| City Council: Madelyn Scales Harris |
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Posted: Thursday, March 25, 2010 1:34 pm
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Madelyn Scales Harris
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Name: Madelyn Scales Harris
Occupation: Business Lines Underwriter - State Farm Insurance
Education: Murfreesboro City Schools. Central High School & MTSU
Campaign Web site: madelynscalesharris.com
Why are you running for City Council?
In the past 10 years Murfreesboro has witnessed tremendous growth.
With today's challenges it is going to take a person on the city council who is willing to roll up their sleeves, research the problems, and develop solutions which will be beneficial to the community. I am that person. I've had the opportunity to learn from the best, my parents, Robert "T-Ninny" and Mary C. Scales, who served on the city council for 28 years.
I possess the qualities the citizens want to see in their city council person. Like most people I am a hard worker, I know what it is like to live on a budget, deal with all the external influences in the household, raise a family, and instill the qualities in a son that will make him resistant to possible negative influences.
I believe the individuals I just described want someone who LISTENS, SPEAKS UP AND FOLLOWS THROUGH.
I do not have the qualities of a politician but my experience as a person who's lived in Murfreesboro all my life; who's witnessed my parents struggling to make the right decisions for Murfreesboro; one who chose to learn more about our community by participating in my church, Leadership Rutherford, United Way Board of Rutherford and Cannon counties, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship Board of Directors, etc, has put me in a position to not only be qualified but have a pragmatic PhD for this position.
I am running on three promises: I promise to LISTEN, SPEAK UP AND FOLLOW-THROUGH.
What is your position on district versus at-large representation on the City Council?
There are lot of pros and cons to district versus at-large representation on the city council.
Some of the pros to district representation are: less expensive, candidates closer to the voters, and easier for new blood to get in.
Cons are: each voter has only one board member who answers directly to that person, narrow views are presented, and the city must be redrawn with each city annexation.
Some of the pros of at-large are: representative more likely to have the interests of the entire city at heart, no redistricting is ever necessary, and larger group of candidates.
Some of the cons are: more expensive, no voter has one specific board member who answers directly to that person and several of the board members may live closer together, therefore, some areas of the city may be unrepresented.
I think because this is such a controversial issue it should be put to a referendum and let the citizens of Murfreesboro decide. I would like to see the hybrid type where there is some district and some at-large representation on the council.
What is your position the economic issues facing the city?
I am aware that the revenues of the city are down due to the economic position of the country.
We have to look at where we are spending our money and start prioritizing. It is like your personal budget. We have to look at the money coming in and how we are spending it.
I am aware of these tough economic times, more citizens are unemployed and because of this and other economic uncertainties people are holding back on spending which means less revenue to the city.
Because Murfreesboro is noted as a fine city more and more people are electing to move here; therefore, the management of services are becoming tougher to keep up with the growth.
What is the most pressing city issue and your possible solution?
The most pressing issue facing our city is how do we continue to provide essential services in the face of the rapid growth and declining revenue.
We have to look at where we are currently spending, what services are we providing and ask ourselves can we provide these same services more efficiently with what we have.
We need to prioritize and look at more efficient ways of handling our revenue.
One of the best ways to enhance our revenue is to invest in our excellent education system. Cities that have an excellent education system attract good employers and by continuing to invest in our education system we will position ourselves in the long run to take advantage of future economic opportunities.
We must never underestimate the economic impact of education.
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