Platform
Brigette's PRIORITIES:
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"Healdsburg's greatest wealth is its people, not its real estate."
-Brigette Mansell to Healdsburg City Council during public comment in 2021.
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I will continue to ask these guiding questions:
How does this decision impact our neighborhoods? the city residents? future generations? the folks who live and work and create here? the children who are raised here?
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1. To maintain the small town character and a good quality of life for our townspeople, I will focus on the people who live here: 24/7, twelve months of the year. Our Business Improvement District and the Redevelopment Agency have done an excellent job taking care of visitors and tourists; it is time for city leaders to bring attention to and care for the residents of Healdsburg. A concrete example: road deterioration. We need to repair and improve our residential and well-traveled streets (use our voter-approved sales tax Measure V funds).
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2. Another priority must be to improve communication within our town. At a time when Healdsburg residents are watching construction, north and south of our town, ultra-luxury resorts and hotels, we need to foster neighborhood and community dialogue and informative, inclusive workshops regarding our future expansion. It is imperative that we continue to value and invite and educate our community voice.
To promote and encourage civic participation and open government is another important core issue to me on the council.
I am an independent voice representing local people, the folks that work hard to make Healdsburg a "charming" small town community that values and invites multi-culturalism, family, youth, the arts, education, and, yes, a community that greets and welcomes and cares for visitors/tourists--with grace and dedication and pride in our town.
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3. Another priority is to support the creation of well-planned, affordable worker housing. I will focus on construction of small houses, town houses, and rental units for our middle class. The projects should be in scale with our small town and more funding should be found and used for affordable ​​​housing for our service workers and to create more employment for our community. If we want to attract economic diversity and attract businesses that contribute to our town, we need more housing. Not market rate Healdsburg housing, but housing for median income earners. We must create houses that serve and benefit our community. The fact that our city' s strategic plan indicates 40% of the houses in the city of Healdsburg are second homes concerns me. Vacant homes concern me. Our town, our community, deserves to not only be the best small town to visit, we need to strive to be the best town in which to live.
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ENVIRONMENT
TOP PRIORITY: Water Security for Healdsburg !
I want to support and create and live in an environmentally-conscious community. Profound changes will be required to tackle our scientifically-proven Climate Change. Healdsburg can do better. To improve our quality of life, to be responsible, reverent stewards of our earth, and our precious Russian River Watershed, we must build on public engagement and decision-makers from government as well as industry and law. We need leaders who are bold and cognizant of their responsibility to act. Healdsburg must require sensible, innovative, sustainable designs for our downtown. Placing people at the heart of climate action means public policy makers must involve community and harness the vitality of its our residents. Healdsburg's awesome natural gifts: the river (more access for townspeople) and hiking on our Fitch Mountain and our northern hills above Parkland Farms, and promote walking and biking to school, stores, and our downtown Plaza.
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EDUCATION
My entire adult life has been dedicated to empowering our youth to solve the problems they face in their communities, in our nation, and in our world. As a 39- year veteran high school English teacher and a speech and debate coach, I have been trusted to teach/coach students to write and read and speak and listen and question-so they may contribute and actively participate in our democracy. I will support our youth, Healdsburg's future citizenry.
ECONOMIC FUTURE
Healdsburg is our town. It is not just a brand. We live here. Our stewardship is our responsibility; it is not a burden, but a way to live and be. Of course many wise decisions have been made to create the financial success of our town. Of course we are grateful for the past policies to make Healdsburg an attractive town both visually and economically, but community invites people, we the people, to learn and assess and evaluate how the changes and economic growth affects the residents and, more importantly, the emotional landscape of our town. Of course we need to grow essential industry, create well-paying jobs, and promote economic growth, but increasing the size and scope is not the only way to "grow" a healthy, sustainable community. Ecology and economy are synonymous in 2022 and beyond.
LOCAL INTERESTS:
Healdsburg is a town of arts and culture. We need to support our local artists, our local, long-time restaurant owners, our grocery stores, our public schools, our hard-working, strong Latinx population, and reward the 12 months a year residents, our LOCALS for their 12 month commitment to our burg. I am so pleased to be a resident and home owner in the city limits. I love my street, my neighbors, our public schools, my history here in Northern Sonoma County. Please know I am here to engage whether I am elected to the two-year term on the Healdsburg City Council in November 2022 or if I am an active, concerned, grateful Healdsburg resident.
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