Thank you for stopping by this space. I am the common sense candidate that is in this race to represent common sense citizens. Because of my desire that we all live in better communities I am running for mayor of my hometown. You can read my short bio and find my contact information here. I ran for this same office in 2007 and again I pledge the following to the voters of Savannah :
I really could go on and on with these lists.
Every election is about leadership. I am running for mayor because of the major leadership deficit Savannah has enjoyed for many years. When we have ongoing mold problems in our public facilities, fire houses and city offices, when the chief of police has to go to the news media to get the attention of city council I say we have a leadership problem. Not only do we have leadership issues, we have common sense issues. The city has contractors engaged on refurbishing the interior of the police headquarters before fixing the leaking roof. When we are paying sick leave to city employees who are suffering from illnesses caused by workplace conditions we have serious management issues. Savannah enjoys such fine leadership that residents of Bacon Park are actively seeking to de-annex themselves from the city of Savannah. When Bacon Park de-annexes themselves from Savannah how will the city replace the millions in taxes Bacon Park residents and businesses pay? In December 2010 the city revealed misuse of public dollars at the Savannah Development and Renewal Authority and announced an audit. Nothing since then has been said about the issue and the audit appears to have been dropped. Ask your city council where those millions of dollars went. The tax payers want answers and accountability. The building that once housed this office currently sits empty while the city continues paying nearly $70,000/year in rent. The rent increases to almost $80,000/year at the end of the term. If you were looking for accountable government or competent leadership you won't find it at city hall. My promise to the voters is to put my boots on the ground and manage the city's business to ensure Savannah moves forward in the best way possible. We have enjoyed the rotting and falling down police headquarters going back to chief Galletly and city council had no idea. Many of the problems we enjoy today are the result of the elected either not knowing what is going on or having very little concern about the consequences of their actions/inaction. I am the common sense candidate and hope to win your vote. I am convinced Savannah can become a better place to live and do business.
To give you an idea of how out of touch the out of touch class downtown is have a
look at these photos of "beautiful" Savannah.
List of key positions I hold :
As you would expect there are quite a few motivating reasons I have for running for this office. Over the last decade we have watched the head count for city employees double while the productivity of each employee fell. We have enjoyed a boom in the tax base while spending went wild with multimillion dollar bets that have gone terribly wrong. We have listened to folks complain about the ugly entrances to the city and the blight of right of ways all over town for years yet the elected have done nothing. We have a booming tourism industry yet still have unemployment near 10%. We have record bonus awards being handed out from city hall while the citizens are taxed more and more, over and over. We have a problem with crime in Savannah. Large numbers of those committing these crimes are repeat offenders. Should they be picked up they have to send someone out the back door of the jail before there is room for the new detainee. Here are some troubling numbers concerning the cost of the new jail construction. Let us compare the costs of recent construction in our area. Georgia Southern University built new dorms with enough beds to accommodate 1001 residents at a cost of $44 million. Bulloch County built a new jail with 283 beds for $9 million. When I talk about multimillion dollar bets that have gone wrong I should provide you with some examples. $15 million in water and sewer lines to New Hampstead Plantation, a development that was to include the construction of over 11,000 new homes that has been almost abandoned. Savannah's $15 million "investment" generates zero in revenue as there are no rate payers. The New Hampstead "development" is outside of Savannah proper in west Chatham County. The sad reality is that Savannah tax payers will never come close to breaking even on this terrible "investment" of public funds. Ellis Square Parking Garage was built with SPLOST tax dollars. Well, it was supposed to be. The project ran into major issues stemming from inaccurate soil studies provided by the city of Savannah. The contractors had to sue Savannah to collect payment for the works they provided. What was supposed to cost nearly $30 million instead cost