49 areas of the city are covered in the current application. Viewers can click on the “Crime Data Viewer” on the home page of the web site or use the link above.

I applaud the City staff for setting the standard for municipal transparency. It is also very important that these transparency programs are meaningful to our city residents. Please take the time to check these links and give us some feedback. These programs are made for your benefit and we want to make sure they meet your needs.

CROSLAND PARK UPDATE- At present the City has purchased 32 homes and is holding options on 67 more; 30 are in the process of negotiation. In total, 129 properties are part of this project so far; in one stage or another.

PARKWAY STORMWATER PROJECT – The South Carolina Health and Environmental Control Division has approved our preliminary work of our proposed use of our parkways for stormwater runoff abatement. This means that we qualify for the grant award to install low impact development features, including bioswales, in the Park Avenue parkway between Laurens and Chesterfield Streets. This is another innovative project which should bring national attention to the City of Aiken in its efforts to deal with strormwater runoff.

NEW SECURITY MEASURES AT H. O. WEEKS ACTIVITIES CENTER – Our Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department (APRT) is taking new security precautions at the H.O. Weeks Center. Effective August 3rd all doors at the Center were locked except for the main entrance door immediately in front of the Front Desk and Lobby.

APRT is undertaking renovations to the restroom facilities located at the Northeast corner of the building complex to make them readily available for playground, walking track, and outside court visitors. The renovation should be completed this fall.

We are continuing to study additional measures to implement in order to have our citizens’ visits to this facility become as satisfactory as possible. The two new Community Services Officers, approved by Council last month, began work at the end of July.

HOOK A KID ON GOLF – Dr. Joseph D. Spencer, Program Coordinator for Hook A Kid On Golf, has written a complimentary letter on behalf of Public Safety Officers Sgt. Clark Smith and Cpl. Bryan Griswold for their work this summer to benefit this six-year program. The Officers were cited for the instant rapport they established with the participating youths and the important safety lessons they taught. Over 238 youths participated and mot heard from Sgt. Smith and Cpl. Griswold. In addition Lalita Ashley encouraged six Police Athletic League youths to also participate in this program. We all owe thanks to Dr. Spencer, Sgt. Smith and Cpl. Griswold for their efforts in helping young people in Aiken.

BUSINESS LICENSE RECAP – As of July 31, 2009, the City of Aiken business license collections are ahead of last year’s collections by over $130,000. Based on these results, we should exceed our business license budget by over $100,000. This is a great indication of the strength of the economy in the Aiken area. Last year we received slightly over $2.3 million in business license revenue and we hope by the end of this fiscal year that our economy will continue to pick up and that we will be able to exceed this amount ever so slightly.

AGENDA ITEMS FOR CITY COUNCIL MEETING ON MONDAY, AUGUST 10, 2009 – For a list of all Agenda topics refer to the following link: http://www.cityofaikensc.gov/weblink7/docview.aspx?id=109442.

APPROVAL OF COPS HIRING PROGRAM GRANT – Last week the City received a letter from the United States Department of Justice approving our grant for four officer positions over a three year grant period totaling $568,280. This will allow the City to fill all of our vacant positions. The grant will pay the full salary and benefits for these officers with no matching funds required. Our only requirement is that after the grant expires, we will need to maintain the employment of these four officers for at least one additional year. The City would normally have added these three positions through the period of this grant.

APPROVAL OF CLEMSON GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE PROPOSAL – Council will consider approval of a Clemson Stormwater Infiltration Monitoring Evaluation Phase II City of Aiken proposal in the amount of $126,359. This money will come from the Local Option Sales Tax Program and will provide stormwater monitoring services, and a means to evaluate the landscape architectural design for this infrastructure project, These services will let us know how effective the green infrastructure is in reducing the amount of water going into the Sand River storm basin.

APPROVAL OF FIRE TRUCK PURCHASE - City Staff is asking for approval to purchase n new fire truck in the amount of $250,000. There is more than enough money in the Depreciation Account to pay for this truck. It will replace one of two fire trucks that have been in use since 1989. Both older vehicles have been fully depreciated and the City’s Risk Manager and Safety Committee have both recommended replacement of these vehicles.