I am Roger Gaylord III and I am running for Folsom City Council.

By Roger Daniel Gaylord, III

Help me put an end to wasteful spending and career council members. I will bring respect and transparency back to Folsom's leadership.

I am seeking your vote for Folsom City Council on Nov 6th. Folsom is a great place to live, this is where I choose to raise my family. The people; great parks and most importantly great schools make Folsom an amazing place to be. While the "everyday" Folsom seems great, the "real" Folsom is actually facing some tough roads. As the US economy struggles, so does Folsom's.

I believe Folsom's leadership needs an infusion of fresh ideas. Every election cycle the same people run; those individuals make it almost impossible for a "regular" citizen of Folsom to stand up and get involved. This is where I am stepping in.

As a student in Folsom High, I started my first small business at age 17; that business taught me anyone can be successful. Ever since I have worked extremely hard to give my family the life they deserve.

Here are the facts:

Folsom has an annual budget of $65 million and employs 422 people- 135 of whom earn more than $100,000 per year. City officials are projecting a $2.25 million deficit for 2012, increasing to $4.5 million in 2013.

Folsom's reserve fund has plummeted from $16 million in 2006 to $2.5 million today, and it is projected to soon disappear entirely; the City is robbing Peter (reserve fund) to pay Paul (general fund) Taking from the reserve fund is not a solution; it's a small band aid on a gaping wound.

Some city leaders acknowledge there is an issue: others blame the economy and revenue shortages on our deficit issues. While I think more revenue is key, it doesn't stop the problem. Folsom doesn't have a revenue issue, we have a SPENDING issue. Our leaders need to cut the waste spending from our budget and diversify ourselves with new revenue streams instead of relying on one big company to fix Folsom. California is driving businesses away left and right; what happens when that big business picks up and leaves Folsom?

Necessary cuts need to be evaluated and acted on now. This is my promise as your City Council representative.

If I am elected I will work to introduce term limits for Folsom's elected officials. As I said above, I think that Folsom's leadership needs an infusion of fresh ideas. Ask yourself this; if the President of the United States only gets two terms, why should we allow city leaders to become "career elected officials?"

I feel career politicians become stagnant and cronyistic. Running this campaign has showed me exactly how "in trenched" these individuals are. It's time for a Fresh Face in Folsom City Council. It's time to bring new ideas to the table and promote growth. As your City Council representative I promise you a more respectful and transparent approach to city business. I promise I am not running to become another "career" council member. Unless something is changed; we will continue to see wasteful spending. We will also see increased taxes labeled as "fee increases" such as increased water rates, parks and recs fee's and a $250 dollar first responder fee. Folsom PD and Fire will continue to be slammed with budget cuts decreasing Folsom's first responders thus decreasing safety and raising our crime rates. One current council member said it himself; "I'm okay with a 2% crime increase." Well I'm not. I will make the necessary cuts on wasteful spending to keep Folsom's security in place.

It's time to switch gears and change the status quo. Nov 6th Vote Roger Gaylord; Folsom's Fresh Face for City Council 2012!