My name is Chad Speight, and I want to represent you on the Monona City Council, to improve our city and our quality of life. On April 5th, I ask for your vote for Alder.
Since 1998, I have been proud to call Monona my home. I grew up in Hampton Virginia, where taxes are low and the quality of life and standard of living are correspondingly lower. Since then, I have lived in New England, Budapest, Washington DC, and Dayton; and I am familiar with the diversity of services that a city can offer. I adopted Wisconsin as my home 19 years ago because I value quality public services, excellent public schools, and the higher standard of living that comes with a well-educated electorate and a well-funded public sector. I am very concerned about our state under Gov.Walker, and I am running for office to defend and improve the vital services that the people of Monona expect.
When I served on the city council in 2008 and 2009, I promoted sensible and responsible improvements to our city. I improved Transit marketing efforts as chairman of the Transit Commission. I helped to create "virtual sidewalks" around Winnequah School so that kids can walk or bike to school more safely. I supported buying more fuel-efficient vehicles to reduce fuel costs and save the taxpayers money. I defended the rights of citizens to live freely, so long as their actions were not harmful to others. In that regard, I helped to implement our smoking ban, which allows all citizens to eat and drink along Monona Drive in smoke-free and more family-friendly establishments.
As Chairman of the Transit Commission, I learned that our marketing budget was not being used, and I led our Commission to utilize these funds to improve the visibility of the Monona Transit buses. (Our contract with First Transit allocates marketing funds, paid for by First Transit. If we do not use these funds, we lose them.) In the winter of 2009, we painted our buses with attractive signage to promote our services, utilizing two years of unspent marketing dollars. Perhaps you have noticed our "old" buses, nicely painted to promote our transit system?
Monona should be active in the new RTA, both to preserve our cherished services and to expand and integrate the transit services that are available to our citizens. This new regional authority should help shift transit costs away from property taxes to a more equitable sales tax. I look forward to helping to improve transit services in our community in the near future.
Wasteful energy consumption is costly for Monona taxpayers. Our buildings and city vehicles consume far too much fuel, and we need to invest in better technologies so that we can reduce city expenses. As an expert in this field, I have the knowledge to help guide the council to make good decisions. These smart investments and improvements to our city buildings will have the added benefits of creating more comfortable workplaces, which contributes to more productive and satisfied workers. Most importantly, Monona will help our nation to become energy independent while reducing our carbon footprint.
Our parks and playing fields need to be improved and revitalized so that Monona can compete with surrounding communities, which have far nicer amenities. As a coach of my son's Monona Rec. Baseball team for the past 7 years, I have learned that Cottage Grove, McFarland, and Waunakee have much nicer baseball fields for young kids. Our team will sometimes travel to these communities to have access to these nicer facilities. Monona has spent thousands of dollars on Ahuska Park, which few kids can safely walk or bike to. Let's reinvest in our neighborhood parks so that kids have safe places to play.
I support continued funding for our Recreational programs, so that these programs continue to expand, attracting revenue and families into our community.
I want Monona to be a leader in Dane County, promoting and embracing more sustainable practices as a city. Sustainability may be a popular buzz-word, but the values that it reflects are consistent with our past. Fifty years ago, a person who was thrifty and not wasteful, who made sacrifices for their children and grandchildren, was often called a "conservative." These individuals wanted to preserve and enhance their good fortune for future generations. Now, such values are firmly embraced by those who ask us to make sure that our actions and way of life are "sustainable", not wasteful or harmful to others; not spending more than we can afford, nor paying too little for things which we must have.
Similarly, people who now call themselves "conservatives" are dismantling our great public institutions, and refusing to pay for the services which made us great and wealthy. Our debts continue to rise as more tax cuts are enacted; and our standard of living has fallen along with our lagging investments in education, science and technology. We are destroying our middle class and handing all the spoils to the most fortunate among us. There is nothing "conservative" about this agenda, nothing sustainable about our dependence on fossil fuels, our dependence on cars, our wasting of energy, the destruction of our natural resources, or closing down parks and schools. We stopped paying the bills, and now the lights are going out.
