After much prayer and consideration, I have decided to remain in the race for City Council Ward 2. I’ll be out and about, continuing my campaign in the coming weeks, and I look forward to seeing my Ward 2 neighbors and meeting those who I haven’t already met. Again, thank you for all of your well wishes, prayers, and kind words these past few days – I hope to be able to thank all of you in person one day. Look for me at your front doorstep soon.
Thank you,
Mike “Buckett” Burkett
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
Wow....
You’re in a better place, I’ve heard a thousand times. And at least a thousand times, I’ve rejoiced for you. But the reason why I’m broken, the reason why I cry, is how long must I wait to be with you.
What an amazing week we have been through. The incredible sadness of that moment, Sunday, when my beautiful Katie left us to go to her glory. The incredible demonstration of love by the 100 or so people who stopped what they were doing to meet us at the hospital. The amazing support and tenderness from my entire family. The compassionate mercy and love my heavenly Father has displayed during this entire ordeal.
This community has been incredible. That’s the only word I can find to come close to describing it. I was lifted up by phone calls during the trip to the hospital. I have been carried on the backs of so many during the visitation and funeral. We are blown away by the love and tenderness of people coming by and cutting my grass, cooking food, cleaning the house, screening my calls, and just being here during the many times that I have totally lost it to pray, pat me on the back and just say “we love you”.
FAMILY. What a word. The true meaning came to light in my eyes this week. My parents were so worried about me when their hearts were shattered into a million pieces. My wonderful wife has absolutely been an angel. Our aunts, uncles, cousins and in-laws have all been here to just say,“what can I do.”
The most important thing in all of this was the fact that I learned what it truly means to be loved by God the father. I am not going to go into specific accounts of this now, but I will with anyone who wants to call or come by. Guys, my heavenly father has been so merciful. Knowing the details, I am sure you would feel the same way.
I do not understand why this had to happen. I am not sure I could understand if someone told me or if it would even matter, because Katie would not be back. I do know this: she can not come to me, but I will one day be able to go to her. Knowing that Katie is already in heaven makes me face my future and my own death with a little less fear and dread. Also, I know that this whole experience is making me better. Now, I’m not saying that I’m better off. But, I am better. I’m a better father to my two sons. I’m a better husband, a better son, a better friend, a better man. And for that, I am grateful.
As for City Council, I do not know what I am going to do. I have been told to not make any major decisions for a couple of weeks. My main motivation for seeking public office was my three children: I wanted to help make this a better community for them. And I still have a strong desire to serve this city. When you have a week like we have had you realize how special Gardendale is and why I am so glad I live here.
So, to all of you who have called, sent cards and food, donated to the memorial fund, prayed, or simply “been there” for us, I say THANK YOU. And to the Ward 2 voters, please give me some time to decide what my next move will be. I want to make the RIGHT decision for YOU, for ME, and for Gardendale.
Please continue to pray for us – you have no idea how you have carried us this week, and we’ll need you even more in the coming days. Again, a million thank you’s……
What an amazing week we have been through. The incredible sadness of that moment, Sunday, when my beautiful Katie left us to go to her glory. The incredible demonstration of love by the 100 or so people who stopped what they were doing to meet us at the hospital. The amazing support and tenderness from my entire family. The compassionate mercy and love my heavenly Father has displayed during this entire ordeal.
This community has been incredible. That’s the only word I can find to come close to describing it. I was lifted up by phone calls during the trip to the hospital. I have been carried on the backs of so many during the visitation and funeral. We are blown away by the love and tenderness of people coming by and cutting my grass, cooking food, cleaning the house, screening my calls, and just being here during the many times that I have totally lost it to pray, pat me on the back and just say “we love you”.
FAMILY. What a word. The true meaning came to light in my eyes this week. My parents were so worried about me when their hearts were shattered into a million pieces. My wonderful wife has absolutely been an angel. Our aunts, uncles, cousins and in-laws have all been here to just say,“what can I do.”
The most important thing in all of this was the fact that I learned what it truly means to be loved by God the father. I am not going to go into specific accounts of this now, but I will with anyone who wants to call or come by. Guys, my heavenly father has been so merciful. Knowing the details, I am sure you would feel the same way.
I do not understand why this had to happen. I am not sure I could understand if someone told me or if it would even matter, because Katie would not be back. I do know this: she can not come to me, but I will one day be able to go to her. Knowing that Katie is already in heaven makes me face my future and my own death with a little less fear and dread. Also, I know that this whole experience is making me better. Now, I’m not saying that I’m better off. But, I am better. I’m a better father to my two sons. I’m a better husband, a better son, a better friend, a better man. And for that, I am grateful.
As for City Council, I do not know what I am going to do. I have been told to not make any major decisions for a couple of weeks. My main motivation for seeking public office was my three children: I wanted to help make this a better community for them. And I still have a strong desire to serve this city. When you have a week like we have had you realize how special Gardendale is and why I am so glad I live here.
