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growth but to maintain the small town feel we all love . I would like to continue serving to ensure we follow our regulations and standards and that we do not lose our focus .
How many board or committee meetings have you attended in the past year ? Have you voted in every election in the past five years ?
I have attended every BMA meeting except one ( vacation ), and I attend all special called meetings , work sessions and most all Planning Commission and School Board meetings and some Design Review meetings . I make it a priority to vote and have done so in every election for the past five years .
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How do you look to balance the desire of many residents to maintain a “ small-town atmosphere ” in Arlington with increasing commercial development and residential growth ?
Arlington is no longer Shelby County ’ s best kept secret . Many residents and businesses want to be a part of this great community . As a board , we have worked hard to follow our land use plan and to enact building regulations that will continue to give Arlington our " small town feel ". That is why I worked hard to help start the Star Spangled Spectacular fireworks event and Music on the Square , serve on the BBQ FallFest committee and helped build the Playground of Dreams . As we continue to grow , it will be important to find more ways to keep our citizens involved and to provide ways to encourage more family-centered community events .
What do you think is the biggest challenge facing Arlington at this time or within the next 12 months ?
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run for office and I am excited about the opportunity .
How many board or committee meetings have you attended in the past year ?
The short time that I have lived in Arlington , I have traveled the country extensively with my work in radiation oncology sales , lived in Brentwood , TN and Denver , CO . I recently changed positions in order to be more present with my family . I recently attended the Planning Commission meeting and have remained current by following the meeting minutes .
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Have you voted in every election in the past five years ? No . I have lived here three years .
How do you look to balance the desire of many residents to maintain a “ small-town atmosphere ” in Arlington with increasing commercial development and residential growth ?
I struggle with this issue as a husband , father and resident of Arlington . It is delicate and has captured the attention of the residents . As my family has become more rooted in this town , I have begun to understand both sides of the issue . I believe with measured growth Arlington can grow while offering amenities and resources such as parks and recreation to the residents . There is a lot to be done for the town to grow in a way that we don ’ t lose our small town charm . Businesses both big and small that want to call Arlington home see something unique in this town and will provide funding that allows for more amenities . I believe we are poised for growth in Arlington , and that growth can be carefully planned , strategic and selective .
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feel strongly that something should be done to ensure our elected officials are not influenced by special interest groups , and Arlington resident ’ s interests are put first . This is why I have fully financed my own campaign . I will be indebted to no one if elected and will always vote for what I believe is best for Arlington .
How many board or committee meetings have you attended in the past year ? Have you voted in every election in the past five years ?
In order to better understand the needs of our town , I ’ ve attended four Board and Alderman Meetings , two Planning Commission meetings , and four Parks and Recreation Committee meetings . I ’ ve voted in every election in the past 5 years .
How do you look to balance the desire of many residents to maintain a “ small-town atmosphere ” in Arlington with increasing commercial development and residential growth ?
I believe by enforcing extremely high standards for new commercial and residential development we can maintain our small town feel and at the same time have the convenience of quality local
businesses . We must preserve and enhance Arlington ’ s small town charm by enforcing Arlington ’ s Design and Review Guidelines . By allowing some builders to deviate from the DRC Guidelines , we fail to protect our small town feel and enhance existing home values . We must not make accommodations for builders or developers , but instead be patient and wait for developers and builders that meet our rigid requirements . Our strategy needs to be slow and strategic with what we approve . We also need to prepare for new development by ensuring our roads are capable of handling an increase in traffic
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prior to the start of construction . Congested traffic is not conducive to a small town atmosphere . I ’ m also committed to supporting proper commercial growth in the Depot Square . Any new businesses being developed in this area must follow the Depot Square Overlay District Guidelines to maintain the historical presence of the area . I ’ m also committed to ensuring that any new residential development has adequate green space that includes trees , similar to the Preserve subdivision .
What do you think is the biggest challenge facing Arlington at this time or within the next 12 months ?
As Arlington continues to grow our challenges become more evident . We must ensure that our town infrastructure is in place to handle the future commercial and residential growth . This is not only sewers , roads , etc ., but also ensuring that our town government is adequately staffed .
Position 6
Brian Thompson Enterprise Account Executive for C- Spire Cloud Solutions www . votebrianthompson . com www . facebook . com / votebrianthompson
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The biggest challenge ( s ) over the next 12 months and beyond will be to ensure smart controlled growth with both commercial and residential development . As we continue to grow , we will have to continue to be mindful of our budget and keeping taxes low . As Chairman of the “ Vote Yes ” committee that helped bring Arlington Community Schools to fruition , I am very aware of why families move to our wonderful town , and our schools are the number one reason . We will continue to find ways to support ACS as well as providing safety and security via the essential services that our citizens expect .
Position 5
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What do you think is the biggest challenge facing Arlington at this time or within the next 12 months ?
Great question and one that is on all of our minds . We have many things that must be considered , decided on and moved into action over the next year . Our next moves in several areas are critical to long term safety and sustainability . I will share one area that has me particularly concerned is the emergency response system we have in place . We need to address the fact that Arlington is in dire need of a second fire company . I can ’ t imagine the stress this puts on our current firefighters and I firmly believe that this needs to be addressed .
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Position 6 |
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Mark Strausser Radiation Oncology Sales , Varian Medical Systems Inc . Owner , SportsCare Daycare Owner , V3fights LLC www . markstrausser . com
Why are you running for office ?
I am running for Alderman in order to provide leadership and a fresh perspective on the issues that are facing Arlington . After spending time at community events , it is apparent to me that some citizens feel unheard about important issues . I intend to actively listen to their opinions and perspective . I want to ensure that we are doing the right thing today so that we are proud of the Arlington that we leave our children . This is the right time for me to
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Jeremy Biggs Senior Loss Control Consultant www . facebook . com / electjeremybiggs /
Why are you running for office ?
I am running for Alderman because I see the need for transparency and integrity . 4 years ago I noticed a developer , a home builder , and a Real Estate PAC were financing some candidate ’ s campaigns . This same builder and developer would then come before the board to ask for rezoning or to change a planned and approved development . I
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