I want to turn the lights back on in Monona. I will demand accountability and excellence, and make sure that we fund our obligations to become the best small city in Wisconsin. We cannot be the greatest while being the cheapest. Our facilities and the people we hire to serve our city make all of the difference. I expect us to seek out the finest, and our community will be rewarded for it. We invested in our library, and we won the best-in-state prize. We have a phenomenal Recreation Director who needs the support and funding of the council. We have a lake that is clearly threatened, and we need leaders who are willing to listen, learn, and act to improve the lives in our community. We have streets and parks which are unsafe for children, and we need to improve these things so that families are clearly welcomed and valued in this community.
My name is Chad Speight, and I ask for your vote to represent you on the Monona City Council.
My name is Chad Speight, and I ask for your vote on April 5th. As a parent, I know that Monona needs to make improvements in our city to attract more families with young children. I have lived in Monona since 1998, and I want to improve our playgrounds and playing fields; and to make our streets more pedestrian friendly. I want Monona to be the best small city in Wisconsin, and to thrive for many generations to come. I will advocate for smart, long-term re-investment in our city.
Chad's Priorities for Monona
*Update our neighborhood parks, playgrounds, and playing fields
*Renovate city buildings to reduce utility costs and improve productivity
*Improve lake water-quality by improving retention structures, reducing runoff, and reducing flooding
*Advocate for pedestrian safety on our streets so that children can get around to schools and parks more safely
*Reward excellence from city staff, and Support the programs that make our city a great place to live
*Renovate city buildings to reduce utility costs and improve productivity
*Improve lake water-quality by improving retention structures, reducing runoff, and reducing flooding
*Advocate for pedestrian safety on our streets so that children can get around to schools and parks more safely
*Reward excellence from city staff, and Support the programs that make our city a great place to live
Our grandparents and parents sacrificed and invested in a better future for their children and grandchildren, and now we must do the same for future generations. TOGETHER, WE CAN BUILD A BETTER MONONA !
(These posts range from 2011, back to 2008, when I was first elected to the Council)
Since 1998, I have been proud to call Monona my home. I grew up in Hampton Virginia, where taxes are low and the quality of life is correspondingly lower. I adopted Wisconsin as my home 19 years ago because I value quality public services, excellent public schools, and the higher standard of living that comes with a well-educated electorate and a well-funded public sector.
When I served on the Monona city council in 2008 and 2009, I promoted sensible and responsible improvements to our city. I improved Transit marketing efforts as chairman of the Transit Commission. I helped to create "virtual sidewalks" around Winnequah School so that kids can walk or bike to school more safely. I supported buying more fuel-efficient vehicles to reduce fuel costs and save the taxpayers money. I defended the rights of citizens to live freely, so long as their actions were not harmful to others. In that regard, I helped to implement our smoking ban, which allows all citizens to eat and drink along Monona Drive in smoke-free and more family-friendly establishments. The positive health benefits of this policy are now well documented.
I am running for office to defend and improve the vital services that the people of Monona expect. We already know what Wisconsin is learning too late, that Governor Walker does not understand what makes Wisconsin great. In Wisconsin, we have learned that democracy and prosperity require honest accounting, investments in education and technology, and quality public services, so that all citizens can participate in the advancement of our state. We do not divide or segregate our people; we are one people from many backgrounds, who share a commitment to good government, democracy, and forward progress. I will fight for these values, to protect vital services such as transit, the library, the senior center, and our parks and recreation programs.
Our investments in our library staff and facilities allowed us to earn "the best library in Wisconsin" award. I want to see us become the "best small city to raise a family" and the "best place to operate a business" by investing in our community with a long-term vision, rather than racing to the bottom. Together, we can build a better Monona.
My experiences as an employer and small business owner mirror my approach to governing. I will treat customers/ constituents with respect and dignity. To be the best, we need to attract and retain outstanding employees/ public servants to work for us. I will continue to treat our city staff just as I treat my own staff, with good and fair compensation, and an expectation of excellence. I will continue to be responsive to the concerns and complaints of the people, and I will expect our services to be the best in Wisconsin. I reject the notion that government should be small or large; good government (like a great business) must be efficient, effective, accountable, and responsive to the people. I respectfully ask for your vote on April 5th.
