Looking Out for Pascagoula in the New Year

Children can say and do the darndest things.  As the old adage says "Out of the mouths of babes." At times, children, unbeknownst to them, seem to highlight or portray an adult point of view that reaches far beyond their years.  It is in these times that life becomes a little clearer.  For me, much of what I have come to believe and practice has been influenced in some way by my own children.  The truths that my children teach me clarify often intangible issues and help put my world into proper prospective.  Keep reading to see what I mean.

          When my daughter was the ripe old age of three, she and I journeyed to the store to pick up a few household items, which of course to her included a needless toy strategically placed in eye-shot of any suspect toddler.  But I digress.  As we parked, I gave her the typical fatherly lecture about holding my hand, not running off, and so on.  She obliged my rambling with a sweet, "Yes, daddy," and then made an interesting statement.  She said, "Daddy, if anybody tries to get me, you'll beat them up won't you, daddy?"  Being the good, strong, masculine father all men secretly desire to be, I fearlessly proclaimed that I would "beat up" anyone who dared mess with my little princess.  This made her happy and off we went into the store.

          A few aisles into our trek, a large, intimidating, muscular man turned onto our aisle.  I nodded pleasantly, as did he, and the world was right.  Until my daughter looks up and sees this giant of a man.  As forceful as she could and staring straight at the gentleman, she exclaimed, "If you mess with me, my daddy's gonna beat you up!"   My face turned three shades of red.  I placed what was in my hand back on the shelf, gave the man a nod once again and quickly hurried off the aisle.  Rounding the corner, I glanced back to see the giant of a man chuckling to himself.

          Truth be known, had he messed with my daughter I would have fought as hard as I could to resist the man, no matter the cost.  That's what fathers do.  But in reality and being completely honest, I sure am glad he was a nice gentleman because my face wouldn't have looked the same when I got home if he wasn't.

           Ultimately, my daughter simply wanted to reassure herself that her daddy was looking out for her when she felt scared or intimidated.  She needed to know that I had her best interest at heart.  She wanted to feel safe and secure, and in her thinking, there was no one better to protect her than her daddy because I had proclaimed in no uncertain terms my willingness to defend her at all costs.

          As I relay this story to you, my mind settles once again on Pascagoula and her citizens.  It seems we as citizens need the same reassurance and protection as did my daughter.  We need to feel like our elected and community leaders have our best interest at heart, that they will defend our community at all costs, even if it means not getting reelected or reappointed.  We need to feel safe with their decisions and understand their motives. 

          Many of you have heard it said that doing what's right isn't always easy, but it's always right.  That is the essence of what a true leader should strive to reflect.  A true leader, one whose personal gain or fame is secondary to what's best and what's right, realizes that they too are just a drop in the ocean of life and that their goal as a leader should be to be willing to take a stand for what is truly in the best interest of the people they represent.

          As citizens of Pascagoula, it is imperative that we elect and promote leaders that exemplify these qualities.  The elected and community leaders we place our trust in serve a large role in how our city grows, plateaus, or declines over the next decade. 

I encourage you to get involved in our elections over the next few months as we once again have the privilege and responsibility of placing leaders in office.  Your knowledge of what these men and women believe and represent is a powerful tool in determining how Pascagoula continues forward. 

          President Calvin Coolidge once said, "Patriotism is easy to understand in America. It means looking out for yourself by looking out for your country."  That is the spirit we as citizens of Pascagoula should portray about our city and her leaders.  We all achieve and gain more by seeing the big picture as we play our parts together in harmony.

          I encourage you to look out for Pascagoula.  Our city is indeed poised for progress, but we need leaders that will stand in the gap as we move forward.  Now is not the time to blindly follow.  Forge ahead with the leaders who inspire and are working for you. 

City governmental leaders cannot achieve the vision alone, however - it takes everyone speaking and portraying a positive Pascagoula.  What you do in our city, for our city matters.  How you think of and speak about our city also matters, if not more.  Where you shop, dine, and spend those precious tax dollars weighs heavily on the health of Pascagoula.  I implore you to think before you speak and buy.

Let me encourage you to represent a positive Pascagoula in word and deed, in your day to day life, in your business and home.  No more branding or labeling that only serves to diminish the vision and dreams of your fellow citizens.  Each of us needs to be treating Pascagoula as if it had already reached its potential.  Yes, streets need to be paved, gutters need to be fixed, curbs need to be installed, buildings need to be built, but Pascagoula truly is a great place to live, work, worship and play; it has been all of my life.  With a little effort on our parts, our city can continue to be great and continue to achieve and progress a little more each and every day. 

A city is built on people and we have the best people in the world right here in Pascagoula.  We can achieve great things when we all work together.  You matter because in Pascagoula, everybody is somebody. 

May 2009 bring us a renewed spirit of hope as we again have a responsibility and a privilege of electing city leaders and may we resolve to portray a positive Pascagoula within ourselves from this day forward. 

Out of the mouths of babes.

Happy New Year to You and Yours!

