If you don't know me, My name is Roger Rillo. I have lived in St. Marys for about 20 years. I came here with my family, after retiring from the Marine Corps, and now I'm running for City Council.
I believe our local governments have let taxes and spending get out of hand, and that our elected officials have forgotten they are there as our representatives. I believe the people we elect should listen to the taxpaying voters who put them in office. I set up this blog so I can talk to you about issues facing our City, and about my ideas; and so you can ask me questions and express your concerns. I hope I will be able to win your vote.
In my opinion, the most pressing issues currently facing us are:
I believe our local governments have let taxes and spending get out of hand, and that our elected officials have forgotten they are there as our representatives. I believe the people we elect should listen to the taxpaying voters who put them in office. I set up this blog so I can talk to you about issues facing our City, and about my ideas; and so you can ask me questions and express your concerns. I hope I will be able to win your vote.
In my opinion, the most pressing issues currently facing us are:
- Fair tax assessments
- Fair millage rates
- Fair representation on County Board of Assessors
- Controlling Expenses/Monitoring how public funds are spent
- Improving current infrastructure
- Economic/Business development/jobs for the future
- Helping current business survive
I look forward to talking with you.
Roger
What is your planned approach to tackling the issues you've mentioned?
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, I see that Alex Kearns, the founder and chair of the Green, eco-weenie organization known as the St. Marys EarthKeepers - a branch office of the international EarthKeepers - fed you your first soft ball, straight man, set-up question moments after you first publihed this blog on the 13th, 5 days before its existence was published in today's T&G. How did that come to pass? Is she on your campaign staff in any capacity?
ReplyDeleteOnce again - the St. Marys EarthKeepers are in no way affiliated with the "international EarthKeepers" organization or any other organization of that name. We are an autonomous 501c3 civic group that is concerned, solely, with protecting and improving the environmental well-being of St. Marys.
ReplyDeleteI am not on Roger Rillo's "campaign staff" - nor that of any other candidate. I asked a direct question: one that we should all be asking each and every candidate for Council.
Thanks for the question Alex.
ReplyDeleteOne of the problems that we are having now is due to poor planning and not following a master plan. With good planning we can solve many problems. At this time we are trying to solve problems by annexing properties not in St. Marys or even close. This will not solve the problem, it will just amplify it.
I would like to first look over where the bleeding is. If we can cut spending than we can cut taxes. I will be diligent in this. I believe we have to control spending especially spending outside of the city area. We have no business spending money on items that may not happen.
I will fight for the things we need to protect our seniors, children, and our homes.I believe we do need to look back at the formula that brought people and business here.
I will continue the fight to get our taxes back down both commercial and residential. The taxes are what's driving business away.
I want to give the citizens the city back. It was the people of St. Marys that brought my family here and not the Navy or developers.
As for the comment made by Mr. Moreno,
ReplyDeleteAlex Kearns is a friend and she has the right to ask any question(s) that she would like. I have to earn her vote the same as any other. I do not have a campaign staff, this could be verified through the qualifying paperwork I turned in.
And if you care to verify Alex Kearns was not the founder of Earthkeepers in St. Marys and as of yet they have no connection with any international group.
It seems to me like Ms. Kearns asked a pretty good question. Shouldn't we all ask this to every candidate? What difference does it make if she asked before an ad shows up in the paper? I guess Mr. Rillo knows people around here or why else would he try to get elected?
ReplyDeleteIt looks like Mr. Rillo set up this blog so we can all ask him questions about what he wants to do if he gets elected. Why dont we do that instead of using all these blogs just to throw stones at each other. Then we could learn something and make a better decision on election day.
Okay, here goes. Roger, in your minds eye, start walking north fromt he corner in front of St. Marys City Hall. I owuld suggest to you that every single structure you will emncounter,on both sides of the street, be it residential or commercial, from there, north to the old mill site, with the exception of the new school, Dr. Jones' new office, and the old Jehovah's Witness church cum liquor store, are nothing but fatally obsolete eyesores that would best be bulldozed rather than renovated.
ReplyDeleteWould you support urban renewal efforts, via the DDAs power of eminent domain, for that area?
If so, explain to us your concept of exactly how that would work.
Now, once the city has taken over temporary ownership of that property, would you support loans from the DDA revolving loan fund for individual businesses to build in that area?
If one large developer wanted the whole tract and had a good redevelopement plan, would you support a TAD for that purpose?
Architecturally speaking, what type of buinesses buildings and residences would you like to see in that urban renewal zone?
If another major developer expresses interest int he old mill site, what city tax incentives, if any, would you be prepared to offer that investor?
Thank you for your questions Mr. Moreno.