(These posts range from 2011, back to 2008, when I was first elected to the Council)
Showing posts with label smoking ban. Show all posts
Showing posts with label smoking ban. Show all posts
Monday, April 4, 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Index of postings
-
▼
2011
(4)
- ► February 2011 (3)
-
►
2008
(2)
- ► March 2008 (2)
Campaign Announcement, first campaign, 2008
Chad T Speight has announced his candidacy for the Monona City Council. Speight, 41, is the president of Chad’s Carpentry, a local remodeling firm. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College, and he has lived in Monona for the past 10 years.
In announcing his candidacy, Speight said, “Monona is a great community, and I believe that our best days are yet to come. We need to preserve and enhance our family-friendly qualities. I have a passion for politics, and I want to contribute in a positive way, helping Monona move towards a more sustainable future.
“The people of Monona are thoughtful and enlightened, and I look forward to working with them as we continue to improve our city services and infrastructure. We need to have an open and honest discussion about where best to invest public tax dollars, because Monona does need to invest wisely as we move into the future.”
Speight served for 2 years on the Transit Commission, and he believes that a better transportation infrastructure will make Monona much more attractive to young families. In addition, he is interested in investigating ways to make our streets safer for children, pedestrians, and cyclists. “As we work to continuously improve our infrastructure, we need to invest in sidewalks and bike lanes to ensure the safety of our citizens.”
Speight specializes in sustainable, energy-efficient remodeling, and he would like to investigate options that the city may have for similar technologies, which are cheaper to operate and maintain. In addition, he is committed to maintaining and preserving our parks and public lake access to ensure that the benefits of living in Monona are maintained. “Our access to Lake Monona is a wonderful part of living here, but only if we invest in cleaner, safer practices to be able to enjoy the lake for years to come.”
Speight continues to serve as a board member of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI), and he has been an advocate for contractor licensing, better building codes, and better building practices in remodeling and new home construction.
Speight is an active volunteer in the local schools, where he is the coach for one of the new Destination ImagiNation teams at Winnequah Middle School. He coaches youth baseball in the Monona Recreation League, and enjoys playing soccer in the 40+ league. He and his wife, Sue Carr, have two kids, Amelia, a seventh grader at Winnequah Middle School, and Kevin, a third grader at Nichols Elementary.
“I commend the council and the mayor for making tough decisions at the recent budget sessions. I am ready, willing and able to help make those decisions, and to continue to move the city in a positive direction for those families here now, and for those looking to Monona for a future home.”
In announcing his candidacy, Speight said, “Monona is a great community, and I believe that our best days are yet to come. We need to preserve and enhance our family-friendly qualities. I have a passion for politics, and I want to contribute in a positive way, helping Monona move towards a more sustainable future.
“The people of Monona are thoughtful and enlightened, and I look forward to working with them as we continue to improve our city services and infrastructure. We need to have an open and honest discussion about where best to invest public tax dollars, because Monona does need to invest wisely as we move into the future.”
Speight served for 2 years on the Transit Commission, and he believes that a better transportation infrastructure will make Monona much more attractive to young families. In addition, he is interested in investigating ways to make our streets safer for children, pedestrians, and cyclists. “As we work to continuously improve our infrastructure, we need to invest in sidewalks and bike lanes to ensure the safety of our citizens.”
Speight specializes in sustainable, energy-efficient remodeling, and he would like to investigate options that the city may have for similar technologies, which are cheaper to operate and maintain. In addition, he is committed to maintaining and preserving our parks and public lake access to ensure that the benefits of living in Monona are maintained. “Our access to Lake Monona is a wonderful part of living here, but only if we invest in cleaner, safer practices to be able to enjoy the lake for years to come.”
Speight continues to serve as a board member of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI), and he has been an advocate for contractor licensing, better building codes, and better building practices in remodeling and new home construction.
Speight is an active volunteer in the local schools, where he is the coach for one of the new Destination ImagiNation teams at Winnequah Middle School. He coaches youth baseball in the Monona Recreation League, and enjoys playing soccer in the 40+ league. He and his wife, Sue Carr, have two kids, Amelia, a seventh grader at Winnequah Middle School, and Kevin, a third grader at Nichols Elementary.
“I commend the council and the mayor for making tough decisions at the recent budget sessions. I am ready, willing and able to help make those decisions, and to continue to move the city in a positive direction for those families here now, and for those looking to Monona for a future home.”