So, to all of you who have called, sent cards and food, donated to the memorial fund, prayed, or simply “been there” for us, I say THANK YOU. And to the Ward 2 voters, please give me some time to decide what my next move will be. I want to make the RIGHT decision for YOU, for ME, and for Gardendale.
Please continue to pray for us – you have no idea how you have carried us this week, and we’ll need you even more in the coming days. Again, a million thank you’s……
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Addressing the Issues....
My last letter stated that I intended to do all I can to make Gardendale the best community in Jefferson County. How can a councilman do that? My opinion is this: BELIEVE in what you are doing and have great passion toward your belief.
The first thing that makes a community great is for people to feel safe while living there. Second, have the opportunities for recreation, arts, and civic events. Third, be able to dine and shop for the necessities nearby.
Police protection is a huge factor in making people feel secure. We have a very low crime rate in Gardendale. The crimes that do occur are usually crimes against property and not people. We can thank our law enforcement guys for that. With that being said, the next administration must be ready to stay ahead of the ball and understand that as Gardendale grows and becomes more diverse, the chances of increased crime will grow as well. We must be willing to continue to train and add officers to the force as the Chief sees fit.
Fire protection is very important as well. The last administration funded a new Fire Station on 31 Hwy and added full time fire fighters. We must continue this trend by putting enough men and materials in place to continue cover our city. The Chief has stated that he needs a firehouse on the west side of town if he is going to be able to keep response time down. For the safety of our citizens, we need to fund these things as well.
Our recreation facilities are top notch at first glance. If we look deeper, we see that our children are using the same baseball and football fields that I played on when I was a child. That was 35 years ago. The baseball teams do not have fields to practice on, and we don’t have a field for kids over 12 years old. The football teams are practicing on the baseball fields. Many nights you can’t find a place to park. If you have a boy and a girl that play, you have to go to two parks on opposite sides of town. As our population has increased over the last 35 years, and the number of children playing sports in this area has also increased, we have not adequately increased our facilities to accommodate them. These problems need to be addressed. Because our kids and the sports they play are so very important to me, I will seek out a place to centralize and expand our football and baseball facilities. I will encourage the council and mayor to seek funding for this expansion.
As a city, we are very reliant on the high school as a place to have plays and pageants. The High school has worked with the city in this area, but a full-time facility would be so beneficial to our city. While a state of the art facility could have been put in with the civic center, this was not deemed a necessity at the time of construction. I recognize the importance of Fine Arts in a successful community, and our residents have so much to offer in this arena. We should consider building a facility that would greatly increase our options for Gardendale’s Fine Arts programs. I would love to see this happen.
Finally, we should address our options for dining and shopping. I will address this issue in a separate post, because the addition of new business is probably the most important issue we as candidates face. This topic needs individual discussion. Stay tuned for that…
I am not griping about our great city. I am merely pointing out some issues that are at the forefront of the lunch-table discussions around town. We have merely “gotten by” in these areas for far too long, and we need to get back to excelling in these areas. If I am given the opportunity, I will address these things with the passion I talked about earlier. I do NOT believe a tax is needed for the funding of these projects. If we bring in more revenue through viable businesses, we will have the resources to make some of these dreams a reality.
Thank You,
Mike “Buckett” Burkett
The first thing that makes a community great is for people to feel safe while living there. Second, have the opportunities for recreation, arts, and civic events. Third, be able to dine and shop for the necessities nearby.
Police protection is a huge factor in making people feel secure. We have a very low crime rate in Gardendale. The crimes that do occur are usually crimes against property and not people. We can thank our law enforcement guys for that. With that being said, the next administration must be ready to stay ahead of the ball and understand that as Gardendale grows and becomes more diverse, the chances of increased crime will grow as well. We must be willing to continue to train and add officers to the force as the Chief sees fit.
Fire protection is very important as well. The last administration funded a new Fire Station on 31 Hwy and added full time fire fighters. We must continue this trend by putting enough men and materials in place to continue cover our city. The Chief has stated that he needs a firehouse on the west side of town if he is going to be able to keep response time down. For the safety of our citizens, we need to fund these things as well.
Our recreation facilities are top notch at first glance. If we look deeper, we see that our children are using the same baseball and football fields that I played on when I was a child. That was 35 years ago. The baseball teams do not have fields to practice on, and we don’t have a field for kids over 12 years old. The football teams are practicing on the baseball fields. Many nights you can’t find a place to park. If you have a boy and a girl that play, you have to go to two parks on opposite sides of town. As our population has increased over the last 35 years, and the number of children playing sports in this area has also increased, we have not adequately increased our facilities to accommodate them. These problems need to be addressed. Because our kids and the sports they play are so very important to me, I will seek out a place to centralize and expand our football and baseball facilities. I will encourage the council and mayor to seek funding for this expansion.
