With a month or so away from ballots arriving in the mail I just wanted to offer a friendly reminder to everyone to make sure you’re registered to vote in time for our municipal election. This year is shaping up to be a very tight race and I’ll really need your support to succeed.

To provide an overview of some things on my mind this election season, I’ve prepared a short list of 5 important topics that are vital to our quality of life and some brief thoughts on each.

1-Fiscal responsibility: We must live within our means.

With the retirement of the last city administrator, whose biggest strengths were in financial management, we lost a valuable asset to our financial direction.  Our city made it through very tough economic obstacles during our country’s challenging recession by using effective tools and guides to govern over fiscal decision-making. At that time, these tools and guides were lauded by an appreciative city council.

The very next budget presented to us (2014-15) was the first budget that failed to balance in many years.

I would encourage the administration, council and staff to reconnect with these tools and guides using more consistent self-evaluation and adjusting accordingly. When times are less fruitful we need to concentrate on protecting our needs, and then when times are better we can achieve the things we want.

I am aware not all economic times are pleasant, but we can manage, and have managed tough situations over many years with balanced budgets each time.

2-Core Services: Our needs.

Public safety, water, sewer, storm drain, streets and sanitation make up the services provided by our city that greatly affect our quality of life.

Maintaining a positive workplace culture by offering fair treatment for good results is vital to the quality of services the citizens receive. Employees who “buy in” to the direction of the administration and council tend to choose to do the right things for the right reasons. And that helps keep Riverdale a safe, comfortable, convenient and affordable place to live.

3-Amenities: Our wants.

Amenities are some of the things that excite me most, as they are what can provide a little extra joy for residents within our community. Our senior center, community center, parks, trails, bike lanes, recreation programs and inter local recreational agreements with Roy have brought enjoyment to all ages of our residents. I’m very interested in protecting the sustainability of these things and maximizing their potential.

4-Commercial development: How we pay the bills.

I am a proponent of smart development in Riverdale’s commercial areas. We have some redevelopment areas in our city where good planning and execution of developments could be very valuable to the future strength of our sales tax base, which helps keep our property taxes low.

Using the city’s master plan as a guide, it’s important that we make a strong effort to secure strong “regional retail destination” type businesses. This means the types of businesses not found in every businesses district in every town. The kind of businesses people will travel across a county or two to visit. Overall Riverdale has done a great job with this over the years which is one of the key reasons we have enjoyed financial stability for a long time.

5-Communication: Transparency and simple, quick access to information.

I would love to see the city catch up and even lead the way in municipal government accessibility. Getting up to date with modern technology through simple and affordable changes would open live, up to the second access to all the goings on at the city. Transparency stymies the stagnation of information and helps citizens provide instant feedback, another valuable tool to help those who are managing city affairs.

Thank you for taking the time to read about my thoughts and ideas. I would end by saying that my end goal as a city councilor would be to always come to the most evidence-based, logical conclusion that I possibly can; and then make the decisions that provide the best safety, comfort, convenience and affordability for my family and yours. Please consider supporting me in this election and taking any opportunity to encourage others to do the same.

Cody Hansen