Candidate Viewpoint: Cottage Grove mayor candidate Myron Bailey

Talk about it

I wish to thank the Cottage Grove citizens for choosing me as your mayor four years ago. I have been proud and honored to serve you. I feel we have accomplished a lot these past four years to set the stage for growth and prosperity in the future.

We have held the line on taxes. What the average citizen will pay in city taxes in 2013 will be less than what you paid in 2004. The tax levy has remained flat for three years. The credit agencies have reaffirmed our positive credit rating at AA+. Our city has been successful in a very difficult economy.

During the last four years we have created a new city marketing effort to spur economic development along with a strategy to “Shop Cottage Grove.” We are just starting to see the fruits of this effort with multiple businesses setting up shop, or soon to be setting up shop in Cottage Grove. Several new retailers have opened their doors in 2012 with more coming in 2013 and 2014. The business park has 100 percent occupancy with additional expansions and new business opportunities in discussion, meaning good paying jobs for our area.

We built a new City Hall without raising your taxes. The results of completing this project in the past two years has resulted in the city saving significant dollars in construction costs and putting many of your friends and neighbors back to work. This new facility will provide a safe and secure public safety building that is functional and in compliance with state and federal laws. We will also be dedicating our city’s first veteran’s memorial to honor those who have served our country with dignity and pride. I am excited and honored to make this memorial a reality in Cottage Grove.

Among other parks and trail improvements, we built the east metro’s first splash pad, which has seen over 18,000 visitors to the water playground since it first opened in July. And the usage is free and open to everyone.

I spearheaded the final development of the WAG Farms Dog Park. This would not have happened without my personal involvement in bringing this awesome amenity to our community. Thank you to the WAG Farms Dog Park Association for hanging with me until we saw this dream became a reality.

We created the first Environmental Commission to address concerns within our community over air and water quality. They helped develop our current air monitoring station and continue to monitor our water quality and permitting process.

Since becoming mayor, keeping the public informed on the happenings around town has been a priority. We started city Facebook pages. We expanded the newsletter which is now distributed monthly. We upgraded our city website to be more user-friendly. We send out press releases to keep the public informed. Our local government is very transparent and open. I return calls and address concerns. In some cases, we may agree to disagree, but you will always have an open line of communication with me as your mayor.

We created the Community Center Task Force. They’ve made recommendations on two referendum questions this fall. I want to thank them for their service to our community.

I have been a strong advocate for our city. I love this community and its citizens. This is a most caring and thoughtful community. My goal is to bring structured growth and prosperity to Cottage Grove. To provide the services and amenities that you, the citizens of Cottage Grove, have asked for and deserve. As your mayor, you can count on me to work hard to make you excited and proud to call Cottage Grove your home.

Feel free to check out my website at myronbailey.com or check out my Facebook page at “Myron Bailey for Mayor.”

I ask for your vote on Nov. 6 to be your mayor again for the next four years.

Tags: updates, opinion, viewpoint