T. Nadas candidate for Cleveland Heights City Council

T. Nadas

T. NADAS

Cleveland Heights  Age: 31

Email: nadas4ch@gmail.com

Website: www.tnadas.org

Facebook: facebook.com/nadasforcitycouncil

Twitter: @tjnadas

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION:

Education: G.E.D, Associates, B.A. Philosophy & English, M.B.A.

Occupation: Manager Clinical Quality & Productivity

Qualifications: 13 years of professional experience, 2 years on Citizens Advisory Committee, active in local community & ethnic community

QUESTIONS AND RESPONSES:

1. Unique qualifications: Nothing affects the day to day life of my family and my community more than local government. My skills and qualities are the exact reason why I want to serve on city council, as I have a unique perspective and skill set. For starters I promise to make myself available to listen to and do everything I can to address the needs of our residents. I have 13 years of experience working in the healthcare industry primarily focused on analytics, quality and process improvement, and change management. I am the son of Hungarian refugees who grew up in poverty and strived to give me a better life than they had to endure. From this upbringing I gained an appreciation for ethnic cultures and the value of diversity. Additionally through my experience I recognize and embrace the need for constant communication and collaboration with everyone for whom and with whom I work. I have strong relationship building skills as well as a commitment to complete transparency.

2. Top issues: The current crisis on the table is revolving around the EPA and our sewer system. Continuing to collaborate with council to ensure a comprehensive plan is developed is the first step. The next and more difficult step is to ensure that we appropriately prioritize not only to meet the needs of EPA regulations, but to continue to show our commitment to the environment by doing the right thing. Additionally I would like to see the city facilitate bringing rain barrels into more homes to help offset the rising sewer bill costs. To protect our housing stock from decreasing value we need to hold the banks accountable for upkeep and maintenance of properties they have foreclosed upon by passing legislation requiring foreclosure bonds.It is most important that the city continue its work towards fixing and maintaining our infrastructure (roads, utilities), while supporting our safety services, (fire, police, ems) and ensuring that all of the needs of each resident is met.

3. Commercial development: City government should be providing the vision to usher in developers who meet the needs of Cleveland Heights. The vision itself should be provided by council who has developed the vision through collaborating with as many engaged citizens as they can. Once a direction has been chosen, council should lead the city government to attract appropriate developers who will work to enhance our unique community. If the community is open to having city owned land developed then I fully support finding the right developers for the job. I personally welcome some of the ideas for Top of the Hill development as long as there is value add to the community, it is pedestrian accessible, traffic &  safety issues are addressed, and the parking needs of the business district are met.  I have reservations regarding the use of tax abatement due to the potential short term impact to the schools and the long term impact to the community when the abatement expires. 

4. Safety: First we must recognize the fact Cleveland Heights is not another cookie cutter suburb. We are a community made up of diverse individuals, we do not just simply exist in our homes ignorant of what is happening around us, but we work together within our unique neighborhoods, across 11 business districts, through religious and community organizations to continue to make our city remarkable. The key to embracing that fact is ensuring that we are engaging our residents appropriately to address their unique needs. What one neighborhood/business district needs may not be the same as the other. As an example, engaging our refugee population requires a much different approach than engaging long time residents of the city. We must continue to use our trained and experienced city staff to work with our residents to address their needs.Safety, fire, police, ems, currently makes up for the largest portion of the city budget, and rightfully so. If people do not feel safe in their homes/neighborhoods then they will not go out and enjoy all that Cleveland Heights has to offer. The best way to address any existing issues is to listen, prioritize, and ensure we are communicating action plans back to our residents. Transparency not only allows the residents to feel informed in the work we are doing, but it also adds an additional level of accountability as issues are addressed. All of this coupled with strong economic development activities will act as continuous improvement for our city.

5. City finances: Continued focus on economic development is the long term solution to this problem. Until our storefronts are no longer vacant and we haven't found replacement tenants for the big box stores in Severance, we will continue to struggle. Our newly hired economic development team in partnership with a CDC should continue to make this their primary goals. However, my entire career I have focused on the balance between quality outcomes and productivity within an allotted budget. To achieve quality outcomes, an organization does not always need to just throw more money at a problem, and or provide lower quality service because money is tight. Working smarter, finding ways to leverage technology and process, is the way to provide the same or better quality services without needing to find additional funds. I will bring my unique perspective & skill set to council to find and implement best practices to continue to serve our residents and meet their most fundamental needs.