Who Owns This Land? The Council or the 22K Residents?

TAPinto Summit

By Delia Hamlet

My name is Delia Hamlet – your candidate for Ward 1 Common Council.  I have been asked by many residents why I am running to serve our wonderful community and what makes me the best candidate for the job, and I am excited to share those reasons with you.  I feel that it’s important to know that I have no agenda other than making Summit better. Period. I am not a politician by background and I don’t plan to pursue any higher office.  I do, however, believe that my professional experiences and skill set will help me provide the right voice that is desperately needed on Council.  

Priorities

My priorities are interrelated, and I look forward to following up on each in more detail in forthcoming candidate statements and speaking with you when I am out door knocking.  My main priorities include:

Broad Street West Development – We must restart this process and leverage what we’ve learned and remind ourselves that six council members do not own this land, the 22,000 residents of Summit do, and I know first hand that they have extraordinary ideas.  Pushing a similar rendition of the current proposal forward is clearly NOT what the majority of our community wants, and I’ll fight for you to make sure we get it right.

Safety – As in any community, pedestrian and public safety is a hot topic that can always be improved with innovative ideas, streamlined communication between local government and residents, and continuing to support our brave police and fire departments who keep us safe and penalize bad actors.  I am excited to share more ideas with you on safety and hear more about what is important to you.

Communication/Transparency – I believe that communication between City Hall and Summit residents can be improved immensely.  Whether it’s the timeliness of alerts released by the city or simply doing a better job getting important information into residents’ hands, other than their tax bill, such as Broad Street West related information, I think we can do better, and I will fight for it.

Background

More background on me – A veteran, a business owner, a volunteer.  I am a Mom of three children who attend the Summit public school system. I am an Army Veteran, and I am honored to have served our country overseas during 9/11.  They were difficult times, however that experience has shaped me in many ways.  And it reminds me daily of why community is important.  When fighting for our country, no one asks about your party affiliation.  It just doesn’t matter. And it shouldn’t matter in local government.  I am very proud to have the honor to be working with republicans, democrats, unaffiliated voters, essentially what I would boil down to the “great neighbors” of Summit.  We are a diverse community with different backgrounds, and you all inspire me to do better, so thank you for that!

I am a business owner with 40 employees.   We recently gut renovated a 50K square foot military gym and turned it into a multi-sport facility with over 1350 members in under a year.  We are just about to hit our 1-year anniversary.  Not every day is paradise as a business owner, but I am solving problems that directly impact our bottom line and our people every day. 

I have witnessed how wonderful Summit is.  I served on the Board of my children’s preschool and elementary school. I coached Girls on the Run and Summit Recreation basketball. My children are involved in various athletics and activities at different age groups.  My point is…I know how wonderful Summit is.  And that is exactly why I am so passionate about maintaining the character of our unique town.  That is also why I am so passionate about making sure there is a public benefit to the residents of Summit for every decision I make. And it’s important to remember that we are all neighbors that should be working together as a team for the future of this wonderful city.

Broad Street West redevelopment

Broad Street West is by far the most pressing issue that residents speak with me about on a day-to-day basis.  They tell me that they have had enough, and they are begging to be included, and for the city to do better.  While I understand and applaud that there has been a tremendous amount of work put into BSW in prior years, I don’t believe that should blind us from who we represent, and what they are asking for.  Residents are asking me to hit the full reset button on Broad Street West and I plan to do my best to carry out their wishes.  If we move forward with the Broad Street West redevelopment in any form, the City of Summit will fundamentally change forever and that is why we need to be thoughtful and inclusive when making these decisions.

Maintaining historic Summit and the suburban lifestyle for all residents is essential, and you have my commitment to maintain and protect Summit as the city we chose to live in and raise our children.

A smart resident stated at a recent Council Meeting that Broad Street West is the one thing that has brought democrats and republicans together for the first time in a long time.  If you are happy with the process and output of BSW – I am not your candidate. 

Thank You

If elected I won’t stop door knocking, because the people’s voice is the only voice that matters.

I look forward to the honor of earning your vote between now and November 8^th.

If you missed the debate check it out below.  For a rookie, I think I held my own and have some practical ideas to help Summit.

Delia Hamlet is running for election to the Summit Common Coiunci representing Ward 1.