close to $50 million due to errors by the City of Savannah. What is worse, the square is an eyesore to many. The square is completely out of character for downtown. Savannah "leaders" should be ashamed of what has happened at Ellis Square. What the city needs to do now is explain to the citizens how they are going to settle the $20 million dollar judgment. I don't think you can use SPLOST dollars to settle lawsuits or pay judgments. Savannah River Landing has a river walk to no where. The city, using local, state and federal funds built the river walk and boat landing and encountered numerous problems and cost overruns with its construction due to issues with the city appointed contractors. The integrity of the structure remains in doubt as engineering consultants are still investigating the structure. Despite the enormous investments the River Walk is not open to the public. The city borrowed $20 million to elevate General McIntosh Boulevard and President Street despite millions in improvements already made several years prior. Nearly $1 million has been spent on "studies" to improve these roads which infrequently flood during unusually high tides. The remaining funds sit in the bank. Beginning next year the city will pay $1.3 million per year for the next 21 years to settle the bonds. Ask your city leaders what wisdom should be made of nearly $20 million in borrowed money just sitting in the bank. What would be interesting to learn is whether the funds sit in the same bank that originated the bonds. Most if not all of the issues with standing water in this location can be attributed to runoff from Savannah River Landing and faulty drainage release gates. Low cost solutions are available to remedy the problems created by unusually high tides. $20 million in borrowed money sitting in the bank at a cost of $1.3 million per year does not further any remedy. We have completed multimillion dollar drainage projects (Casey Canal I) that supposedly necessitates more multimillion dollar drainage projects (Casey II et. al.) to mitigate previous project flaws. Could it be that the project flaws requiring continued millions in drainage costs were all according to plan? The Casey II project will install 20X12 steel boxes underground beginning at 60th and Habersham, down to 63rd, 63rd to Paulson and over to 60th. From 60th and Paulson the box will continue all the way to the Truman Parkway. The box running down 60th to the canal runs parallel to the boxes installed 5 years ago on 56th Street. This is only 4 streets over. I say that the project is over-designed and too costly at $17 million. The water only needs to be stored underground for short periods of time. For many millions less we can install larger drainage pipes where needed. This is a very important matter folks. We don't need to spend this amount of money on this hyped up matter. Many have argued that Casey 1 was never required to begin with or in the least, over-designed. I could really go on and on with this list. The examples above add up to more than $200 million but there are numerous other examples. This is just common sense stuff and you too should be upset. I want a better Savannah and I know you do as well. I am the only candidate in this race who is not a career politician. The least experienced of the politicians in this race has 8 years in elected office and is asking you for 4 more. Combined, the politicians running in this race have 267 years of elected experience. What is more remarkable, with all of those years of experience each say they have fresh ideas, they have a better approach, they have new ideas and expect you to believe every word of it. I really don't know how many fresh new ideas we can afford out of this bunch. I really don't. If there is anything that really bothers you about all of the things that are falling apart all around us then please hold these folks accountable. If you are upset about the streets that are in disrepair then please hold your elected accountable. If you are upset about the way the city council has handled the city's business over these past years then hold your elected accountable. If you are upset that the city has lost tens of millions of dollars in lawsuits around the state then please hold your elected accountable. After all, millions upon millions of dollars have been wasted by these city leaders and the waste continues until this day so there is no reasons the problems you see could not have been addressed a long time ago. For now, there are a few things I would like for you to think about concerning my run for mayor. Both SPLOST taxes passed with less than 21% of registered voters having their say. Only 18 percent turned out for the 2003 county penny tax election and in 2006 just less than 21% of voters turned out. As a community we have to be more involved. Here are several other points to consider. Soon I will include a list of links of recommended reading.
