5 Questions for the Aberdeen Candidates: Nicole Burlew
Harfordnow has prepared the questions below from email submissions and blog entries. We will be emailing these questions to each of the candidates for mayor and city council in Aberdeen.
First up to the plate is Nicole Burlew, who is running for mayor of Aberdeen. Nicole is a 19-year political science major at Towson University, and a 2006 graduate of Aberdeen High School. You can read more about Nicole and her ideas for the city at her website: HarfordFlyer.
What preparations do you believe Aberdeen needs to undertake for BRAC? Do you feel like we are prepared or on the right track? How will you prioritize the preparations needed?
Currently Ripken Stadium is not being used as a revenue source for the city. What methods do you recommend to capitalize on the success of the property?
Last year, through referendum, the citizens of Aberdeen voted to stop the Wetlands Annexation. However, there are still plans to bring the land into the city. Do you support the latest Wetlands plan? Do you feel the city should be looking to annex more land into the city’s limits? If so, what benefits do you believe annexation provides?
Property taxes and service fees have increased greatly over the past few years. How do you propose to lessen the burden on Aberdeen residents?
What new methods do you believe need to be implemented to combat crime in Aberdeen? Do you believe that current tactics are effective in cleaning up the city?
I have been asked these questions repeatedly by the citizens of Aberdeen and the best and most honest answer I can come up with, is this:
The only way to approach any of the issues you mentioned, is to just stop and figure out how far these issues have already been addressed. I will utilize and question every expert in each of these fields and ask why can’t it be fixed, upgraded, replaced, enhanced or eliminated. I will go into this office determined to find final answers to the questions that you have posted. The citizens of Aberdeen must also understand that even if I had the solutions to all of these concerns, does not mean they will get attended to. Any solution must first be approved by majority vote of the city council members, then the issue may need county, state and/or even federal approval. We have not even looked at the financial, legal, moral or geographical constraints of any action we may want to take. Maybe the solution is to tackle one issue at a time, then move on to the next. Trying to tackle all issues at once seems to have resulted in very little being done. Thank you for the opportunity to speak with the members of your site.
Nicole,
First let me start by saying that young, fresh views are always
supported by me and I give you a lot of credit for stepping up to the
plate and doing what so many young people don’t… trying to make a
difference. We all know how it works when new ideas are proposed and we
also know that even though you might have the answers, the job still
might not get done. But what we don’t know is how YOU prioritize the
issues and where YOU stand on taxes, annexation, crime and the
infrastructure preparedness of Aberdeen.
I am writing this because I feel that you are giving yourself an
unfair disadvantage by not answering the questions pointedly. What
happens
when the others answer the questions and are more descript in their
plans and platforms. People will dismiss you and like I said above, I
really think we need a young, fresh take on so many things in this
community.
As a thirty something year old college educated working mom of 3
little girls who attend the public schools in our district, I am very
intetested in what happens to Aberdeen and our community. I think that
there is so much potential and it really is a transitional are at the
present that could go either way. I am hoping that there continue to be
positive changes and improvement so I personally don’t have to sell the
house I love and leave a great community.
KJ
I understand what you are saying, but every candidate past and present have had discript plans and platforms and isn’t that the reason you voted for them? How many of them have let us down, How many discript plans were actually implemented? Everything looks good on paper but it always amounts to very little being accomplished. I don’t want to make promises without facts. I don’t want plans, I want solutions. Thank you…Nicole
While I commend you on your enthusiasm and commitment, I fear that this job - Mayor of our city - is just too important to risk the unknown. Decisions of the Council and Mayor directly affect my wallet and my family’s quality of life and I feel (as do some others I have spoken with) that Aberdeen is a critical juncture in its history.
We need leaders with tempered experience who can assume responsibility and accountability to the voters and taxpayers.
While I agree with your point about Mayor, I feel it’s a shame that Nicole isn’t running for the council. I think a city council should be diverse in it’s demographics to reflect the city it serves, and Aberdeen will be getting younger and younger very soon.
But how to get solutions… that is important information before you go vote for your next Mayor of the city you live in, pay taxes in and choose to raise your family in. I wish you luck and look forward to seeing what you have to offer the area in the future!
Nicole,
Congrats on the sun article! I really like your perspective that win or lose, you are gaining invaluable experience in the political process.
Thank you for your comment.
You risk the unown every election. Mayor Simmons is an insurance salesman, who runs he’s own business. We all expected so much from him. we feel he let us down. He has not done a very good job protecting your wallet in the last two years. No, Aberdeen was at a critical junction almost 2 years ago,we are just closer now and with no solutions ahead. The reason we voted for the mayor was because we believed he had experience. Truth is, if you want someone with real experience the people of Aberdeen won’t attract any, when all we offer is $10,000.00 for a $150,000.00 dollar job. But you never know, a good idea can come from just about any source. Thank you, please keep your comments coming. Maybe if we talk about things out in the open for everyone to see, we just may come up with answer.
Well let me put it this way. When people own a car, they do as much as they can to keep the car going. right? They change the oil, replace the windshield wipers, rotate tires. Then one day the car makes an awful clanking noise. This is beyond most people’s ability to repair, replace the problem. So, should drivers stop driving, because they don’t know how to fix the problem? No, they look for someone with experience and ask, What is that noise, can it be replaced or repaired?
and the question we all ask is how much? That is what a mayor does she fixes all the problems she can without help and when she needs help, she calls on the experts, But she doesn’t stop driving.
Thank you, and it’s true, win or lose I am gaining valuble experience.
I heard your comments made on 101.9 lite fm on Thursday October 11, 2007. The radio personality asked you whether or not you running for mayor was part of school project? Your answer was no, you were running for experience and to help Aberdeen. But I heard from a reliable source (another candidate) that you running for mayor was for a school project. This was for your thesis in your political research course. Is this true?
No, you are misinformed, reread my bio. at http://www.harfordflyer.com
I was doing a research paper on “sentencing issues” and I came across Aberdeen’s website, where I began looking for local statistics. That’s when I found the candidate requirement page. I have to write 2 Political science papers, My topics are “Sentencing issues” and on “Hugo Chavez.” which can be confirmed by my two Professors. My mistake was not clarifying this in my Bio. I would recommend that the only “reliable source” you should count on is me. Thank you for your comment i haope this answer was helpful.
Ms. Burlew