I want To Be YOUR Councilwoman
Committed to Community... Dedicated to Progress
I have lived in Irmo for over 20 years, in that time I have seen it grow from what was once a sleepy little town into the gateway to Lake Murray that it is today. I applaud the current administration for guiding us through that growth period and I also commend them for adhering to the pathways that have brought us to where we are today.
But the climate of that sleepy little town has changed. Whether we like it or not, we must move towards allowing Irmo to be an all inclusive town, one that charts its own course rather than waiting for its path to be laid. If we do not take a more proactive approach to responsibly annexing both land AND citizens into the town, we run the risk of becoming the donut hole of the City of Columbia.
Fiscal responsibility must not be the catch-all term that defines a conservatism that is blind to compromise and closed to innovation. Our values, our commitment to our constituents and our willingness to work towards what will make Irmo a strong community must guide our actions. The key word in Fiscal responsibility is RESPONSIBILITY. Progress, whether coined conservative or liberal, will continue to encircle us and we will find ourselves all dressed up for a party with nowhere to go. I will be RESPONSIBLE for maintaining the stewardship of town finances while keeping a open mind towards spending on those things that will insure that Irmo’s citizens are safe and that Irmo’s future is open to growth.
According to the US Census Bureau, between 2000 and 2010, the population of the town of Irmo has increased from 11,039 to 11,097, a 0.5% increase in population. The 2010 census shows us as having a negative growth. A town that does not grow will die. We cannot afford to continue the pattern of negative growth in the name being good stewards to the way Irmo used to be.
Education must be a linchpin to any future successes Irmo will have. We must continue to support our schools and bridge dynamic relationships with the school board, our schools and teachers. Our children must be provided with the tools they need in order to compete in today’s world. As YOUR Councilwoman, I believe I can be instrumental in forging those relationships and fostering the mindset that is necessary to keep Irmo schools consistently at the top of the list.
We must seek to use our small town sense of community to lead the way in ‘Greening’ Irmo. We must not only be good stewards of our finances, we must also be good stewards of our resources. I believe we must begin recycling efforts in earnest. We must look to cultivate community ties, improve the health of our citizens and beautify some of our vacant land by establishing allotment and/or community gardens. We must continually look for ways to encourage our citizens to reduce their carbon footprints, and I will be open to moving Irmo towards programs designed to save our energy, recycle our waste and sustain our environment.
There are 6000 registered voters in the Town of Irmo; only 2000 of those voters decided the last town election. Town Council meetings are woefully filled with empty seats. It is often difficult for the best of us to juggle the demands of job and of family and still carve out time to attend a 7:00 pm meeting. We need to use the technologies available to us to bring Irmo government to the people. Many of the boards I sit on stream meetings for all concerned citizens to see, I want the same for our town. I welcome having the citizens of Irmo see me at work as YOUR Councilwoman. This level of transparency in government is essential to establishing the conduit that will allow our citizens to become vested in the Town and our council members to be accountable to their constituents.
As your Councilwoman I will work hard to hear YOUR concerns and represent YOUR interests. I want YOUR vote. This election will have consequences. Irmo is poised grow into its future and thus we must take the best that our past leadership has left us with and use it to turn our sleepy little town into a town that is not asleep.