Issues Concerning Lake Forest Residents

By Terri Lynn Graham

There are many issues that face every city as it grows and evolves with changing times. The issues listed here in no way encompass all of the ones that potentially impact the residents of Lake Forest. If you have any concerns not listed here that you wish to bring to light in this election, please email me. I listen, and I care about representing you and your interests.

Traffic Congestion: According recent studies, traffic congestion county wide is predicted to increase by as much as 33%. Our city streets are already overloaded with cars as it is. There are numerous ways to help cut down on this ongoing problem: synchronization of traffic lights city wide; encouraging the use of public transportation and ridesharing through incentives and rewards; encouraging people to walk or ride a bike when appropriate to do so; and encouraging large companies and corporations to assist their employees in living close to where they work- studies have shown that the greatest increase in traffic flow has been from suburb to suburb rather than from the suburbs to big cities.

The "New" Measure 'M': Because our city has benefited directly from Measure M dollars, it would seem almost hypocritical to not support the "new" Measure M on this Novembers' ballot. There are many underlying issues however which make this "new" bond different and more costly compared to its' "old" counterpart. See also the Orange County Register Article, "The Top 10 Reasons to Oppose Measure M", written by Steven Greenhut, Commentary section of the Sunday paper appearing on 9-3-06

Schools, Parks and Recreation: Many of our schools are old, outdated, and badly in need of repair. And, unfortunately for them, funding for improvements and upgrades have recently been cut or frozen. In addition, as affluent and nice as our city is, our parks are embarrassingly inadequate and outdated as well. As the mother of two young children I regrettably admit that I take my own kids to parks outside of Lake Forest. As great as our city is, this is inexcusable. There are many ways that funds for park and school improvements can be raised via the private sector. Public fund raisers, auctions, and corporate sponsorship are great ways to earn improvement dollars without hurting tax payers wallets.

Against Eminent Domain Against Construction of a New City Hall Against Wasteful Spending and Higher Taxes For Increased Police Presence For Responsible Fiscal Management For Healthy Growth, Positive Development and New Single Family Homes