 I want to take a moment and share with you my vision of a 21st century Amherst, a vision I hope you will join with me in making a reality. Part of that vision involves broadening and diversifying our tax base. Amherst property taxes, our revenues basically, 90% of them come from property owners, 10% come from commercial property. We need to take steps to ease the burden on the Amherst taxpayer. I think the best way to do that is to encourage responsible growth. That growth, however, needs to be concentrated in the right places, in the downtown and in the village centers. I think a good example of appropriate growth is what's happening in the Mill District in North Amherst. There we have 130 units of badly needed housing being built. 36 of those units will be made available to people earning 50% or less of the median income. In addition, over 20,000 square feet of retail space is being created. Space enough for 8 to 10 businesses that will bring economic activity and increased revenue to the town. In addition, I think this approach will help protect our neighborhoods. When we draw a clear line between where we want development to occur and where we want the neighborhoods to be protected, this, I think, is the right strategy for protecting neighborhoods. And also, we should look into zoning changes, things that have done in other college towns, that might be able to protect our neighborhoods from the change from single family or multi-family homes to student rentals. I think there are steps we can take to prevent that or at least to discourage it. A third part of my vision involves the elementary schools. We really can't afford to wait, both for the good of our students and also, I think, as a matter of social justice and just fairness. These schools need to be replaced and it needs to be done in a timely fashion. We can't afford to wait 10, 15, 20 years. Another piece of this vision involves preserving and protecting open space and the essential character of our town. What makes Amherst Amherst, that must be preserved and protected. Another piece involves affordable housing. My years serving on the board of Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity made me very conscious of the need at the lower end of the economic ladder. But for me, the issue also involves those in the middle range and middle incomes. People who work for the town, firefighters, teachers, university employees, they work here at Amherst but they can't afford to live here. I think this is something the council must address. We must make Amherst a place that is affordable for everyone, not just those at the top or those at the bottom. And a final piece involves maintaining the constructive and positive dialogue we have right now with the university and the two colleges. The University of Massachusetts is the economic engine that drives this town. When the university does well, the town does well. We have our differences but I think in the end we must come to see that we are in this together and a constructive positive dialogue is the best way to move forward. Now when I look into the future of Amherst I see other things. I see that we will have replaced the aging and inadequate DPW building so that our workers can have an adequate structure to do the work they need to do. We need to see that we have moved the fire station from the center of Amherst to South Amherst where it belongs. So our firefighters and EMTs can better serve the needs of the community and have better facilities for training and for work. And thirdly I see a community that has brought the Jones Library into the 21st century to meet the changing needs of a changing community. But these kinds of things must be done in a transparent and fiscally responsible way. I hope that you will join me in making this vision of Amherst, 21st century Amherst a reality. What I pledge to you is that I will be accessible to you always. I will represent everyone, not just one neighborhood or one particular point of view. And I will keep you informed of what is happening on the council and why it is happening. Please on November 6th I hope you will give me your vote. Thank you.