As a city, we are very reliant on the high school as a place to have plays and pageants. The High school has worked with the city in this area, but a full-time facility would be so beneficial to our city. While a state of the art facility could have been put in with the civic center, this was not deemed a necessity at the time of construction. I recognize the importance of Fine Arts in a successful community, and our residents have so much to offer in this arena. We should consider building a facility that would greatly increase our options for Gardendale’s Fine Arts programs. I would love to see this happen.
Finally, we should address our options for dining and shopping. I will address this issue in a separate post, because the addition of new business is probably the most important issue we as candidates face. This topic needs individual discussion. Stay tuned for that…
I am not griping about our great city. I am merely pointing out some issues that are at the forefront of the lunch-table discussions around town. We have merely “gotten by” in these areas for far too long, and we need to get back to excelling in these areas. If I am given the opportunity, I will address these things with the passion I talked about earlier. I do NOT believe a tax is needed for the funding of these projects. If we bring in more revenue through viable businesses, we will have the resources to make some of these dreams a reality.
Thank You,
Mike “Buckett” Burkett
Monday, July 14, 2008
Sunday, July 13, 2008
I am Mike Burkett and I am running for City Council ward 2 in Gardendale. I am 43 years old. I have been married to Shelley Edwards for 10 years. We have three children: Katie, Andrew, and Jackson. We have all lived in Gardendale Most of our lives and can’t imagine ever calling any other place home.
The reasons that have led me to run for this council position are as follows: 1) To be the voice of the people in Ward 2 when it comes to citywide decisions.2) To once again make Gardendale the best place in Jefferson County to live. 3) To assure that we as citizens are able to continue to live in a safe and thriving environment.
The ways that I intend to be your voice are as follows: 1) I will have my cell phone number and E-mail address accessible to all of the people in my ward. 2) I will eat supper with my family the last Tuesday of each month at Hamburger Heaven so I can meet with anyone that has issues or suggestions I can carry to Council the next Monday 3) I will always vote YOUR will and not MY ideals in Council Meetings.
To regain our Title as “The Best Kept Secret in Jefferson County”. My goal is to do the following: 1) Make a concerted effort to bring in businesses that the young people of Gardendale will want to visit. 2) Update our ballparks and give the older kids places to play and practice. 3) Work with the police dept. to increase patrols in our neighborhoods. 4) Find a way to build a Fire station on the west and South side of town. 5) Try to increase the amount of funding each year given to the four schools in our area. 6) Figure out a way to give the city employees a raise.
If we are to improve our way of life we must get more revenue coming in to the city. We must grow the number of legitimate businesses and maintain the ones that we have. Every candidate says that, but how do you actually go about getting it done? There are 3 main types of businesses: retail, food and service, and industry - each one having different opportunities in our City, but having them nonetheless. We have to go out and recruit these businesses and give them a reason to come to our city. I believe we should have committees that are responsible for each one and their recruitment.
I am not a lawyer or a Real Estate agent. I am just an average guy that loves his city and neighborhood. I ask you for an opportunity to serve you for 1 or possibly 2 terms as your voice in city hall. I will work diligently and openly for you. I will not give in to pressure from the outside. And last but not least, I will always welcome your calls and E-mails to give me your opinions and problems.
Thank you,
Mike “Buckett” Burkett
The reasons that have led me to run for this council position are as follows: 1) To be the voice of the people in Ward 2 when it comes to citywide decisions.2) To once again make Gardendale the best place in Jefferson County to live. 3) To assure that we as citizens are able to continue to live in a safe and thriving environment.
The ways that I intend to be your voice are as follows: 1) I will have my cell phone number and E-mail address accessible to all of the people in my ward. 2) I will eat supper with my family the last Tuesday of each month at Hamburger Heaven so I can meet with anyone that has issues or suggestions I can carry to Council the next Monday 3) I will always vote YOUR will and not MY ideals in Council Meetings.
To regain our Title as “The Best Kept Secret in Jefferson County”. My goal is to do the following: 1) Make a concerted effort to bring in businesses that the young people of Gardendale will want to visit. 2) Update our ballparks and give the older kids places to play and practice. 3) Work with the police dept. to increase patrols in our neighborhoods. 4) Find a way to build a Fire station on the west and South side of town. 5) Try to increase the amount of funding each year given to the four schools in our area. 6) Figure out a way to give the city employees a raise.
If we are to improve our way of life we must get more revenue coming in to the city. We must grow the number of legitimate businesses and maintain the ones that we have. Every candidate says that, but how do you actually go about getting it done? There are 3 main types of businesses: retail, food and service, and industry - each one having different opportunities in our City, but having them nonetheless. We have to go out and recruit these businesses and give them a reason to come to our city. I believe we should have committees that are responsible for each one and their recruitment.
I am not a lawyer or a Real Estate agent. I am just an average guy that loves his city and neighborhood. I ask you for an opportunity to serve you for 1 or possibly 2 terms as your voice in city hall. I will work diligently and openly for you. I will not give in to pressure from the outside. And last but not least, I will always welcome your calls and E-mails to give me your opinions and problems.
Thank you,
Mike “Buckett” Burkett
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