Joseph Valenti for Mt. Gilead Mayor - Primary Campaign Platform (10-14-2023)

1. The Mayor’s Office will hold regular Town Hall Meetings that fosters residents participation in discussing community needs, the town’s annual budget, and includes support for single mothers (all parents). This open dialogue will lead to innovative solutions to the town’s challenges and how we can help residents and especially single mothers.

2. The Mayor’s Office will manage the official Mount Gilead Facebook group, offering all residents a place to discuss experiences without fear of censorship or being deleted, share experiences and advice, and promote local businesses.

3. The Mayor’s office will maintain/support a manned community center.

As of 9-20-2023, A brief proposal has been submitted to Highland Community Center to engage them in conversation.

  1. The Community Center will be used for 1) town meetings 2) sports 3) education and 4) child sitting.

  2. Staff is 1 or 2 people working.

  3. camera’s will be installed in the common areas to allow parents to watch thru the camera's.

  4. Open weekdays from 2pm/3pm to 8pm.

  5. Open Saturday from 11am to 10pm, closed on Sunday.

  6. Saturday Weekly Barbecue 11am to 2 (not held when other functions are going on)

  7. Child Sitting weekdays from 2pm to 6pm?

  8. 2 Billiard Tables; 10 cue sticks, 2 bridges, 2 racks, 3 sets of balls.

  9. 2 Ping-Pong Tables and 6 paddles

  10. Vending Machines?

  11. 4 Basketball Courts and 5 Basketballs

  12. 1 Volleyball Net and 2 Balls

4. The Mayor’s office will manage an educational program that brings skilled tradespeople in to teach trade the basics of their trade to youth and adults.

  1. 9-20-2023 - a brief proposal submitted to highland community center.

  2. Classes are open to everyone.

  3. Plumbing

  4. Carpentry

  5. Electrical

  6. Heating / Ventilation / Air-Conditioning

  7. Bio-Active Material Supplier for Amphibians, Arachnids and Reptiles. (Habitarium.com)

  8. Automobile Mechanic

  9. Computer Basics (windows, word, excel, PowerPoint, internet)

  10. Financial Literacy Classes (manage finances, budget effectively, save for the future)

  11. Facebook Marketing Your Business.

5. The Mayor’s office will develop a community sports program that manages leagues and schedules events, helps get discounted sports gear, purchases trophies, etc.. The Town must support and empower the community to develop and manage sports leagues to eliminate the resident’s fear of them ending. Without proper support from the town government, we’ll continually see sports league coordinators come and go as we’ve seen in the past 9 years.

  1. The Community Center will have leagues for youth and adult.

  2. Billiards, Ping pong, Table-Top Shuffleboard

  3. Soccer, Basketball, Baseball, Volleyball

  4. Chess, Checkers, Backgammon, Yahtzee

  5. Work Out Equipment?

  6. Dungeons and Dragons RPG Night

6. The Mayor’s Office will sponsor a Weekly Community Meetup meant specifically to help residents meet each other, have a enjoyable day, and network to make new friends. Our community meetup also provides opportunity for finding new and better jobs and careers.

  1. The Community Center will be home of the weekly Saturday community meetup.

  2. The Weekly Meetup will include;

  3. Conversation !

  4. Lunch BBQ (Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, Sausage, Chicken, etc.)

  5. Sports/League play: Billiards, Ping-Pong, Basketball, Volleyball, Football, Baseball, Etc.

  6. Games of Skill: Chess, Checkers, Backgammon, Yahtzee

  7. The Weekly Saturday Meetup will be;

  8. Outdoor When Weather Permits.

  9. Outdoor Under A Pavilion When Raining.

  10. Outdoors with a warm heated Indoor location In Winter.

7. The Mayor’s Office will manage a community child-sitting program.

  1. 9-20-2023 - submitted a brief proposal to highland community center.

  2. Two (2) staff on duty.

  3. Camera's for parents to live-view the room.

  4. Direct phone line to staff to handle day to day concerns and emergencies.

  5. Open from 2pm/3pm to 9pm Monday thru Friday.

  6. Empowers Single Parents to work a full day.

  7. Meant to be Mon-Fri After-School.

  8. Will discuss expanded hours for summer program with parents.

  9. Looking into the laws for child sitting operations.

8. The Mayor’s Office will explore and keep abreast of government and NGO grants available to the town to help single mothers, teens graduate high school, and housing opportunities available to the town and its residents.

  1. Currently contacted a few different grant places and learning.

  2. The goal is to help residents complete the grant forms.

  3. Centralized staff member to help understand the grant process.

  4. centralized place to provide information once to process multiple grant requests.

  5. A Website available to explain the goal, the process.

9. The Mayor's Office will help Mount Gilead Residents get their G.E.D. if they have not got one, so they can then find a better job.

10. I’ll help the 4 town commissioners understand their duties and work with them to ensure A Properly Balanced Town Budget that will see the reclamation and redirection $125,000 or more to finance the town’s much needed improvements that have been overlooked the last dozen years.

11. I will Balance the entire town’s budget with the Town Commissioners and Town Manager, starting with the Police Department. I will propose night dispatchers that let our officers sleep until there’s a need – partnering with the sheriff to handle night time calls possibly. I will propose the acquisition of Town Camera’s, Shot Spotters, GPS Trackers, And Drones that will catch the Criminals committing murder, killing our families by drug overdose, shooting up our neighborhoods, and robbing our homes/businesses.

12. I will propose that the town police officer stop giving traffic citations for all but the worst traffic offenders – issuing written warnings only - so that Mount Gilead residents, friends and family, keep the money they earn in their pockets to build a better life for their family. The goal is to stop harming the lives of those already challenged – to give them time to resolve things without losing job income or paying a fine. At no time will this preference hamstring our heroic officers from doing what they think is correct in their job to protect and serve the residents of mount Gilead NC.

14. I will work to Expand The Town’s Borders To Include The Lake And Other Communities, annexing the property and homes for the town proper thru voluntarily acceptance of each homeowner joining.

15. I will fight for County Resources to be distributed fairly among all towns – not just placed in Troy.

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Joseph Valenti for Mt. Gilead Mayor, 2023 Election

Vote-Valenti.com