ReplyDeleteFirst let me say I do not believe that what you see as an eyesore is the same in everyone else's eyes. I'm sorry but I do believe in restoration and renovations, having worked on many such projects. I love seeing people's eyes when they see those wood floors come to life.
Second, no I would not support Eminent Domain except in cases where there is a crackhouse or a severely dilapidated home and the owners had no intention to repair and owed backtaxes.
I do not believe just because we may not see the beauty in someone else's home that we have the right to make it conform to a new or updated standard. I love the old homes, their history, their family histories and their character.
You may start at city hall and go north, and then someone will say,"you know it doesn't look all that good south of here", Then they will want to knock down everything all the way to the waterfront.
Believe it or not some people love their old homes, and there have been some nice renovations done in that area already. Jeff Sanford family, the Day Care facility, Flem Hall's, just to name a few, and now the Red Wall is in the renovation process. These are what Historical St. Marys is made of.
Third Question. I would not advocate taking property from anyone except for, as I stated before, seriously dilapidated and rundown properties that no one cares about. If Eminent Domain were to ever be used it would have to be for the public good, schools, parks,infrastructure needs, but never for the profits of Private Interest. These rules have been in existence for Many years and we should never put Private Interest above the citizens needs.
Fourth question. This is an easy one. NO TAD's. TAD's were a tool designed to used by CITIES to enhance unuseable or blighted properties, and then they would be appealing to a developer who would then pay a premium for the property. The city would gain a higher tax benefit from that sale. I would not support helping a developer make a bigger profit at taxpayers expense.
Item 5. One of the things that Bill Gross did right was he built his building,(on Osborne and Hall streets), to conform to the downtown. This makes it complimentary to the downtown and the surrounding neighborhood. He gave it a little modernization and a little downtown charm. Great job Bill.
You have to remember what brought people here, it was the character of the downtown, I've never heard anyone say they moved here because we had a WALMART.
The Last Item. That would have to be dependent on the nature of the development or business. Are they bringing good jobs and how many? What type of infrastructure needs will they have? What impact will it have on the tax base? You cannot arbitrarily say yes to everything, and if I didn't take note of everything then the taxpayers may not get a fair break.
Thank you for your questions Mr. Moreno. I hope these answers helped clear up where I stand on the issues confronting our city.
Thank you for your answers.
ReplyDeleteI, too, believe in preserving all that is south of city hall, hence the line of demarcation in my question. However, I can't think of a single solitary structure fronting Osborne, save the ones I mentioned,between the city hall and the mill site, which could- or should - be renovated to meet the standard of renewal set by the new school ansd Dr. Jones office without matching or exceeding the cost to rebuild.
I would hope that we would see more dual use (business downstairs / residence(s)) upstairs along the stretch under discussion. As far as pure residences, I believe modern, period reproductions, such as the ones Gross has built over on Dillingham, would be ideal.
How would you feel about extending low interest, city backed (i.e., through DDA revolving loan funds)loans to private citizens who would agree to demolish their obsolete structures and rebuild according to the above guidelines?
Roger, it is well known that you are very involved with what goes on in "downtown St. Marys."
ReplyDeleteCould you name your top three issues that do not involve downtown St. Marys and would effect or be of concern to some or all of the other 99% of us who do not live downtown and rarely have a reason to go there?
Mr. Moreno, as I said before the owners of those properties that you see as "obsolete structures", have already been renovating their properties. You really insult them when you keep referring to them as if their opinions do not matter. It is their properties and I, and I'm sure I'm not alone, think they are doing a fine job renovating their homes and properties. I wish more people would restore and renovate the old homes. But I do understand that the costs for renovations can be high and not always possible.
ReplyDeleteAs far as building a block full of business below/residence above, you need to check out downtown Jacksonville, they thought the same thing. They assumed the people would just flock to those neighborhoods, well apparently most people didn't feel the same way. The apartments are still vacant and the developers are trying to get money out of the city for talking them into the project.
As for DDA or the city loaning money for rebuilding, I believe we have trouble managing the city budget without getting into the banking business.
As for the three items that effect all of St. Marys:
1) We have to fix the Tax Assessment debacle. This problem is hurting our businesses as well as residences. The areas that were not attacked this year will surely get it in the next round. We need to get a representative on that tax board, currently St. Marys has no representation on the board.
2) Infrastructure problems still plague the city. I.E. the neighborhoods that were annexed in early 2000 and still have no waste hook ups. And we've had lift stations and pipe problems throughout the city. The bridge repairs on Mickler is an infrastructure problem.
3) Cut waste spending. The city needs to tighten it's belt just like many of us have had to do. If we don't then there will be more tax increases and fee increases for city services.
Why do we have the DDA and St Marys Tourism. Word is there is bad blood between the two.
