The Show Must Go On
I hope that you and your families came safely through the storm that damaged many parts of our city on Tuesday. Despite the disruptions caused by the week’s crazy weather, I was honored to speak with quite a few great people and groups this week.
At a Fraternal Order of Police Goldstar Lodge 65 meeting, I shared my plan for making Huntington safer, which starts with ensuring that the police department is fully staffed and has all of the resources it needs. For Huntington to thrive, public safety has to be Job #1.
The League of Women Voters held a well attended mayoral forum at Highlawn Presbyterian Church. I was thrilled to see many familiar faces and very much appreciated the engagement of their congregation, who clearly love their church.
At the Highlawn Neighborhood Association’s Meet the Candidates night, I shared my thoughts on how drugs and crime have changed the neighborhood from when I was growing up. I’m convinced that developing the ACF property and demolishing the dilapidated houses in Highlawn will drive investment back into this cherished neighborhood.
The Southside Neighborhood Association held the most in-depth mayoral forum we’ve had so far. It lasted about two hours, and all five candidates answered questions from the moderator and guests in attendance. (Four attended, and the fifth sent in written responses.) It was streamed and recorded, so if you are a member of the Southside Neighborhood Organization on Facebook, you can see for yourself how we answered these questions and more.
Huntington is known as the Jewel City. What do you think is the most underrated/underutilized Jewel in our community?
What priorities will be reflected and emphasized in your budget?
A particular concern of the South Side and Enslow Park is flooding from Four Pole Creek. Within your capacity as Mayor, what do you intend to do to alleviate this issue?
What do you plan to accomplish in your first 30 days and first 90 days as Mayor?
What local events, charities, or community initiatives do you consider valuable and plan to continue supporting or sponsoring for our city?
How do you plan to promote economic growth and job creation locally?
How will you ensure transparency and accountability in local government?
What strategies do you have to address affordable housing and homelessness in our area?
What measures will you implement to support small businesses and entrepreneurship locally?
How do you plan to engage with and involve residents in decision-making processes?
To wrap up, I encourage you to take a look at the candidate questionnaires the Herald-Dispatch posted online this week and will run in a future paper edition. Researching the candidates for City Council in your district and voting for people you believe will lead our city to a brighter future is particularly important this year.
Here is my profile.
Name - Patrick J. Farrell
Age - 49
Candidate for - Huntington Mayor
Political party - Republican
Campaign website - www.patrickfarrellwv.com and facebook.com/PatrickFarrellWV
Town of residence - Huntington, WV
Education - Huntington East High School, U.S. Air Force Academy (B.S), Duke University (MBA)
Occupation - Businessman
Personal statement (250 words or less) -
I’m a veteran with combat-proven leadership experience and a business owner who’s successfully led multi-million dollar companies through economic ups and downs. As a leader of the Marshall Board of Governors, I’ve made difficult decisions that were instrumental in reversing a decades-long decline, paving the way for the university to grow again.
Now I’m running for mayor to fix our hardest problems. I’ll address our homelessness crisis by helping people get off the streets and get the recovery resources they need. I’ll direct city resources to help bring an end to the deadly opioid crisis and start to heal our community. I’ll fully fund the police and stand with law enforcement to keep our neighborhoods safe. I’ll foster an environment that strengthens the economy and creates more good-paying jobs.
Huntington has serious problems that require serious people to solve them. It will require close collaboration with Marshall University and the healthcare community to holistically tackle our toughest challenges. It will take disciplined leadership to bring our community together, focus our resources, and avoid divisive distractions.
I love Huntington. I left to join the military and then came back home after serving our country because I wanted to live, work, and raise a family here. I believe in Huntington’s potential, and I believe in its people. I’m ready to fight to make our city safer and more livable so future generations can thrive and proudly call it home.
Read about my plans to lead our city at https://patrickjfarrell.substack.com.
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