Public safety -
Realizing the Police merger Replace "free" bus rides
with bicycles Repeal the Bar Card requirement No to harbor deepening - The state, the GA ports and indeed the Savannah City Council want to deepen the Savannah River harbor. More important than the price tag for this, over $551 million, is the quality of our water and environment. We already have terrible conditions on the river and have EPA mandates to restore water quality. The river and environment has suffered enough. Dredging 30+ miles of the river channel will allow salt water intrusion which will radically change the environment and put the Floridan Aquifer at further risk. The project will destroy at least 330 acres of freshwater wetland. Savannah tax payers will need to spend at least $40 million to tap into river water much further up river because of salt intrusion. This is not an end all solution as it not guaranteed so $40 million is only the beginning. While the entire city council support harbor deepening they say nothing about anyone other than local tax payers footing the bill for this mitigation or subsequent measures needed should the $40 million "solution" not work. Not including more than $108 million in other water and sewer fixes that are deemed necessary to maintain our water quality, estimates are that locals will pay nearly $10 more per month on their water bill just to accommodate/mitigate harbor deepening alone. City council also says nothing about increases in lead and copper in our water coming from the corrosion of aging water lines due to the increased chloride the water will carry. For a water and sewer system that generates more than $50 million per year I think it is very unfortunate that funds for the "needed" $108 million in improvements is not already set aside. There are numerous problems created by this project. Saltwater intrusion will extend into the National Wildlife Refuge and destroy at least 330 acres of freshwater wetland. The Refuge estuary system has already suffered a loss of three-quarters (9,000 acres) of its freshwater wetland over the past century of harbor dredging. Despite claims by candidates for Mayor that harbor deepening will result in jobs for locals, the Army Corps of Engineers said months ago that there would be no increase in jobs or tonnage of cargo through the port. Kudos to the Georgia Chapter of the Sierra Club, The Coastal Conservation League, Center for a Sustainable Coast and all others for the attention they have brought to this project. Please look closely at all of the issues surrounding this matter. We should not risk our water system and natural habitats to accommodate larger ships through harbor deepening.
Public safety - Savannah tax payers are unnecessarily spending more
on public safety than are those who live in the county. Under the Savannah
Chatham police merger agreement, the cost to provide these services should
be equal. Instead, tax payers in Savannah spend more than their own share.
Why have Savannah tax payers been paying as much as 73% more for public
safety than those living in the county for years contrary to the merger
"agreement"? We've got a bunch of elected who don't really give a damn and
are content on pussy footing their way around this matter. Our Savannah
"leaders" really don't care if Savannah residents pay millions more each
year than their share. Ethics in our government - Folks, we have an unethical government. There are numerous ethics complaints that have been filed by citizens and business owners yet duly filed complaints, filed according to the ethics ordinance have gone unanswered. Friends, what more can you imagine goes on downtown when these people won't even follow their own ethics ordinance? When I say we have an unethical government I am telling you an indisputable truth. I encourage you to share with me the truths you are aware of. We deserve an accountable government. We have a government that consumes then redistributes hundreds of millions of dollars year after year so when the elected are called to account for their actions they must answer. I promise that if you elect me to office then take exception to something I do and file an ethics complaint, I won't sweep it under the rug and act like I didn't know anything about it. Sweeping something under the rug is exactly what you've been getting from downtown. Waste and abuse in our government - The elected have organized and funded many programs and services that waste and abuse your tax dollars. We fund programs that provide advertising for businesses in South Carolina. We fund programs that have former fried chicken cooks and forklift drivers that will teach you how to write a business plan. We have been spending tens of millions of your tax dollars to give people free rides around downtown in the name of tourism. Where have you visited in the entire world that provides you free transportation around town? We have a ton of money getting tossed around and the abuse of your tax dollars is staggering. But today's revenues and reserves have not been sufficient for all of the spending needs downtown. Take 2009 for example. The city's appetite for spending was so great that our leaders grew our debt burden by 20% in a single year. How does the fact that between 2004 and 2008 expenditures per capita rose by 15% make you feel? More in more out right? There are many troubling numbers that we will talk about during this election season so please know that I am on the side of getting more out of the dollars we are spending and strongly favor a top to