ReplyDeleteAgain, thank you for your answers. Just so you will know, the city, via the DDA, is already in the business of lending money for downtown renovations, from the JDA revolving loan fund.
ReplyDeleteI thought you were there atr the very recent council meeting when they approved a loan to the people who are buying Kyle Lewis' old hardware store to turn it into some sort of psychological counseling practice. My understanding was that that was the second such loan they had made downtown. You might want to call Alyce and get briefed on that.
My understanding that the two have different responsibilities. DDA, Downtown Development Authority, is supposed to be bringing business into the downtown. They are an arm of the EDA, Economic Development Authority, which is supposed to bring business into the city.
ReplyDeleteTourism is just over tourism.
Each has had their successes, DDA and EDA with the Mainstreet Project and working with developers and new businesses. The community market is a popular venue and I have heard from new people the assistance and advice from Alyce and her staff has been helpful. I know that Alyce can advise on programs such as SCORE and others to assist new businesses.
Tourism has also had their successes. They helped get the St. Marys Mardi Gras festival get selected by the Super Bowl committee, which was not an easy task. Janet and her staff worked hard with Kevin to get the water taxi between St. Marys and Fernandina, which has been an excellent endeavor between both cities. Janet and her staff's job is to concentrate on tourism and visitors, maintain the daily operations over Orange Hall. They also handle the tour of homes at Christmas and the Yule Log search to raise toys for the Badge of Benevolence program.
If there is bad blood between the two I'm sure that it is something that can be fixed with proper leadership. These should be two that can benefit from each other.
Yes Mr. Moreno I was at that meeting and I know that Alyce had assisted or was assisting them to get funding.I believe they needed the city to approve the project in order for the funding to be approved, I don't believe the city was responsible for or allocated any funds. I will check my notes from that night.
ReplyDeleteThat's correct. The seed money for the DDA revolving loan fund came from a grant from the state. The city is not responsible should borrowers default on their loans.
ReplyDeleteHello Roger. I've asked many of the other candidates, so now I'll ask you - what is your position regarding the proposed airport relocation to Site 1?
ReplyDeleteI will be honest about this. Everyone knows my feelings about the airport, from the beginning I've supported keeping the airport.
ReplyDeleteIt is an important tool for economic development. Some say that we need to use the airport property as an industrial/commercial developement. We already have three nearly empty industrial parks in the area and there is a lot of open space around the airport property now.
Moving the airport to the other end of the county serves only one purpose, to help Sea Island and their investors. The proposed Sea Island project takes up over 17,000 acres, over 500 for the airport alone. The plans are at the County Planning office if you want to verify those figures. Over 2000 acres are high quality marshland.
I am not a tree hugger, my wife is, so since her and I have been having an ongoing debate over global warming and other Eco-facts, I decided to take a semester of Conservation Biology offerred at Valdosta State. I reccommend this class to anyone that wants to learn about or simply clarify a few facts. The professor Mr. Boatwright is also not a tree hugger but he did stress the importance of the marshlands. The roles it plays in the ecosystem both important to the environment and to human life. It was a bit of an eye-opener and although I'm not giving up my gas guzzling clunker, I believe we do need some protection along our wetlands.
I'm not alone in this either. Gov. Sonny Perdue purchased and protected wetlands along the Altamaha, Brantly County recently passed an ordinance to restrict building along the Satilla, Sen. Jeff Chapman fought hard to Protect Jekyll Island. These are just a few recent events, this is why I needed to learn more about conservation. I'm not an expert but I will say I'm more enlightened.
Site 1, as the DNR, Dept. of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife, Army Corps of Engineers all have said in writing, this is not the best site of the NINE. For both Environmental Issues as well as building requirements. The cost of building the airport on this site cost millions more even if you include Sea Island giving the property to the project.
So for all those reasons and other considerations I will fight for our airport. I am running for Councilman for the City of Historical St. Marys, not councilman of Camden County.
Since this is in the same area, I will fight to protect our waterfront, and all the surrounding wetlands as I have in the past, for environmental reasons and because they have a beauty we will never be able to replace.
Roger, great website and good idea. I did this when I ran for mayor. It is a great tool.
ReplyDeleteMy question will be related to comments you made regarding the airport. You said "we need to use the airport for industrial/commercial development...and, "there are already empty industrial parks etc...all around it". With all due respect, Roger, but this airport has been here for 70 years, and until recently, without a permanent restricted airspace, so where is the industry/commercial development after 70 years? Please tell us how you are going to do it differently? Thanks, Deb Hase
Councilmember Hase,
ReplyDeleteIf you remember correctly Historical St. Marys didn't even start to grow until fairly recently, unfortunately the airport wasn't allowed to grow since 2001. Yes 9/11 was the initial freeze but it is'nt anymore.
