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Roswell mayoral candidates on the issues: Jere Wood (incumbent)
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REVUE: The mayor's position is one mainly of leadership. How will you lead the City Council? What examples of leadership can you point to?
WOOD: I have proven over the past 12 years I have served as mayor of Roswell that I have the ability to lead the city. My opponents have not.
Leadership has been described as the process by which one person enlists the aid of others in accomplishing a task. My opponents see the task of mayor as leading the City Council. It is much more than that.
The mayor is responsible for being a leader in all aspects of the city. To succeed, the mayor must enlist the aid of city employees, citizens, non-profits, civic organizations and businesses. The mayor must reach beyond the city limits to enlist the aid of the county, the school board, the library board, other cities, the Atlanta Regional Commission, and our state and national representatives.
I have done this successfully, and as a result, Roswell is a better place to live. My opponents have shown no inclination to work outside the city limits.
The best measure of a leader's abilities is the success of the organization he or she is leading. I have passed that test with flying colors. Under my leadership, Roswell has been recognized as one of the "Top 3 Best Cities in the U.S. to Raise a Family." (Frommers 2007). The city has cut its property tax rate 17 percent and earned an AAA credit rating.
Our crime rate has fallen 31 percent, making Roswell the safest city in North Fulton County and the 18th safest city in America with a population over 75,000. My opponents have served on the council for years without proposing any changes until they decided to run for mayor.
I work 30 hours a week as mayor.
One of my opponents thinks that the mayor's job is limited to presiding at meetings, and he believes that being Roswell's leader will not take time away from his full-time job. My other opponent has no outside job, but she thinks she has the experience to oversee a budget of $100 million.
REVUE: What are the areas that Roswell needs to work on most, and what are your solutions for them?
WOOD: We need to improve mobility and reduce congestion. I have asked the city to create new street and sidewalk connections and improve intersections. The most needed new connection is a new road and bridge over Ga. 400 connecting east and west Roswell.
We need to add turn lanes and build roundabouts to improve intersections, beginning with the Holcomb Bridge Road/ Ga. 9 intersection and the South Atlanta Street intersection just north of the Chattahoochee bridge. When my opponents have taken a position on transportation improvements, they have generally opposed them.
To encourage redevelopment, we need to allow property owners in blighted areas of our city to earn a profit if they redevelop their property.
Last year at my request, the city passed an overlay zoning in the Historic District that does this. I support expanding this new zoning beyond the Historic District to encourage redevelopment in blighted parts of Roswell.
My opponents have consistently opposed proposed development at a density sufficient to encourage redevelopment.
We need to re-create Milton County, I will continue working with local and state elected officials. My opponents have done nothing to help.
REVUE: What qualities make you the best candidate for this job?
WOOD: I live and work in Roswell, and I love it. I am open to suggestions, I have the courage to take positions on new ideas and I have the wisdom to change as conditions change.
I believe in engaging the community to find solutions for Roswell's problems. One of my opponents consistently opposes new ideas, and the other consistently elects to take no position until a consensus is reached by his colleagues.
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