Bay Village City Council members' diverse backgrounds an asset

Bay Village City Council is 17 months into our current complement of members. I am very pleased with the overall legislative body of work completed by Council over this period of time. We've worked through a number of challenging topics and legislative items as a team. City Council reflects a tremendous diversity of skill sets, as my colleagues represent a variety of backgrounds, including private industry expertise, coupled with those having years of public experience.

Speaking of diversity, I am happy with the composition of Council's make-up, our gender balance, range of Council members' ages and seasoning, from those relatively new in their roles to those who have served multiple terms. We have worked very closely, and in open session, with the administration to support a relatively new Bay Village Master Plan and a wave of capital improvement projects, including a new library, newly proposed housing development and a large number of infrastructure road and bridge undertakings.

As a matter of fact, the city's 2019 Capital Budget, approved unanimously by Council, comprised a record-breaking amount of capital spending initiatives, across a broad range of locations, city departments and variety of project purposes. All of this has been vetted, discussed and approved while keeping a careful and mindful eye toward maintaining the city's strong, investment-grade credit rating.

Several highlights worthy of note:
1.) Council continues to support the practice of not increasing taxes or user fees to our residents, a trend which has been maintained for years.
2.) We recently approved six bargaining unit contracts, extending labor harmony through 2021.
3.) We willingly supported the mayor's objectives to prudently fill out the city's leadership and human capital skill sets, including personnel additions in our Service, Finance, Project Coordination and Law Departments.
4.) Most recently, Council and the administration collaborated on a 2019 plan to approve and deliver financial support for much-needed and long-overdue infrastructure and road improvements to the Sunset area of the city.

In summary, much has been completed in partnership with my City Council colleagues; yet, there remains more to do, as we work to enhance the quality of life for all Bay residents. I am proud of their willingness to make the right decisions for our city and for all our citizens.

Although we may not always be in total agreement, our conversations are open, the dialogue important and outcome generally best for all. We will, to a person, continue to legislate our city's government in a way which is unbiased, equitable and fair for all.