Photo courtesy Patrick McClusky
Patrick McClusky
Longtime Edgewood resident and current Ward 3 councilor Patrick McClusky announced today that he is running for Homewood mayor.
McClusky, 42, was born and raised in Homewood. He was appointed on the Homewood City Council in 2009 and has served the residents of Ward 3 for the past 11 years.
One of McClusky’s main issues is continuing to connect the neighborhoods within Homewood with sidewalks.
“There are still several areas that are not connected to our miles of pedestrian friendly sidewalks and trails,” he said. “We have systematically put these connectors where it was feasible and fiscally manageable, but there are still places where our citizens do not have access. It is still my vision to allow access to as many citizens as possible, since we have so many people that currently take advantage of the sidewalks, bike lanes, etc.”
Grading and terrain issues make it impossible to get 100 percent of Homewood citizens connected, but McClusky said he would like to find more ways to provide access to Homewood’s residents.
McClusky also would like to implement a city-wide messaging system, and he said systems like these are already working in neighboring cities. The system would provide updates through text messages about current city issues and public safety announcements.
“It's apparent that residents and businesses want access to immediate information, and an application such as this has the ability to provide pertinent information to more people at a much faster rate than with email or social media.”
Another issue is the city’s aging infrastructure, he said. As more people move into Homewood and rebuild houses to fit growing families, it is important to know what kind of effect it has on the pipe system, he said. To combat this, he would like to have a city-wide study of stormwater drains and inlets. The city then needs to put a plan in place to systematically replace the aging system to avoid issues further down the road, he said.
Last, the city needs to be more proactive when looking at economic development, he said.
"The long awaited Greensprings revitalization has already been approved, and will begin soon. We have to focus our attention on Wildwood, West Oxmoor, West Valley, and the Brookwood Mall area. These are areas that need our attention, and with coordinated efforts of the property owners and the city, I can envision some fantastic new opportunities for these business districts."
McClusky attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham and is the director of sales for an import foods company located in Birmingham.
Visit his website at mccluskyformayor.com for more information.
The election for Homewood mayor and City Council seats is Aug. 25. Qualifying starts July 7 and goes through July 21.
If you are running in this year's election for mayor or for a seat on City Council, please email ischnader@starnespublishing.com to be featured in our upcoming election guide.
