Mayor Mike Taylor
Office sought: Mayor of New Philadelphia
Age: 58
Family: Wife Patty and children Seth, Adam, Ian and Jill
Education: Graduate of Kent State University –Tuscarawas with Associate Degrees in Criminal Justice and General Studies
Hometown: New Philadelphia
Occupation: Mayor of New Philadelphia and Hobby Antique Dealer
Political Party: Democrat
Previous elected offices: Council-at-Large, New Philadelphia, Treasurer, City of New Philadelphia and Mayor, City of New Philadelphia
Applicable Experience: 9+ years working in government legislatively, administratively and financially; 20 years banking experience, 10 years working in law enforcement, and many years of sales experience.
What is the primary reason you are running for this office? Why should someone vote for you?
The primary reason I am running for re-election is that I am knowledgeable about the position of Mayor, that I enjoy the position and feel that I have been effective during the learning experience of actually being the Mayor. I would think that people who vote for me will do so based upon my record and accomplishments during my time as Mayor and the Treasurer. Being able to successfully steer the city through the hard economic times that we have recently experienced without laying off employees, not raising taxes or severely reducing services is an accomplishment that I am most proud.
What is the biggest problem facing the community? How do you propose to solve it?
The biggest problem facing the community is there are so many things to do with little excess revenue. Infrastructure issues, updating equipment, staffing levels for safety forces are just some of the few issues the city faces. The best way to deal with them is to study and prioritize them and work with city council to determine how to make them happen.
Limited only to the office you are seeking, where specifically would you cut budgets if needed?
Making budget cuts are always difficult to accomplish without cutting services. The quickest way to reduce expenses is to reduce staff. When staff is reduced the public has to accept a lesser level of service, longer response times and the potential elimination of some services. You have to operate within the funds you have available and provide what level of service those funds will support.
Why are you running for public office? Why do you think you can make a difference in your community?
I am running for public office because I have experience in being an elected official. I am up to the challenge of making daily decisions, serving the public and being a good steward of tax dollars. I think I have made a difference in my community by being willing to listen to all sides of an issue and to be responsive to inquiries and complaints even when my answer is not the desired answer that some seek. Public officials can never please all the people, but the majority will evaluate a public official based upon their decision and position on maintaining basic services that the public expects, the honest effort to do the best for the municipality being served, and their accomplishments.
How can local cities and towns work to improve the entire area rather than just do whats best for them?
One of the best ways that cities and towns can work together is in bulk purchasing of like products. A good example is the city participates with the County and others to get quotes for road salt. Due to the larger combined amount, the companies that bid to supply salt usually will give a better price to the group because they will be selling a larger amount.
Other ways that cities and towns work to getter is through safety forces mutual aid for fire, EMS and law enforcement purposes. Sometimes due to the size of an incident or a large volume of calls coming close together, we rely on neighboring cities and towns to assist with the volume.
Since I have been the Mayor, we have also used neighboring municipalities to assist in storm clean-up and we have gone elsewhere as well.
