If elected mayor, what are the top three things that you will do that you believe will have the most positive impact on Wichita’s African-American community?
Community Safety. The Wichita Police Department has been understaffed for too long. We need to properly staff and fund the Wichita Police Department. Our community crime rate is too high, with violent crime increasing each year. We need to partner with the county and state on improving mental health and substance abuse services, in order to reduce some of the criminal activity and get individuals and families the help they need. These issues are costly in so many ways.
Business Opportunities. Unfortunately, we have some favored vendors that seem to win all the city contracts. I believe we can do a better job connecting minority- and women-owned businesses into our city purchasing processes. This is a diverse community and there are contractors from all over the city that deserve the opportunity to compete on a level playing field at City Hall. I don’t believe that is happening today, and that needs to change.
Healthier Neighborhoods. We need to make sure we are focusing on maintaining or improving safe, healthy neighborhoods. Making sure residents feel safe where they live, reducing blight and improving walkability with better sidewalks is critical. We can do that with increased Wichita Police staffing and paying attention to neighborhood infrastructure, to support citizens’ investments in their homes. We have many diverse neighborhoods of this city, and we need to do a better job supporting them.