Frank Corder,

Pascagoula City Councilman - Ward 4

Councilman Frank Corder Announces Bid for Reelection

Dear Fellow Citizen,

        This spring you and I will have the opportunity and responsibility to go to the polls and elect the next City Council that will lead Pascagoula.  As citizens of Pascagoula, it is imperative that  we elect and  promote  good  leaders, leaders that exemplify true leadership qualities. Many of you have heard it said that doing what's right isn't always easy, but it's always right.  That is the essence of what a true leader should strive to reflect.  A true leader, one whose personal gain or fame is secondary to what's best and what's right, realizes that they too are just a drop in the ocean of life and that their goal as a leader should be a willingness to take a stand for what is truly in the best interest of the people they represent.  I hope that can be said of me. 

       Since  being  elected  as  your  City Councilman  from Ward 4, I  have been actively working to improve Pascagoula for you and your family, while trying to engage you in the process.  I have maintained my website and taken on hosting a local television show, while continuing to do local radio periodically, all in the hopes of bringing the business of the City to you.  Recently I hosted a Ward 4 Dialogue, the first town hall style meeting of what I hope to be many more gatherings to come.  Properties that are derelict and in disrepair are now being processed to resolution in terms of sale or clean-up, such at Belair, on 22^nd Street, in Chipley, and other areas.  I fought to reduce the millage rate, your taxes, after the reassessment was applied; you deserve to keep more of your money in these tough economic times and the City can tighten its belt  to do just  that.  I  helped  to draft and present a new noise ordinance to make your neighborhoods quieter and safer which was adopted unanimously by my fellow councilmen.  Curbs are being installed, gutters have been cleaned with many in process to be overhauled, and sidewalks have been manicured with a plan to add more over time.  Soon the beach front will be expanded and a promenade will be added.  Riverfront development  has  kicked-off with the tearing down of the Heinz building.  Playgrounds  have gotten a  facelift.  Many, many things are finally taking shape in Pascagoula. But there is more to do.

       Over the next four years, the people you elect to be the next City Council will be reshaping our great City.    I have said before that Pascagoula is at a turning point in its history.  Never before have we had the opportunities we now have within our reach; opportunities for sustained growth and economic vitality, for reshaping and rethinking Pascagoula's future.  We do not have to do things now just because that's the way they have always been done.  We can take hold of our  future and mold it so we are pushing Pascagoula forward in a smart and healthy way,  with  vision and focus.  And I want to continue to be a part of  helping to steer the course towards a bright and  healthy future for Pascagoula.

         I  hope  you  will  continue to  support  me as I  again  run  to represent you in Ward 4.  Your support and encouragement during this year has been truly humbling and I want to continue to work for you.  In addition, I would like to invite you to become a part of my campaign to push Pascagoula forward.  Please take a minute to email me at frank@frankcorder.com if you would be willing to have a sign placed in your yard, host a neighborhood meet-the-candidate social, help me walk in your area, or make a campaign contribution.

         I look forward to seeing each of you over the coming weeks as I work to get my message out to the citizens of Pascagoula once again.  As always, I welcome your input and insight.  Thank you for your time in reading this letter and for your consideration in this next election. 

 Sincerely,

 Frank Corder, Pascagoula City Councilman Ward 4

First Ward 4 Dialogue A Success

          The first Ward 4 Dialogue was held at Lighthouse Baptist Church (Ward 4's voting precinct) last night.  It was a successful venture into bringing the business of the city to the people.  Approximately 45 people attended this first event which promises to grow over time as I seek to engage even more of you in the process of city government.  After my brief presentation of various city projects and highlighting what I personally have been working on both for Ward 4 and the city as a whole, the audience asked questions and shared their concerns and suggestions with me.  I truly enjoyed the exchange.  Being able to answer your questions and hear your concerns only serves to help me do my job better as your councilman.

          I thought I would share with you who read this blog some of the concerns that were mentioned last night at the Dialogue as well as my response.  The you know, the less you will be frustrated by the process, and believe me, government;s slow pace is extremely frustrating at times.  Helping you catch the vision and easing your concerns will only serve to help move Pascagoula forward.

          Here are a few questions that were raised last night:

-  Why does it take so long to clean-up a piece of property that is derelict and rundown? 

          The process for property clean-up is quite extensive and frustrating for local officials and city staff.  Currently, the city code enforcement office has approximately 375 trouble properties identified that need action.  Due to slim staffing, lack of funding, and a process that is outlined by state law regulating this issue, the process for clean-up of these eyesores is extremely slow.  I along with other councilman and city staff are looking into promoting a change in state law that would allow us to address these ills in a more productive and on-going manner than we are able to currently.  When the regulation is eased, we as a city can make more of a difference.

-  What can be done to help reduce speeders through neighborhoods and cars being allowed to park on the side of the street?

          I will be talking with the police department to notify them of these concerns and see what applicable remedy we as a city can offer.  Monitoring areas that are more prone to speeding and parked vehicles more readily is an easy starting place but to effectively manage the issue will require further study and implementation. 

-  What can be done about the litter problem around town?

