Apopka City Council Seat 4 Candidate Q&A - Week 2

Bill Arrowsmith

Kyle Becker

Young Kim

Another issue to be worked on would be more synergy within the commission. This could be achieved by all members having the same information at the same time to better formulate decisions. It is all too often that only certain members are in the know in advance of meetings.

Managing growth has been an age old issue and hopefully some ideas will surface from the recent visioning process that will help guide us in the future.

In the past we have had great ideas on what the community wants (demands) without offsetting funding sources for same.

We will always have current issues and with the input of the public and a cohesive commission we can solve these for the betterment of our community.

When I say destination city, I mean a place where we have the right mix of employers, dining, shopping, and entertainment options available so residents and our families are not having to venture outside of our city limits to conduct our daily life. This has been something talked about for years and years, I hope to take the next step to make it reality.

There are many ways in which I would support this idea, and it starts with being proactive and telling our story through a sound economic development strategy to attract a mix of small to large businesses. We also need to listen to the business community and understand the whys to the question “Why haven’t you thought of Apopka?”

Understanding the answers to that question will help us make adjustments in how we interact with business partners. I plan to drive change to make it much more efficient for businesses to start and thrive in Apopka.

Although the job done by the prior city’s administration was commendable, unfortunately, it was only based on traditional and agrarian rural values. It largely failed to encompass an insight into the future of the Apopka’s rapid growth and development. And due to these circumstances it has largely affected Apopka’s residential and commercial property values.

Another pivotal issue facing Apopka today is the economy. In today’s harsh economic times, it is becoming more and more difficult for individuals and families of Apopka to start and maintain their own small businesses.

Apopka needs a municipality which helps promote small businesses in Apopka amongst other cities throughout Central Florida and them cut through the bureaucratic red tape. Moreover, Apopka has lost many jobs, because many companies, farms and employers simply have moved away. Apopka needs a municipality which brings back both large and small companies into our community.

My campaign slogan, “A Young New voice for Apopka’s Future” fully epitomizes my commitment to find ways that our city government can embrace the full scope of our community’s potential. So let’s work together to improve our economy and properly develop our city.