bottom review of each and every program and service funded with city dollars. This is a familiar theme. The last time I ran for mayor I called for the same top to bottom review. Back in December 2010 an audit was announced for the office of the Savannah Downtown Renewal Authority. Despite issues "raising flags" in expenditures within this office as announced by the city manager late last year, no details of the audit have been announced. The Savannah Downtown Renewal Authority has little to show for the millions of dollars that they have received from you the tax payer. If we had a responsible government, raised flags would have been addressed long ago. Having the right priorities - Folks, we've got people downtown that have been spending hundreds of millions of your tax dollars year after year, tax money and borrowed money and have built and bought and spent and on and on and on. We've got screwed up priorities downtown. We have Savannah River Landing and many other problems. Ellis Square parking garage (an eyesore and $30 million project that actually cost $50 million) is a pretty big problem too but for now take a look at your millions and millions of tax dollars hard at work. As if this picture isn't enough there is more to come. Nearly twenty million in borrowed money is going to be used to fix a road that by all appearances ain't broke. Look at the photo. Please also notice the multi million dollar "River Walk to No Where" and boat dock and all the dirt and roads sitting there all nice and pretty. Click on image to see full size in new window
Replace "free" bus rides with bicycles - Unbelievably, Savannah has so many "free" tax dollars that they offer "free" bus rides all over downtown. I have been to a number of incredible places all over the world, cities with populations of millions, and have never had a "free" bus ride in any of those places. Tax dollars flowing into Savannah fund these "free" rides downtown on the purple dot shuttle system. You know, these are the buses you see clogging the streets downtown that are usually quite empty. These shuttles that are paid for entirely with locally collected tax dollars (besides any federal or state funding) consume thousands of gallons of fuel, crowd the roads, pollute our air and in many cases provide front door pick up and delivery to downtown hotels and all for "free". How many of you business owners have tax funded "free" rides to your doorstep? This is madness people. The reality is that these "free" rides on buses have cost the tax payers millions and millions of dollars and city hall and the rest of them seem intent on their continued operation. This is foolishness. I will stop the city from funding this bus service. Instead of wasting money in this manner with nothing to show in return we should have used these dollars to enhance the appearance of the historic squares, landscaped entrances to the city, fixed sidewalks, fixed roads and set money aside to maintain the monuments in the squares. This is just common sense folks. My goal is to use every tax dollar in the best way possible and this is a perfect example of how it can be done.
Bicycles !!! I propose we identify sites for checking out (borrowing or renting bicycles) and make them available to anyone who needs to get from point A to point B. Taipei Taiwan offers a very attractive system that accomplishes my goal of ending the incredible waste of your tax dollars with these "free" rides, reduces the number of buses on the streets and will improve Savannah's air quality.
This impressive system in Taipei makes it very easy for both tourists and locals to get around. You get a special card, you wave the card over the bike stall and the bike is released. The system allows you to use the bike for FREE for 30 minutes at a time. The stalls are located throughout downtown Taipei at appropriate and convenient locations. I propose identifying the best places around town for the bike stalls and install them as soon as possible. I say we end the "free" buses tomorrow. Ask your leaders why they continue to fund such wasteful programs like "free" buses. We should use tourist dollars to fix and maintain public assets instead of using local tax dollars. The money saved will be used for other vital needs like upgrading our water system. Replace the city's legal counsel - We have highly paid legal counsel and even have an attorney on the city council yet they allowed the city to be sued by the parking garage contractors for non-payment over the construction fiasco created by the flawed data provided by the city. Any idiot would know this was a case the city could not win yet the city's legal counsel and city councilman and attorney Jeff Felser allowed the no win matter to proceed through the courts. In the end, the city predictably lost the case and succeeded in squandering tens of millions of dollars which should have been settled out of court for many millions less. Any idiot could avoided this costly mistake yet the city council allowed this embarrassing fiasco to continue to its predictable end. This is a single example of many costly mistakes enjoyed by the city and its legal counsel. Reverse the no smoking rule for bars,
clubs and businesses in Savannah - If private businesses want to allow
smoking within the walls of the businesses they operate then that is their
decision. Workers, customers and others who wish to do business with
non-smoking establishments will identify them and support them. Let the
business owners and operators decide what is best for their establishment.