          Recently, fellow councilman George Wolverton (ward 2) and I attended a Mississippi Municipal League meeting in Vicksburg and took note of how clean their city was, even after a very stormy evening.  We passed this observation on to our city manager and we discovered that many non-violent offenders were sentenced to community service, specifically litter detail, to assist the city in litter control.  We are pursuing doing a similar program here going forward to assist in this effort.  In addition, more emphasis on large trucks and garbage trucks covering their loads needs to be pursued and I will be looking into this as well in an effort to highlight this on-going problem.

-  How can we get the bulkheads replaced?

          Bulkheads are starting to be a major problem around town for many who live on an inlet or bayou.  Going forward, there needs to be a partnership between the county, the cities, and the private residence owners to address these concerns.  I hope to begin this discussion in the coming months with the county and those residents who are affected by this ever increasing problem.

-  Where does the jail/ADC stand at this point?

          With the defeat of the bond issue, the county can now finance the construction at a local bank (perceivably at a higher rate of interest than the bond was for) or they can attempt to put forth another vote on a bond issue at some juncture.  Recently, the city council voted unanimously to ask our local state legislative delegation to work towards a local and private bill to would locate the jail outside the city limits of Pascagoula.  The city has no say at this point over what happens next - the county and state delegation does.  If you are concerned about this item, I would encourage you to speak with your county supervisor (Mangum, Harris, Barton, McKay, or Broadnax) and your state representatives and senators.

-  What is the process of moving the FEMA/MEMA cottages and trailers out come the March 2009 deadline? And what is happening on the cottage village being constructed on the riverfront?

          The occupants of these cottages and trailers are being notified by the agencies of their short timeline to vacate these structures.  The city council has unanimously voted to have these structures removed by this deadline and I see no reason why that timeframe should or will be amended.  As to the cottage village - this is still in the conceptual stage and nothing has been finalized to date.  If and when it is, this endeavor will not be permanent as the plans for the riverfront redevelopment call for numerous retail, housing and recreational options.  This program will assist in providing structured and monitored workforce housing as well as be used as a small business incubator for business that are trying to make Pascagoula their home.

-  What can be done to help solve the underlying problems that seem to be mounting within our school district?

          As most of you know, the city council appoints 3 of 5 school board members.  And while we hold the authority of appointment, we do not hold the authority to oversee or remove these individuals during their term.  The city council's role in relation to the school board is only an appointing and recommending body.  Legally, the school board is its own entity apart from the appointments.  Any concerns you have dealing with the school system should be addressed to the school board or if you do not feel comfortable doing so, you can contact your councilman with your concerns and have him/her relay it to the appropriate board.  I encourage anyone who has a concern to let me know and I will be glad to engage the appropriate people to help remedy or clarify a matter.  Our schools are the biggest economic development tool we have as we strive to redevelop our great city.

-  What's happening at the old high school?

          You cannot tell it on the outside, but work has begun stripping the interior to make way for development by the property owner. 

          Here also are a few comments made last night:

-  Demolishing homes in an established neighborhood does no one any good.  It only harms the area.

          I would much rather repair an existing structure than tear it down, especially in an established neighborhood.  We all need to encourage our neighbors with these troubled properties to make a plan and stick to it in regards to keeping their properties clean.

-  The city contractor that mows the right of ways and medians does an outstanding job.

          Turfmasters (owned by Steve Jordan, a ward 4 resident himself) does an outstanding job, often times going above and beyond to ensure the city looks good.

-  The noise ordinance was a great idea but needs to be enforced more around Beach Park and in terms of construction at night.

          I am very proud of the noise ordinance that the city council passed a few months ago.  When I was campaigning I heard from many of you about the troublesome boomboxes and boomcars and once I was elected I began researching ways to amend our noise ordinance to offer a better level of enforcement while making it easy on our officers.  I am proud to say that after helping to draft and present this ordinance, it was passed unanimously.  As to the Beach Park, I will be glad to pass this along to the police department so they will know of the disturbance going forward.

-  The city looks better now than it has ever looked.

          Thanks to many organizations (Pascagoula Pride, Rotary, Garden Club, Main Street, etc.) and the city staff and contractors (specifically City Landscape Specialist Kevin Hall and Turfmasters) our city does look better than it has in the past.  The planting of flowers, the manicuring of lawns and right of ways, and other efforts only adds to the sense of place that we need to promote here in Pascagoula.

          I truly hope this exchange was beneficial and I am looking forward to the next such Dialogue.  Fact is that most people will never attend a city council meeting unless they have business before the council, such as a variance or a complaint.  I see it as my job as your local elected official to engage you in the business of the city so you too will be educated and informed on what is happening. I trust our next such meeting will be even better attended and I trust that much of the concerns and questions that were put forth will be handled in some form or fashion. 

          I appreciate the opportunity to serve you and our great city.  I awake each day humbled by the trust and responsibility you the people of Pascagoula have placed on me.  Always feel free to contact me with your comments, questions, criticisms, complaints and praises.  I look forward to seeing and hearing from you soon.

Frank Corder

Pascagoula City Councilman - Ward 4