A letter to the community from Citizens for a Better Nassau

Citizen for a Better Nassau
Bill Gingrich, Chair
July 11, 2018 10:30 a.m.

 

To say this is a big election year is an understatement. In fact, it’s a very important cycle that could have major, far-reaching effects on our state and county’s future. Between Primary Election Day in August and General Election Day in November, you will be voting on U.S. Senate and Congressional seats, Governor and the Cabinet, State Legislature and 13 Constitutional Amendments, along with other state and local seats, including two local County Commission seats and other important local posts.

While all of these races are important, we shouldn’t overlook the fact that we have many local offices up for election. These local offices directly affect our everyday lives, and the people we elect to fill them will make vital decisions that deal with our quality of life, property values, cost of living, schools, roads and other local infrastructure. Our local government decides a lot about what happens in our community. From our neighborhoods to the roads we drive on and the quality of the schools we send our children to, our local elected officials have a say in all of it.

Citizens for a Better Nassau County’s guiding principles are a road map to get the county back on the right financial path. We have espoused these principles not only so the people of Nassau County can know what it takes to restore economic stability to the county, but also so our elected officials know what course is needed to put the county in a better position. We cannot stress this enough, especially as the Nassau County Board of County Commissioners are being faced with forming the budget for the next fiscal year. Tough times are upon us and county commissioners will need to make tough decisions to avoid an immediate $11 million shortfall and keep the high quality of life that we’re used to in our community. Keep in mind, this shortfall doesn’t even include the tens of millions of dollars in unfunded capital and maintenance that the county has had to defer because it does not have a funding source.

Maintaining the status quo means forfeiting our quality of life and letting our county depreciate even further with projects continuing to be postponed, little or no money to help in the event of storms, and no money to apply for grants that require matching funds (a large amount of these go to fix and pave our roads).

This is why it is so important for you to know who is representing you and your interests and who is fighting for our community to ensure we are looking toward smart, economic growth, private capital investment and high-wage, high-quality job creation, as well as broadening and diversifying our tax base to decrease the county’s dependence on residential property taxes to fund all government services and prevent the burden from falling on the shoulders of taxpayers.

Citizens for a Better Nassau County believes informed citizens make better, stronger and more prosperous communities. Therefore, we encourage you to pay attention to what’s going on in our local government and prepare now to make sure your voice is heard in these local races that, based on the demographics of our county’s registered voters, will largely be decided on Primary Election Day.

Another important item to remember is that you may want to consider requesting a mail ballot if you won’t be in Nassau County for the summer or might not be able to make it to the polls on Primary Election Day, which is Tuesday, August 28, 2018. You can request a mail ballot from the Nassau County Supervisor of Elections office by calling 904.491.7500 or 800.260.4301, or you can request a mail ballot at VoteNassau.com. Please note, the deadline to request an absentee ballot for Primary Election Day is by 5 p.m. on the sixth day before the election, and the deadline to be registered for the August Primary Election is Monday, July 30, 2018

Here’s some helpful information to get prepared as we move closer to Primary Election Day.

Nassau County Supervisor of Elections Office, James S. Page Governmental Complex, 96135 Nassau Place, Suite 3
Yulee, FL 32097
Phone: 904.491.7500
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: VoteNassau.com

Chairman Bill Gingrich
Citizens for a Better Nassau

Retired Businessman Bill Gingrich is the chair of ‘Citizens for a Better Nassau County.’ For more information on ‘Citizens for a Better Nassau County,’ please visit CitizensforaBetterNassau.com.

 

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Douglas Newberry
Douglas Newberry (@guest_51817)
5 years ago

There is only one way to guarantee prosperity for Nassau County and that is having a public bank. Simple as can be… easy peasy. Discover the power of public banking.