We Can use the surrounding airport property, if we just use a little imagination. There is sufficient open area surrounding the property to put in Mr. Trader's convention center and Hotel.
When Rose and I took a little drive around we could see not just areas for a Hotel/Convention center, but room enough for smaller meeting rooms and offices. Didn't a deal just fall through where Williams Brothers were going to purchase 20 acres for truss manufacturing? I'm sure that land didn't just disappear. Accross from the Eagles, isn't that an empty lot used to store unused equipment?
It seems that when our administration thinks about development all we consider is housing and not industrial or commercial other than retail.
Maybe the reason there hasn't been any industrial/commercial development there, is because we haven't tried hard enough to bring any there. Although I do know that Kyle and his group have tried, but there is only so much you can do when one of your best assets (the airport) is constantly under attack because people want more property to sell. Let's face it, even if we did shut down the airport and/or relocate it, there are very few people that are investing into major developments right now.
Deborah, we need to use everything we have to our advantage. Let's leave the airport alone and let's see what Alyce and the Industrial Development Authority can do with it. Maybe I'm wrong. Let's set some goals, let's start trying to make the airport viable, let's do some real research and see if the airport is bringing in needed economic boost to the city, it was the RS&H study that said the airport brought in millions, INDIRECTLY. If it's true then we need it.
Why don't we concentrate on those areas that need work. We have other areas besides the airport. Cumberland Harbor, Winding River, Moody Lakes, Cumberland Palms. Why don't we see what we can do with these before we start looking to more residential development. I know they are involved in bankruptcy and/or restructuring, but how long do we sit idly by while the backtaxes pileup?
While we are discussing relocation, how much are the taxpayers willing to spend in lawyer and court costs to fight these environmental groups, including the SELC. How long did they tie up Cumberland Harbor and at what cost? Are you sure the citizens will be behind you when we pay out thousands to attorneys?
Bottom line is this, we need to work together on this, we don't need to divide the city and we need to help those auhtorities, the Economic Development, Industrial Development, and the Downtown Development, do their jobs. You are a strong willed person and when you fix your mind on something you're as bad as I am. Imagine if we worked together, and the authorities knew we had their backs, maybe we could bring some much needed jobs, and a little economic prosperity wouldn't hurt.
Roger,
ReplyDeleteYour optimism about the possibility of industries showing up at the aiport after 70 years puts me in mind of some other folks who have been patiently waitng for about that same amount of time for their airports to bear such fruit.
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/john.html
I think that your hopes are only marginally more realiistic. There is no shortage of other more suitable locations in Camden ( and even in St. Marys) for industrial development.
You are right that I am an optimist. That I'll accept as a compliment. My Daddy raised 6 children without a wife, my youngest sister was 2 and my eldest brother was 12, and I never heard him complain about how hard his life was. I guess I came by it honestly.
ReplyDeleteI do have high hopes for Historical St. Marys, and I will work hard for her. As you say there are a lot of locations for development possible all around St. Marys, but the area around the airport behind the Police Department is designated as St. Marys' Industrial Park.
Realistically, do yuo think that the St. Marys EarthKeepers would actually allow ANY buisnes that takes raw materials or semi-finished product in one door and ships finished product out the other to locate in the heart of St. Marys? I'm sure you know exactly who recruited the couple of extreme leftist organizations who will fight the new airport, regardless of where it is built. She will do just exactly the same thing with any "manufacturing" concern, no matter how "light," that might be recruited to St. Marys (or Camden at large, for that matter). It's the nature of the leftist beast.
ReplyDeleteI think you give the Earthkeepers a little too much credit and power.
ReplyDeleteThe Earthkeepers' decision to speakout about site 1 for airport relocation was based on their the environmental concerns of that site. If you had read all the letters from the Dept. of Interior, DNR, Fish and Wildlife, Army Corps of Engineers, even the RS&H study, they all say the same thing and raise the same questions. Let's just move on.
Earthkeepers have done a lot for St. Marys and feel strongly about their issues. So what? Know one says the city has to do everything they say. I bet that there are a lot of other people that understand why marshlands need to be protected and were not aware of the impact an airport on site 1 would have.
If the airport has to be relocated, why not site 9? When you move the power lines and mitigate the replacement wetlands, you are going to have to use Eminent Domain anyway, or has no one thought of that? That is one of the biggest reasons I am opposing relocation. That and the cost to taxpayers for so little gain in the next 10 years. It's not worth it at this time.
Look at the projected growth in west Kingsland, they are expecting Industrial/commercial and residential booms there. Wouldn't and airport fit in there?(site 9, I believe)