If the business wants to offer a no smoking environment then they have
always had that ability. Let the business owners decide. What all else are
the citizens willing to let the "leaders" decide for them? Conditions I propose would be to require the hiring of off duty police officers for events that may include those 18 and above. The numbers of officers required would be determined by the expected crowd or capacity of venue. Under my plan, a venue could not be open to any 18+ event without having an off duty police officer hired for that specific event. I grew up in Savannah and from the age of 16 I was playing as a drummer in music venues (mostly clubs and private parties) all over town. It doesn't matter if it is 1984 or 2011, you cannot sell alcohol to people below the age of 21. This city council closed down a club downtown this year not because kids under 21 were caught drinking alcohol but because the club operator was selling booze to under aged drinkers. We have fewer entertainment venues around town and I believe this restriction is in part responsible. When 18 an over were allowed into clubs, the club owner would charge those less than 21 a premium at the door. Many of these venues could cover their overhead for the month from the fees collected at the door alone. Today, the only way for the clubs to recapture those lost revenues is to SELL MORE BOOZE. If the college kids or military kids want to go to a disco or dance club or music club anywhere in Savannah then I say LET THEM DANCE. One thing I can tell you, the kids are far less likely to drink in any of these places of business than they are at private parties. Finally, consider this. What happens when a concert comes to the civic center? Tickets are sold to young and old alike and everyone of those ticket holders is able to walk right up to a bar in a city facility and it is left to the bar tender to decide if the person is of legal age. The same thing for events on River Street or Forsyth Park. Young or old, you can walk right up to a vendor who sells alcohol and it is left to the person serving the alcohol to decide if the person is of the legal drinking age. I say, let the businesses decide who they want to have coming through their doors. The city should allow this option to businesses who wish to offer entertainment to those 18 and above. Repeal the Bar Card requirement - Savannah now requires that anyone who wants to pour a drink as a bartender in a club or restaurant must first hold a city issued bar card. The current city council is not satisfied that local business operators have enough sense to screen their own employees. So instead of a business operator deciding all on their own who they will have serving drinks in their establishments they must first win the approval of this city council. I will repeal the requirement that bartenders and others must have bar cards. All this amounts to is big, costly, unnecessary government. Stay tuned folks. There is a lot more I want you to think about. Photos of "beautiful" Savannah While the elitist members of the Downtown Neighborhood Association might not approve I can't help but share these photos so that you might question what exactly hundreds of millions of your tax dollars has gone towards year after year. This year's revenues are projected to be $317 million and $165.9 million is projected to be used for city services. It doesn't bother you to have the city looking like the devil with this kind of money supposedly being used for services? Chippewa Square - Notice that there is a lot more dirt than turf or ground cover Broughton Street - Notice all of the chewing gum on the sidewalks and the condition of the "planters".
Click here for more photos that the City of Savannah and the Downtown Neighborhood Association would rather you not see online. I was born and raised in Savannah. I am 40 years old. I am a 1995 Graduate of Brewton-Parker College of Mount Vernon Georgia. I received graduate training at Georgia Southern University and Armstrong Atlantic State University. As a teenager and into my 20's I played in numerous music groups in Savannah as drummer. During college I began recording music groups and continued recording professionally as an audio engineer. Recording video was a natural compliment and new endeavor and over the past 10 years I have been involved in numerous events, projects and productions. In this same time I served as a project manager for companies involved in international commerce. My project management involves international communications for the production of audio/video, print media and software. Client projects serve pharmaceutical, computer, technology, optical storage, human resource, marketing, legal and other end uses. I have many years of business experience, working with companies here in Savannah, the USA and all over the world. My political experience is limited to running for mayor of Savannah in 2007 and county commission chairman in 2008. A local "news" website was misleading yet quite sincere when reporting I had run for "a number of local offices over the past 10 years". To clear up any confusion I will tell you I have been running for elected office for 4 years. You can count on me to be completely honest with you about truths. My hobbies include camping, flying, traveling, engine/structural mechanic, fixing things, restoring things, building things and making things better. I spend a lot of my free time digesting world financial news, following political events, following environmental issues and many other things. I love to sing at the karaoke and I believe I would make a great stand up comic. I'm an animal lover and enjoy kitty kats, puppy dogs and wild life. Please send me an email and let me know your thoughts !!!
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I
am the common sense candidate that is in this race to represent common sense
citizens. 
