The past few months were an exciting mix of energy and hard work. During the course of this campaign, I enjoyed making many new friends and visiting with hundreds of residents all over Ward 5. It was a rewarding experience that I’m convinced will bring life-long personal benefits.

I thank everyone for their support — giving time, offering encouragement and making campaign contributions. It was humbling to see so many invest in me. I also thank those who voted on my behalf.

While the outcome was not what I had hoped for, Ward 5 will be in capable hands with Jeremiah Dumas as alderman. I appreciate the civil campaign he ran and I look forward to working with him as a friend and advocate for Starkville.

Again, as a candidate, I thank you for the chance to participate in the political process. As Americans, let us never forget that blessing or take it for granted.

Sincerely,

Sadly, many people are unknown at home but widely respected among their peers worldwide. We have people living in Starkville who are achieving amazing things on a vast scale; however, few in our community know of their achievements. We can do better than that.

It’s easy to think we can’t do big things because we haven’t seen big things. However, we have people in our community who can think big and dream bigger. Let’s encourage them publicly and welcome their work. Let’s celebrate their achievements and support their efforts. Let us learn from them and together lift our community.

When we see an attitude of excellence we see that it is contagious. That’s a good thing and a wonderful attribute to build, especially for our young people. We can and should do more to look for ways to encourage excellence.

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I feel we should exhibit a TEAM attitude throughout Starkville. Our city government should work together to do more for the citizens. We should not fight along racial lines but should work for the betterment of all people. We should work with the University to do more that benefits both of us.

There are many things that represent win-win relationships. Those are areas we should pursue when at all possible. We need to look for more ways to raise the tide and lift all boats. I believe we can do that if we put our minds to what is best for everyone in Starkville.

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In Starkville, we are blessed with tremendous resources. We have a wealth of talent that is both home-grown and imported. The University provides a huge influx of creative and intelligent students and faculty members that enrich our community.

Sadly, we don’t retain as much of this talent as I feel we should. We train them and they move on to other cities, states and even nations.  I am confident that Starkville can grow by becoming more entrepreneurial and business friendly, especially for small businesses.

According to the 2008 State New Economy Index report (p. 34), Mississippi ranks fourth in the nation in the number of entrepreneurs as a percentage of our population. That is a very positive ranking and suggests it would be wise for Starkville’s leaders to encourage and promote innovative efforts within our community.

In our nation, the vast majority of new jobs are created by small businesses. Small businesses enrich a community with a variety of employment options, products and services that a single large firm usually cannot match. I feel that Starkville is ideally suited for attracting more small businesses, especially ones in technological and green industries.

We should better promote the Research Park and the business incubator programs that encourage entrepreneurship and small business development. I want to see us encourage the creation of high-tech firms right here. There is no reason for our young people to move off when we can offer them a great community who supports their efforts.

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People want to visit a place they like and feel good about. We’ve come a long way in making people feel good about Starkville; however, I think we can do better. For example, we only have one brief chance to influence somebody’s first impression. An impression, once made, is difficult to change. That is why we need to make sure the first impression our visitors have is a positive one.

I think we’ve made great strides in improving most of our access roads such as Highways 25 and 82. Highway 12 is significantly improved and will be even more impressive when the new convention center is built. Highway 182 (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive), though, is another story. Sadly, it’s the entrance into Starkville that many visitors see first. It’s also a major transportation route for our residents. We can do better than that.

I would like to see some of the beautification upgrades that were completed on Main Street and University Drive also applied to Highway 182. Such sprucing up would enhance the area and make it more attractive for existing and new businesses. It would also significantly improve the first impression appeal of Starkville.

Some things we can do to enhance our image would be to adopt an economical curbside recycling program, make our parks and public facilities fully ADA-compliant, and creatively use technology to accomplish city services more efficiently. These types of activities create positive exposure on a national scale which provides more opportunities for a strong first impression.

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I am convinced that we can do more to impact our city for good by leveraging these community organizations. I feel most social challenges like reducing high school dropout rates and teen pregnancy are most successfully addressed by individuals taking an interest in each other and lending a helping hand.

In Starkville, I’m convinced there are more people willing to address the needs than there are needs to address. We have volunteers, church outreach efforts and citizens looking for ways to pitch in and empower our young people to excel.

As a city leader, I will encourage such involvement by the citizens of our community. Our retirees have so much to offer but are an often overlooked resource. Most of our churches have empty pews and would welcome more who want to come and grow with them. Many businesses are interested in pitching in and encouraging entrepreneurship and employee development. Let’s nurture such good deeds and encourage more of them.

