I want to thank the residents of Kirtland for giving me the opportunity to serve as your mayor. I can say that I am humbled by the honor and that I will work hard on your behalf. I would also like to thank Doug Davidson for his service to our city and to our country. Whether or not we agreed on certain issues or approaches to a path forward for Kirtland, I always knew that Mr. Davidson had the best intentions in for the city in mind.
On December 2nd, Kirtland had three new council members sworn in. Kelly Wolfe, Scott Haymer and Jeffrey Ruple joined Rich Lowery, Matt Schulz, John Lesnick and the recently re-elected, Joe Smolic to form a new Kirtland City Council. Each brings great perspective and degrees of knowledge, and I very much look forward to working with them all.
Having been in office now for a little over a week, I spent a great deal of time meeting department leaders, discussing issues with community members and communicating with members of council. These interactions are giving me greater perspective as to our strengths and how we can do even better as we move into the coming year.
2020 will undoubtedly involve working through some tough budget challenges. To meet these challenges and to look toward the future, we will be kicking off several initiatives. Leaning on engineers and road paving professionals within our community, I will be naming a resident-based Road Paving Task Force. The objective will be to create a plan that leads to a true understanding of road conditions, costs and financing mechanisms available to truly fix our roads. Additionally, I will work with city council to create an Economic Development Roundtable. Again, utilizing the expertise of residents with various back rounds, we will work to find the right approach to bring in new commercial tax dollars while keeping Kirtland’s small-town appeal. I also look forward to increasing communication between the city and the community. Whether it be community events, road construction projects, the upcoming Old Town area sewer project or other pertinent information, we owe it to our residents to keep them posted on the issues.
Understanding that there is much work to do and a few high hurdles to overcome, your city government is up for the challenge. By working with city council and our department heads, we will find innovative ways to get things done and most importantly, keep our residents safe.
Finally, congratulations to Tiger Laverde and the Kirtland Hornets for winning the program’s fifth football State Championship! Supported by an incredible staff, cheerleaders, band program and community, the Hornets defy the odds year after year. We are all so proud!
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
Kevin Potter