Our Best Days Are Ahead Of Us

By M. L. "Maxx" Stalheim

Working together, we will ensure public safety, secure financial stability, and improve our quality of life.

Ensuring public safety + I have been endorsed by the Deputy Sheriff's Association because they recognize my experience, integrity, and demonstrated dedication to law enforcement. Ensuring the citizens of Imperial Beach are safe in their homes and in their pursuit of happiness is the fundamental responsibility of our elected officials. As your Councilman, I pledge to work closely with the Sheriff's Department to understand their needs, to properly equip and train their front-line officers and support teams, and to continue building a strong mutually beneficial relationship. I would work hard to examine how the City of Imperial Beach could increase its share of funds received from the State for public safety. Our beaches place a special demand on our officers, and I would work with other elected officials and explore whether our City could qualify for a "beach impact" supplementation. Public safety costs continue to increase and require a larger portion of the City's budget, and we need to find a way to increase funding sources in order to minimize the fiscal impact on our budget, and allow the savings to be re-invested in other public projects. All of which leads to the second issue of securing financial stability.

Securing financial stability + The future of Imperial Beach depends on our ability to generate revenue from sales tax and transient occupancy tax. We must increase revenues and tax increment redevelopment funds without compromising our ability to serve the needs of our residents efficiently and competently. As your Councilman, I pledge to "open the books" and to facilitate an honest dialogue about our financial situation, and solicit your opinions and suggestions regarding how we can address our budgetary shortfalls. We have been borrowing from our reserves to cover our general fund expenses for too long, and it is the same as if you and I borrowed from our savings account to cover our checking account + it might work in the short term, but would be disastrous in the long run. By increasing the amount of revenue generated by people who visit our classic beach community, we lessen the financial burden on local residents. All of which leads to the third issue of balancing development with our quality of life.

Balancing development with our quality of life + Building the Sea Coast Hotel and the 9th and Palm redevelopment projects is essential to our financial stability. The projects will provide the impetus for people to visit Imperial Beach, to spend their vacation dollars in our local businesses, and prime the economic engine. As your Councilman, I pledge to use my twenty years of professional community planning experience to facilitate new development while negotiating the maximum benefit for local residents and businesses, and minimizing public investment. I will work tirelessly to promote our local businesses, to spread the word about our great community, and to protect the natural resources that provide the life-blood of our eco-tourist based economy. I would never allow developers to destroy our beach community's small-town charm or natural environment.

Thank you for this wonderful opportunity and for your consideration. I would greatly appreciate your vote on November 7th, and look forward to serving for the benefit of all residents. Working together, we will keep Imperial Beach moving forward! And please visit my webpage at http://www.maxxforcouncil.com if you would like to learn more about this exciting campaign. I am running for City Council because I believe our best days are ahead of us!