WHY JOHN CARDWELL?
Smart Growth
Smart growth can be good for a community, but ill-planned or ill-timed growth can wreck the very essence of our great town. Controlling growth is more than just voting yes or no at a meeting. It is doing the work well before the meetings to ensure that growth does not outpace infrastructure, city services, or place undue hardship or costs on current residents. It takes long-range, strategic planning, and vision. As a city councilman and a director of the Loudon Utilities, I initiated the effort for both organizations to conduct strategic planning.
However, growth must go hand in hand with historic preservation. This is one of my passions. As a councilman, I started an official advisory committee to assist the city and landowners on historic preservation. The City of Loudon Historic Preservation Advisory Committee has had several successes. I wrote a new Historic Zoning ordinance which now gives the city some muscle in enforcing historic preservation. Prior to this effort, it was merely voluntary. Now the city has the power to protect our historic buildings and landmarks. I then initiated and led the effort with the Department of the Interior to have the city receive the designation as a Certified Local Government. Once we had this designation, I worked closely with the East Tennessee Development District and led the city’s effort to apply for and receive a grant to conduct a historic asset survey of Loudon which will be completed by October. This survey will enable Loudon to update our historic building guidelines to further protect historic Loudon.
Fiscally Conservative:
Budget with a Purpose
One of the issues I championed when I campaigned for City Council was to work hard on city finances and ensure the best city services at the best value.
This means making every dollar go as far as possible. I have worked to protect our tax dollars, and I am by far the most fiscally conservative member of the council.
But we are still coming up short.
The last two budgets have put us in a deficit. We are spending more than we are taking in.
I was the only member of the council to vote against these budgets.
Yes, our city has needs that require fiscal support, but we cannot pursue projects without first determining how and if we can pay for it. I feel I have the thoughtfulness and courage to lead those decisions. The city has a healthy reserve fund, and we need to use it for one-time capital projects, but we cannot use our savings to fund recurring expenses. If we do not fix our budget, in three years we will have about a $1.2 million dollar deficit and little in the reserve fund. Then we will be forced to dramatically raise taxes, reduce city services, or lay off employees. We can no longer kick the can down the road.
As your Mayor, I want to change how
we budget. Get rid of outdated line-item budgeting and transition to performance budgeting. Budget with a purpose.
Budget resources to accomplish our
strategic goals.
We need leaders that have the courage
to balance budgets and not
just avoid tough decisions.
I have lead organizations with very large, complex budgets, and I want to bring this experience to Loudon.
Downtown Revitalization
Downtown revitalization is essential to Loudon’s future and economic success. Downtown has been our identity since the 1830s. But for too long, there was no movement. I was tired of seeing us spin our wheels, so as a member of the Tennessee Downtown committee, I formulated the idea for a comprehensive downtown plan to address these needs. With my background in strategic planning, I believed this was the right step to move us forward. I wrote a scope of work for the project and led the effort for the city to hire EDSA to help us coordinate the effort. The plan process included citizen town halls, online surveys, detailed economic analysis, and in-depth infrastructure reviews. The result was a plan that establishes a clear vision for downtown which is not just city leaders’ ideas but input from residents and visitors alike. To connect this, I worked on the Mainstreet committee for the city. I wrote the three-year work plan, the three-year budget, the historic preservation chapter and helped finalize the application to get us across the finish line and now Loudon is an official Tennessee Mainstreet Town.
This brings us to a critical inflection point. I do not want to see all our planning efforts go unrealized. The city hall is full of plans and books of ideas that have never come to fruition. As your Mayor, I want to continue the momentum and make these plans a reality. But plans mean nothing unless you have ethical, experienced leadership which can bring resources, people, and vison together.
Service & Integrity
Growing up in Tennessee his whole life, John learned the value of service and integrity. These values have served him well in both military and civilian careers. John is known for his honest and forthright leadership. Being an honest and selfless servant to this community is important and necessary to the success of Loudon. In government service, it is not just what you do, but how you do it. Integrity and honor are the building blocks of trust.
Experienced Leadership
In the beginning of his long his military career, John commanded 15 Soldiers and by the end oversaw the readiness of over 340,000 Soldiers, Marines, Airman, Sailors, and Coast Guardsman in North America. From leading Soldiers in combat to directing relief of natural disasters, to briefing White House leadership, John has demonstrated mature, seasoned, experienced leadership for almost four decades.
Commitment
John has a proven track record of commitment to people. As a military officer or financial planner, John has shown this commitment. Now he is committed to the future of the City of Loudon. Committed to serve the citizens of Loudon and never use his position for personal benefit or profit. Commit to open, transparent, and responsive government. He is prepared and dedicated to serve his hometown as
Loudon City Mayor.
