What We'll Do Next.
The Village made immense strides and Mayor Elkins definitely moved the community in the right direction. Newburgh Heights had overcome years of just "existing" and was finally moving forward. 

Having said that, the Village was nowhere near a finished product and we still have plenty more to do to continue building a stable foundation for sustained progress. 

Unfortunately, the instability caused by the past year has demonstrated how precarious our progress was. It definitely demonstrated the importance of ensuring we have Trevor Elkins' leadership and vision as Mayor for the village! 

The plan isn't "sexy" but, despite what you might see on the nightly news, running a municipality is mostly about doing the grunt work. Trevor has a passion for the day-to-day business of running Newburgh Heights. 

Take a look below for a glimpse of his plan toward restoring the path for Village prosperity in the next term.
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TREVOR, 
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Back To The Basics, Again:
Restore Fiscal Stability:
It seems so obvious to say that every service, goal, program, and initiative of the village is driven by its finances. In that respect, it is no different than your household budget. If you don't have the revenue, you can't pay the bills. If you don't spend your revenue wisely, you may not have enough for the basics, let alone a luxury you may desire. And just like your home, this must be managed and reviewed regularly. If the captain is asleep at the wheel or mismanages the crew, it doesn't take long for the ship to run aground. 

Unfortunately, that is the position the village finds itself in. Mismanagement of key programs over the past year and a half have led to over $2,000,000 in unrealized revenue and growing! Given the village operates on a tight margin generally, this cannot be sustained for long. In fact, the surplus Trevor left behind of over $1 million has already been spent without being replaced. There is no end in site of what will soon clearly become deficit spending.

Trevor Elkins has done it before as Clerk-Treasurer and Mayor. In late 2009, the village was down to about its last $1,500. He was able to put a plan together to keep us out of fiscal emergency and slowly restore financial integrity. A dozen years later, the Village was sitting on nearly $2,000,000 in the bank. It will take a couple of years however, he will do it again within the next term.

The Sound Fiscal Position of the Village Under Mayor Elkins.

Versus
The Village's Current Position.

Fill Department Head and Staff Vacancies:
Without the leadership and personnel in place to get the job done, the services our residents depend upon cannot be delivered. This challenge is only exacerbated by poor budget and fiscal management. However, the village must restore the working conditions and working climate conducive to hiring and retaining professional staff. Mayor Elkins has a demonstrated track record of hiring professional staff and getting the most out of them on behalf of the residents. 
Continue Infrastructure Investments:
Mayor Elkins has been responsible for more infrastructure investment in the village than the previous 50+ years combined. Every sewer, water, sidewalk, road, and infrastructure project in the past dozen years, totaling over $15,000,000, have been planned, secured, initiated, and implemented by Mayor Elkins. In fact, the projects underway right now and scheduled for 2024 are also projects lined up by the Elkins' administration. Very few corners of the village have gone untouched and the goal will be to ensure they receive the upgrades they need in the next term. 
Ensure Proper Operation of the Photo Enforcement System:
The Newburgh Heights photo enforcement program was once the flagship program in the State of Ohio. Under Mayor Elkins' operation, elected officials and police personnel from around the state considering a program traveled to the village to learn the best practices from us. This is because Mayor Elkins trusted his personnel, provided clear guidance to his staff, worked within the guidelines set by the legislature, adapted to the new laws and regulations, and ultimately empowered his Police Chief and Law Director to operate the Village's program. 

When it came to taking criticism and heat, the buck stopped with Mayor Elkins. He didn't hide in his office during council meetings, dodge the media, or avoid the tough questions. He always shielded his team from their generally erroneous attacks. Sure, this led to some frustrating exchanges with reporters looking to spin a story, but he made sure the record was straight. 

Unfortunately, the Village's camera program has been mismanaged to the degree it may now potentially be a legal liability. This has to stop. Having Mayor Elkins' steady, experienced hand at the wheel is critical to getting us back on the road and doing the legal limit.
Restore Cooperation, Communication, and Faith between Council and the Mayor's Office:
One of the most critical components of moving a community forward is sound communication and collaboration between the legislative body and executive offices. Under Mayor Elkins, this was achieved dating all the way back to his time as Clerk-Treasurer when he provided consistent and steady guidance around the village finances. His ability to provide Council with sound, reliable information, data, and recommendations has been proven time and time again. It is one of the main reasons every member of Council has endorsed him to be Mayor again. Returning Trevor to the Mayor's office will be an enormous leap forward in laying the foundation for repairing the damage the relationship between the branches of government has sustain in the past year.
Salvage and Promote the Library Locker System...If Still Possible:
This amazing and innovative program that came to fruition because of Mayor Elkins' involvement in ensuring its implementation is at risk. Despite the lockers being fully functional and operational under his administration, they spent a year out of operation immediately afterward. Recently, the Cleveland Public Library has mentioned removing them from the Village. It is his goal to save this amenity as the Mayor-elect, before he even officially takes office, He will do this by working with our partners at the library through opening channels of communication and cooperation.
Installation of Vertical Speed Controls:
Mayor Elkins plans to take additional steps to alleviate speeding throughout the community, especially near the school and parks. 

