Paul L Taylor, Democrat, Vice Chair CoC on Homelessness
Running for Cumberland County Commissioner of District 2
Why do you wish to serve or Continue to serve in Public?
At first I didnt want to serve, But After I realized that this was my Divine Assignment given to me by our Heavenly Father , I now understand his Grand Purpose and Design. I see that I am being put in a strategic position to help Hundreds of thousands of my fellow citizens increase their Quality of Life, and that this falls directly in line with my true passions; Helping others is my true calling. I am especially motivated to provide assistance to the less fortunate and under-served
What are the top three challenges facing the county and how do you plan to address them
Creating Living Wage Jobs Safer Communities Innovative Education
My three priorities may seem separate but they are very much related. By offering Culture exchange education and Diversity Awareness initiatives we can began to address all three. How? By utilizing the resources that are already here Cross Marketed Programs facilitated by local non profits designed to engage our under served populations and our Law enforcement can bridge the culture and mentality gaps of the people we live and serve with and can create safer communities, increase race relations and even help with economic development within the county and beyond.
What New ideas or incentives can you suggest to attract business into the region
We should incentivize residents for supporting Local Businesses, Have a no or Low Sales Tax policy for certain days of the week or every other weekend out the month, we can encourage those with great ideas to start new small businesses with Mini-Business Incubator programs held at churches and other Community Based organizations.
Orphan Roads?
Senate Bill 778 seeks to alleviate the problem of “orphan roads” across the state, However to ensure this bill is given adequate visibility and attention by NCDOT and legislatures, I believe Property associations, Homeowners and even real estate agents should take an active role in developing an Unified Petition both online and offline. This will help to send a clear message that this is a very real issue for the people of this county and it needs to be addressed in a timely fashion.
What Steps would you take to improve your county property values?
Helping to reduce Crime Statistics would surely increase property values, increasing our involvement with the existing programs, increasing Grant funding strategies to attract outside monies to the issues can play a crucial role as well. Specifically lets look at $5 -20 Million Grants that have been issued by HUD to other regions to buy, fix and populate dilapidated residences neighborhoods nationwide. One such example is the NSP Consortia Grant. Local Mission Aligned Nonprofits all over the US are joining forces and working together to access and unprecedented level of funds
(Over $3.9 Billion has been issued thus far)
I will work with our Community Organizations including entities like Realtor to provide realistic and practical solutions to attract funding and increase measurable values in the areas I serve. Currently Im working with a Funding Strategy Team to create a template for organizations on how to access funds in this manner.
