09/28/11 The municipal election campaign in Plymouth is now in full swing and Democratic Mayoral candidate Jim Vinall released his “Plan for Plymouth’s Progress” Monday afternoon.
“We took the feedback received from the city-wide survey that was conducted by the Plymouth Democratic Party City Committee and developed this platform based on what the residents of Plymouth told us was important to them. We listened. When elected, we will act,” said Vinall.
The “Plan for Plymouth’s Progress” covers 3 distinct areas: Economic Development, City Streets and Sidewalks, and the City Trash Service.
“The goal of economic development is to attract jobs to the city. In order to do so we need a full-time Economic Development Director in the city who will work closely with the Marshall County Economic Development Corporation,” explained Vinall.
Developing comprehensive 5, 10, and 15 year plans for city growth and expanding downtown revitalization efforts are two key components to the economic development component of this plan as well. Vinall made it clear that the immediate need is to bring jobs to Plymouth now.
The condition of the city’s streets and sidewalks were identified as a key concern from the city-wide survey.
“We must assess city-wide pedestrian safety which includes adding sidewalks to areas without them, repairing existing sidewalks, and identifying streets where bike lanes make sense,” said Vinall.
Vinall is also calling for a comprehensive street repair plan so that residents know when their street is scheduled for repair. He will also partner with the Plymouth school system and other local development groups for street and sidewalk projects and grant funding opportunities.
Since the beginning of the private trash service, there has been controversy surrounding the program. This sentiment was clearly expressed in the city-wide survey.
“It is clear from the city-wide survey that losing the spring clean-up and alley pick-up services did not go over well with the residents of Plymouth. We must renegotiate the contract, when it’s up for renewal, to include these valued services,” explained Vinall.
The “Plan for Plymouth’s Progress” also calls for the renegotiation of the trash service contract to prevent tax dollars from being used to subsidize the private service.
“This is the right plan at the right time for Plymouth’s progress. It is based solely on the resident’s feedback and is 100% supported by all of the Democratic candidates running for city offices,” said Vinall.
Vinall invited the public to join him and his fellow city candidates to discuss the “Plan for Plymouth’s Progress” at the City Center from 6:00pm – 8:00pm on the following days: October 11th, October 19th, October 25th, and November 2nd.
The “Plan for Plymouth’s Progress” is also available online along with the city-wide survey results on www.vinallformayor.com