First, the intention is to construct speed tables and speed bumps to curtail excessive speeds on side streets where it may be difficult to regularly deploy patrol cars. 

Secondly, installation of mobile, solar powered speed warning signs to collect data and inform motorists of their speed will occur to help educate drivers of dangerous habits they may have unknowingly developed.

Finally, the Village will continue to examine and explore how roads can be reconfigured and resized to reduce speeding and the flow of traffic while becoming more bike and pedestrian friendly.
Restoration of the Progress Toward Harvard Avenue/Village Redevelopment and Economic Development:
The factors that involve economic development are legion. Development can be slow and seem as if nothing is occurring and then "bam" there's progress. What the media likes to call "overnight success" is often ten years in the 
making. Mayor Elkins' project with the Cuyahoga County Department of Public Works is a perfect example of this.

Newburgh Heights was just getting to the place of having finally laid the foundation for significant development along its primarily identified development corridor. Property had been cleared, agreements were being put in place, and land was assembled with the seeds of interest being sown as the result of the studies and planning that are a tedious but a necessary part of intentional development as opposed to haphazard sprawl. That has all virtually come to a halt without the guidance and initiative of Mayor Elkins. 

Returning Trevor K. Elkins as Mayor of Newburgh Heights will be a massive leap forward in reinvigorating our lost momentum toward redeveloping the Harvard Avenue corridor and the Village in general. 
Beef Up the Home Maintenance Grant Program...If Still Possible:
Mayor Elkins had put a plan together that would have turned the Village's current home maintenance program from a $1,000 grant to a $6,000 grant with a $1,000 investment from the homeowner. 

But, instead of using the grant funds to help homeowners make more robust investments in their homes, resulting in long-term property value appreciation, the current mayor decided to scrap the idea in favor of spending $220,000 on the dog park rather than helping homeowners maintain and improve the second oldest housing stock in the county.

Mayor-elect Elkins would immediately reach out to the County and work toward salvaging the original plan while also setting aside just enough funding for installing running water in the dog park and rebuilding the pavilion to provide shelter. 

(SPECIAL NOTE: Village Council has recently proposed utilizing this grant opportunity to partially fund safety department salaries for the next year. Due to the fiscal crisis the Village has been placed in as a result of mismanagement over the past year and a half, I am supportive of this idea.)
Set the Financial Foundation for the Construction of the Police Department Sallyport and a New Fire Engine:
Because the Village did not have the financial ability to borrow enough funds at the time the new police station was being built in 2016, the sallyport had to be planned as a future phase. At current rates, it is likely to be close to $1,000,000 for construction. Mayor Elkins will establish a timetable and savings schedule to make this project a reality as soon as possible.

The final piece of fire department apparatus that needs to be scheduled for replacement is the pumper. It is around 15 years old at this point and planning for its replacement, which will also be about $1,000,000, will start on day one of a new term for Trevor Elkins. 
Restore the Timeline for the Early Payoff of the Municipal Building Construction Loans:
As explained on the 'What We Accomplished'  page of this website, the plan was to pay off 2/3rds ($4,000,000) of the loan for construction within 10 years, thus reducing the Village's annual payment from about $400k to around $100k. After restoring the Village's fiscal stability, Trevor would begin to evaluate when it makes most sense to get the village back on this timeline.
Negotiate Fair Collective Bargaining Agreements with the Police and Fire Departments:
Trevor has been a friend of labor his entire career. He is also a tough, but fair negotiator that understands his fiduciary responsibility to the residents. Throughout his tenure as Mayor, he ensured personnel were fairly compensated with raises regularly given that didn't break the budget. The village made major strides in the past decade and has brought its compensation packages to be in-line, if not better, than that of communities with budgets of a similar size. As returning Mayor, his intention will be to continue to balance the needs of the employees with the needs of the Village.
Sticky Soot And Dust:
Just as he did with the Charter Steel Noise, Mayor Elkins will locate the source of the sticky dust and immediately go after putting an end to it. In fact, that process was already under way as planning with our environmental management partner had been initiated to address the problem. Unfortunately, that progress has stopped. Council has done a great job in seeking aid from the County on this issue and Trevor look's forward to being a partner with them to finally solve it!
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Paid for By the Elect Elkins Committee, Treasurer Donna Kolis, Esq.  3888 E 43rd Street, Newburgh Hts OH 44105