Re-Elect Travis Thompson for Mayor

04/08/2015

Thank you very much for allowing me the opportunity to serve our fine community in the capacity as mayor for the past three years. This is not the end of what we've done, but only the beginning.

As for me, I will remain involved in the issues and have my services provided to support the City in any way I can. I encourage everyone else to do the same!

04/07/2015

Today is Election Day - be sure to vote to KEEP MOVING FORWARD!

04/07/2015

Remember to vote tomorrow (April 7th)! Polls open at the Methodist Church, running from 7am to 7pm. Thank you all for your support over the last month! Words cannot express my appreciation for the words of encouragement that have been sent.

Let's get out the vote and KEEP MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER!

03/29/2015

Throughout the past month, I have received reports of different rumors and unfounded gossip about me that had been making its way through the community. In an effort to keep my campaign about the issues, I decided to ignore such idle talk.

However, a recent post by my opponent publicly stated what had been previously in the realm of unattributed gossip – that our city’s former City Administrator chose to cast me in a negative light regarding his departure, and that this information is now being used against me to demonstrate “the truth” behind the matter.

In response, I emphasize that at NO TIME was Jeff’s job in jeopardy or his employment with the City in question. Additionally, what I shared at the Candidate Forum is exactly what I heard from Jeff and what he in turn communicated to the City Council. I will continue to trust what he told me in person, as opposed to what I’ve read secondhand. Finally, what I told Jeff in response remains equally true – I wish he and his family nothing but the best, and will continue to follow what is happening in Chanute with great interest.

For the past three years, I have sought to fulfill my duties with the utmost integrity, and believe that I have done so. I’m disappointed that there are those working actively to turn the mayoral race into a typical, mud-slinging, negative campaign. I refuse to join in – I will continue to speak positively about our community and the great potential that is before us. It has been an absolute honor to serve our community, and I look forward to continue the work we’ve started together.

As always, should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at travis4mayor.com.

03/29/2015

Review of the past three years:

December 17, 2012: Through the hard work of several residents in our community, our City became eligible to apply for a Planning Sustainable Places/CSP grant through the Mid-America Regional Council to address our downtown. The ensuing discussion demonstrated the Council's willingness to engage the downtown area and consider its revitalization - the first step in a long journey that has taken place since then and is still ongoing.

As my feelings on revitalizing our downtown are well-known, I will not bore you with all of my points in this one post - there will be several others to spread out over the next week or so. For now, here is a link to the work completed and on display for the rest of the metro to view the great progress we're making here in Louisburg.

http://www.marc.org/Regional-Planning/Creating-Sustainable-Places/Planning-sustainable-Places/2012-Grantees-and-Projects/City-of-Louisburg

Project Type: Sustainable Places PlanDowntown Louisburg Revitalization Plan (6 MB) Louisburg's grant focuses on developing a Sustainable Places Plan for the redevelopment of its downtown district. Downtown PRIDe (Plan for Revitalization and Implementation for Downtown: Economy, Ecology and Civic Ene…

03/29/2015

Review of the past three years:

December 17, 2012: Acting on previous direction from the Council, the City engaged George K Baum & Co to issue general obligation refunding bonds, reducing the City's interest rate from 4.10% to 1.724%, with total savings over the life of the bonds set at $354,031.83.

The opportunity to achieve an A1 rating and save through this refunding was a testament to the hard work of both the Council and city staff over the preceding decade-plus. Through its record of fiscal reliability and outstanding use of public improvement projects, our City is highly regarded by many surrounding communities and financial institutions.

03/28/2015

Review of the past three years:

December 3, 2012: Having already begun the work of coordinating design with KDOT on a future K-68/Metcalf Intersection Project, the Council was presented with updated designs. Through the ensuing discussion, the Council deliberated on which would better benefit economic activity in the long-run.

The design chosen (without a raised median) allowed for less of an impact to businesses located around this intersection. Although there has been some impact (due to the centrality of the intersection to the City, you cannot help but have some), the Council has been careful to choose what will better the community in the long-term, while being mindful of our current businesses and residents in the short-term.

03/27/2015

Review of the past three years:

November 5, 2012: Earlier in the summer of 2012, a spate of juvenile crime hit our city. When discussing possible solutions to this issue, the idea of re-addressing a School Resource Officer with the school district arose. With the Council's approval, I addressed the School Board with a rough sketch of our proposal; having acquired their consent, both the city and the school district put together an agreement to hire our community's SRO, which was then adopted by the Council on 11/5.

Important to note is that this was a great example of different bodies of government working together for our common good - there was very little haggling over details, the cost of the position was split 50-50, and the two bodies acted quickly to address a need that had become painfully obvious. Everyone involved were able to see the vision in the proposal, and the performance of Officer Curry and what he's been able to accomplish in such a short time is a testament to their willingness to move forward.

03/25/2015

Be informed! The mayoral questionnaires have been published in this week's edition of the Louisburg Herald. Unfortunately, my answers were a bit too involved, so at the request of the editors I needed to cut them down to the size available in the paper.

However, I've posted the full, unedited answers on my website:

http://www.travis4mayor.com/vision.html

I may be biased, but I definitely think they are at least worth a look. Should you have any questions, comments, or concerns, just let me know!

Name: Travis Thompson

03/25/2015

Review of the past three years:

November 5, 2012: Having previously met with local business owner Erin Rigney, other like-minded businesses, representatives from the Chamber of Commerce, and our Miami County Economic Development Director, I composed and presented the Shop Local Proclamation, promoting and encouraging local business options here in Louisburg.

The idea of shopping local still remains vital to the success of our community. A sizable portion of the City's budget - including funds that contribute to infrastructure improvements and park facilities (such as the pool) - come directly from sales tax revenue collected here in our City. Thus, shopping at and frequenting local businesses are a win-win-win for our community - it helps support local businesses (and their local owners), encourages the creation and/or placement of other businesses in Louisburg, and directly supports the betterment of the City. Before you buy or select a service, please be sure to look at your local options first!

03/24/2015

Review of the past three years:

October 15, 2012: In addition to Town Hall meetings, one of the other specific ideas from my campaign was that of Citizen Advisory Groups. The idea behind these groups would be that they would essentially serve as mini-town halls, but allow for focused discussion on a specific issue. Citizens were encouraged to attend these smaller, focused groups to let their voice be heard.

Unfortunately, this idea never really took off, even after multiple attempts over the past few years. However, I'm glad that the Council continued to back these attempts at engaging the public in a manner wholly different than what had been tried before.

03/23/2015

Review of the past three years:

October 1, 2012: After being approached by Rev. Sandy Harris of First Christian Church, I was honored to compose and present a proclamation honoring the church's 140th anniversary. I believe it is incumbent on our city to actively honor our community's history and heritage, as it allows us to plan and build our future on the foundations of our past.

Fortunately for our city, First Christian Church is one of several organizations that have been serving our community for over one hundred years. We are blessed to have this consistent and longstanding legacy of community service.