Views

I am Committed to
Public Safety (Having a police department of over 100 officers)
A more user friendly/business friendly city hall
Old Main Corridor
Having the most vibrant downtown in WV
A new and improved Riverfront Park
Fighting barges - preserving the residential integrity of our neighborhoods
Development of neighborhoods in transitions with our innovative home rule plan
Becoming the creative workforce hub of Appalachia
Upgrading our public works fleet
A cleaner and greener city
Healthier employees
MAKING THE TOUGH DECISIONS NEEDED IN MOVING
OUR GREAT CITY FORWARD

Lessons I have learned
My lack of responsiveness after the quadruple murder in 2005 was perhaps what I regret the most - I learned the importance of being there and showing my support for the family. When the Emmons tragedy struck I was there spending time with the families of the victims.

I should have done more to clarify misunderstandings of the user fee and the layoffs in 2002. Since then I have learned that it is important to publicly counter false information to prevent confusion.

People get more done when no one cares about getting the credit for it.

Over time I have learned that by surrounding myself with talented skilled leaders who are driven by the betterment of Huntington we are able to get exciting things done. Leaving politics out of what we do leads to progress and more importantly fairness.

In order to move forward we need a vision that everyone has a say in developing. We are working with Marshall and many community leaders to facilitate the development of the first city master plan that we have had in 50 years.

There is nothing more important than family.

Myths & Facts
MYTH: I "will leave the area at the end of the term as Mayor."
FACT: Huntington is and will be home for me and my family, my wife is from Huntington and we own our home.

MYTH: I "ran for mayor as a college prank or research project."
FACT: Perhaps I was naive in thinking the duties would be easier but my pride and love for Huntington is second only to that of my family.

MYTH: I am "against law enforcement and targeted the police department in the 2002 layoffs."
FACT: There were more public works employees laid off than police officers and also many administrative employees as well as police officers. City council took action and voted to force me to make layoffs.

MYTH: I "told the public that the user fee was for additional services."
FACT: I had never said that the user fee was for new services. Although we would not have been able to do any paving or bring Police Staffing up without it is had even warned City Council that it would not even prevent layoffs. City Council sets the budget and as Mayor I am legally prohibited from spending anything outside of what council budgets thus if council does not budget for paving or additional police I can not hire additional police.