Montgomery Mayor Reed's transition team wants to hear from you

Jan. 7--Montgomery residents are invited to share input and feedback at a series of meetings with Mayor Steven Reed and his transition team Wednesday and Thursday.

Reed's transition team, Montgomery United, is made up of specialists in real estate, law, health, public relations, politics, education, technology and philanthropy who are charged with addressing the city's challenges.

The team consists of six committees divided into economic development, health and human services, cultural arts, infrastructure, public safety and education. The team is chaired by retired United States Magistrate Judge Vanzetta McPherson and businessman John Mazyck.

The public is invited to meet with the transition team Wednesday and Thursday at the Montgomery Small Business Resource Center at 600 South Court St. Four of the six committees will meet Wednesday. The public safety and education committees will meet Thursday.

"We invite everyone with a stake in Montgomery's future to join us as we tackle a range of issues and share ideas and input on building a better community," Reed said in a press release. "This is a turning point for Montgomery, and we want as much public involvement as possible as we work to transform our city into a place where everyone has the opportunity to live, learn and earn."

Wednesday agenda

* 8 a.m. -- Economic Development

* 11 a.m. -- Health & Human Services

* 2 p.m. -- Cultural Arts

* 5 p.m. -- Infrastructure

Thursday agenda

* 11 a.m. -- Public Safety

* 11 a.m. -- Education

Transition committee plans

* Education. Increase investment in universal all-day pre-K and the public school system, strengthen ties between municipal government and higher education community, expand workforce development opportunities.

* Public Safety. Recruitment and retention of first responders, improve incident response with innovative technology, improve neighborhood relationships, reduce the number of handguns in communities.

* Economic Development. Retain and promote businesses, grow jobs, ensure equitable access to city incentives.

* Health and Human Services. Address mental health issues and growing homelessness, identify affordable housing options and increase home ownership, leverage opportunity zones to eliminate food deserts, support green-built environment.

* Cultural Arts and Entertainment. Sustain and bolster local arts and culture through an active entertainment district and tourism.

* Infrastructure and Transportation. Expand broadband access, improve public transportation, seek investment in better drainage as well as surface and subsurface infrastructure needs.

Click here for more information on the Montgomery United Transition process and the meeting's tentative agenda.

Sara MacNeil can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter.

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