Know Your Vote: John Meredith, Huntsville City Council District 5
With the goal of keeping local parents (and voters) as informed as possible about all things parent-related, the editors of Rocket City Mom compiled “4 Questions for the Candidates”. We asked all the Huntsville City and Madison City candidates to answer the same four questions, and have published their responses unedited and as they have sent them to us.
4 Questions with John Meredith
Q. What do you see as the top three most pressing issues facing Huntsville today? What are your plans to address those issues?
Infrastructure, police reform and controlled growth. I will press for developers to begin shouldering the financial burden of certain infrastructure projects connected with their developments and require green space in all new residential developments. I would also require much of the new development to be mixed-use, insuring neighborhood residents have quality of life services within walking distance or a short car ride. I would extend bus service to the western portions of the district as well. Resolving storm water drainage issues and refurbishing outdated storefronts in north Huntsville would also be among the issues I would press to address.
Finally, police reform must be addressed in order to provide tranquility for our community. There are many groups actively engaged in this pursuit and I will work with them to craft and pass solutions that address their concerns while providing for a level of safety and protection that is not inferior to what we currently enjoy. I do not support defunding of the police but I would like to see far more accountability from those sworn to serve and protect us, beginning with an end to quality immunity.
Q. Why do you believe you are the right person for this office?
The incumbent has failed to keep his promises from the last campaign and our district has continued to suffer and the people are more cut off from him than ever before as he will not routinely respond to constituent outreach. I know the issues of concern to residents in each part of demographically challenging district, something my opponent does not bring to the table.
The west and north portions of the district have completely different issues and needs from their local government. This has lead to genuine animosity towards each other based on the stark drastic inequalities when it comes to quality of life resources. I can unify these areas by working with council colleagues, other local government representatives and the business community to deliver tangible quality of life investments that will benefit both while easing the perception that services go to either the north or the west but never both.
Q. As the challenger, what will you do differently than the incumbent?
I will provide constituents a full time councilman in the form of someone who will hold regular office hours and return constituent calls and emails in a timely manner. In addition to accessibility, I will provide transparency on all matter before the council, providing additional details on issues constituents bring up in office visits, town halls, phone calls and emails.
Q. What is your overall vision/mission when it comes to families living in your city? What are your ideas about how to best serve them specifically?
To increase their quality of life by demanding parity with the other four city districts in the form of economic development, tax incentives, parks, trails and paths, neighborhood hot spots and road resurfacing.
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