I encourage all of Starkville to look at all of Starkville in a different light. Whether we realize it or not, we’re all in this community together. We will either thrive as a community or we will suffer from our own mediocrity. The choice is ours. Let us focus our enormous talents on doing what is best for our whole city by each of us impacting one citizen at a time.

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I dislike debt — personally as well for business and government. Debt, while it expands present options temporarily, limits future expenditures significantly.

In spite of my dislike for debt, I know that not all debt is equal. Some debt can produce sizable advantages for the city that would probably not be possible otherwise. This debt is usually to fund capital projects that end up producing growth and ultimately revenue for the city. New infrastructure that enhances commerce (and ultimately sales tax collections) may fall into this category.

Other debt is simply entered into to feed consumption. As a general rule, I feel such debt is unwise. Borrowing to fix potholes could fit into this category. Road maintenance, like groceries to a family, should not come as a surprise and should be budgeted for and paid for as needed.

In light of the above examples, my philosophy is to avoid debt if at all possible. Simply put, we must plan ahead so we don’t have surprises. Sometimes that means saving some of the taxpayers money in a “rainy day fund” for the surprises that inevitably will come. In so doing, we can avoid unnecessary debt and the interest payments and limitations that debt always brings.

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Similarly, the budget shows how carefully the city is managed. Is there waste? Is technology being used to reduce costs and creatively do more with less money?

It seems an inevitable law of government that budgets will grow. Some growth obviously is needed to keep up with increasing populations and inflation. Other growth, however,  just creeps into the system. This type of unmanaged budgetary growth should be restrained since it wastes taxpayer money and is not good for our city.

At a minimum, I believe Starkville’s budget should be carefully analyzed before it is brought up for approval. This extra step provides necessary time to root out waste and inefficiencies. Likewise, city employees and department heads should be encouraged to find ways to lower costs through the use of technology and improved methods of getting the job done.

At a foundational level, it is not the city’s money that is being spent. It is the people’s money — money that was taken from them through taxation! Elected officials are entrusted with the challenging task of spending those funds wisely on behalf of the people who elected them. If chosen by the people to serve as alderman, I will remember whose money is being spent and will seek to maximize their “bang for the buck.”

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All city officials should view their elected position as an act of public service. As such, each one is responsible for the health and well-being of the community. Chief among these responsibilities is to continually deliver (and even improve) essential city services at a high level of quality.

This improvement process entails everything from allocating essential funding to creatively maximizing the impact of public expenditures through the efficient use of technology and management. In short, aldermen spend the citizen’s money on their behalf and should make sure they continually stretch it to achieve the best deal possible. In so doing, city services can be improved without levying additional burdens on the community.

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Thank you for visiting MikeAllen.com and for your interest in making Starkville a better community. It is with a sense of honor and humility that I submit myself to the citizens of Starkville Ward 5 as a candidate for alderman.

I seek to not just talk about public service, but to perform public service. I know we can do more to enrich our community and attract quality jobs. At the end of the day, I want Starkville to be our children’s first choice when they establish their adult lives.

My priorities as alderman include the following:

1. Improve essential city services – roads, sanitation, police & fire protection, etc.
2. Wisely manage the budget – reduce waste, use technology to cut costs
3. Plan ahead so we don’t have to borrow later – innovate, be creative
4. Leverage community resources to better address social problems – churches, non-profits
5. Enhance our city image – spruce up, beautify, recycle
6. Promote entrepreneurship and small business development – grow our own success & attract high-tech jobs
7. Exhibit a TEAM attitude – Together Everyone Accomplishes More
8. Encourage excellence – recognize and learn from those among us who achieve greatness

I am experienced — I have a Masters degree in Public Policy and Administration, coordinated and facilitated local government education and certification programs for eight years with the Center for Governmental Training & Technology at MSU, and co-edited Municipal Government in Mississippi (published in 2001 and used in every city in Mississippi). I am also a small business owner and employer and an active member of the Greater Starkville Development Partnership and the Starkville Young Professionals. I invite you to learn more about my qualifications and background and each of the basic priorities listed above (click each link for specific details).

Please talk with me. I value your input. I know I don’t have all the answers myself but I am confident that together we can find them. I look forward to serving our city as Ward 5 alderman.

I would appreciate your support and humbly request your vote in the General Election on June 2. Please contact me if I can be of assistance to you.  Thank you for your consideration in this important civic matter.

Sincerely,

Mike Allen

P.S. Please sign up to receive my periodic email newsletter. Also, if you are a techie like me, you may wish to follow me on Twitter. And if you’re wondering, you can find out why I chose to run as a Republican.