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 (Copy)Where I
Stand – Keith Snyder
Four years ago I said I was running for mayor because I loved
this community and I wanted all of us to work together to build a
better and brighter future for Lincoln. After four years as mayor I
love this community more than ever and have seen time and time again
how people working together can make a positive difference in
Lincoln today and into our future. I would like the opportunity to
continue to serve alongside all of you to give Lincoln the future it
deserves.
I promised to do three things if elected Mayor in 2009: Energize
Economic Development, Elevate Community Pride, and Engage the
Future. The City accomplished a lot in those areas as we overcame
revenue shortages and other challenges. Here is a partial list of
our accomplishments –
Energize Economic Development
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Worked to save
Logan Correctional Center and its 350 jobs and $73 million
economic impact.
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Fostered
environment where over $65 million in commercial development
took place.
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Convened two
economic development summits.
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Helped craft the
first economic development master plan for Lincoln and Logan
County.
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Working with IDOT to acquire and
rehabilitate the Lincoln Depot as a downtown economic catalyst.
Elevate Community Pride
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Re-started the
community clean-up program.
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Demolished
dilapidated houses that were eyesores and hazards in local
neighborhoods.
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Started "From the
Ground Up," an all-volunteer effort that has:
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Beautified the
downtown square & city parks;
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Established
three community gardens;
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Repainted two
railroad viaducts;
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Planted over
40,000 red tulips across Lincoln.
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Established the Sidewalk Chalk Art
event.
Engage the Future
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Implemented
electric aggregation saving families and small businesses an
estimated $200/year.
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Secured $675,000
State grant for downtown redevelopment and revitalization.
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Leased city-owned
land behind Wal-Mart to the Lincoln Futbol Club for development
as a soccer complex.
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Created a high
speed rail committee that developed the only set of
comprehensive recommendations for any community on the
Chicago-St. Louis line.
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Developed a five-year capital
improvements plan that objectively assessed the City's
infrastructure and proactively planned the improvement and
maintenance of those streets and sidewalks.
All of these things were accomplished only through working hard
and working together. The City has been blessed with a great City
Council, dedicated City employees, and engaged and active community
members. What we've done these past four years is only the start of
what we can all accomplish together.
So what does the future hold for Lincoln? We need to continue our
focus on economic development, community pride, and the future. But
as we do that the next steps in positioning Lincoln for the future
will be to:
[to
top of second column] |
 Redevelop Downtown
Why? Because it is the heart of our community, and it needs to be
a vibrant, prosperous, and popular place for businesses, residents,
and visitors. How do we redevelop it? With these three steps:
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Create a TIF (Tax
Increment Financing) District for downtown so we can fund
improvements ourselves and not have to rely on grant funding or
dollars from already shaky State and federal governments.
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Make the
streetscape improvements to downtown to upgrade the overall
attractiveness of our public spaces downtown and attract private
investments.
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Leverage public investments to attract
additional dining, entertainment, and retail businesses through
effective marketing and proactive and coordinated attraction
efforts.
Revitalize our Neighborhoods
Why? Because neighborhoods are the lifeblood of our community.
When we enliven a neighborhood, we enliven our entire community. We
can begin to revitalize our neighborhoods with these three steps:
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Create
neighborhood associations to allow neighbors identify challenges
and concerns, plan and carry out improvements, and find
resources to make the neighborhood a better place to live.
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Target investments
in our neighborhoods for the greatest impact by coordinating
neighborhood enhancements with the City's recently adopted
five-year capital improvement plan.
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Rejuvenate neighborhood parks based on
neighborhood input and direction and allow the parks to be the
impetus to revitalize the neighborhoods in which they are
located.
Renew Citizen Engagement in City Government
Why? Because citizen engagement reinforces our community, and it
builds our democracy and our citizenship. These three steps are how
we plan to renew citizen engagement in the near term:
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Create a new City
website that's crisp, attractive, easy to find and navigate, and
more functional.
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Utilize app-based
and social media tools as means to communicate with the City
about services, complaints, and policies.
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Offer better opportunities for
proactive two-way communication between the City and its
citizens where true dialogue can occur.
For more information on my candidacy, please consult my website:
www.SnyderForMayor.com.
Thank you for your consideration, and I would appreciate your
vote. The primary election is next Tuesday, February 26. The polls
will be open from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 pm at Lincoln Christian Church.
With your vote we can give Lincoln the future it deserves.
[Text copied from file
received from Keith Snyder, Lincoln mayor]
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