More To Do
Crime in Memphis is going down, but it's a long way from being down enough. That is why Mike Carpenter supports the Operation: Safe Community (www.operationsafecommunity.org) plan, a 15 strategy effort responsible for the downturn in crime. 
As an Operation: Safe Community team leader and member of the Memphis Shelby Crime Commission (www.memphiscrime.org), Mike will continue his success at increasing the number of prosecutors to put criminals behind bars.
Mike is endorsed by Sheriff Mark Luttrell. Working together, the Sheriff and County Commission have expanded successful programs like the Drug Court, the Jericho Project for the mentally ill and District Attorney Bill Gibbons' Truancy Reduction Program to keep jail population down and violent criminals off the street.
Mike will continue his fight for victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault. As the leading advocate for the Domestic Violence Court and someone who was instrumental in the transfer of the Memphis Sexual Assault Resources Center (MSARC) from the City to the County, Mike will work to enhance programs for victims and ensure offender accountability.
As Commissioner, Mike Carpenter has supported funding for the MemphisED plan (www.memphisedplan.com) and has supported policies that make relocating to Memphis easier for businesses, but there is more that must be done.
First, our existing businesses and economic assets must be leveraged to grow our economy. Specifically, Mike supports the Aerotropolis (www.memphischamber.com/The-Chamber/Councils/Aerotropolis.aspx) strategy that uses our largest economic engine, Memphis International Airport, as a catalyst for expansion of existing companies and start-up of new businesses. The Aerotropolis strategy will help improve conditions in neighborhoods around our airport, which are economically depressed and the first impression many have of Memphis.
Next, Mike will continue his support of talent retention and recruitment efforts. It's been said that the greatest factor in economic success is not infrastructure or incentives, but investment in human capital. Communities like Memphis need smart, entrepreneurial minded people -- those that have never been here and those that are here but think they want to 
leave. Mike supports initiatives like Emerge Memphis (www.emergememphis.org), an incubator for start-up companies. As Commissioner, Mike worked to enhance our amenities, like Shelby Farms Park and the Greenline, that economic development experts say are critical to recruit and retain these "knowledge workers."
Growing the workforce of both today and tomorrow must be a top priority. Mike will continue working with City leaders to stabilize and reorganize the Workforce Investment Network and align training opportunities with the jobs prospective companies need filled. Mike also knows we must raise our extremely low level of college attainment to provide the skilled workforce prospective companies need. By increasing college attainment by only 1%, we can add nearly $1 billion to the local economy. That is why as a board member of STEP (www.takeyournextstep.org), Mike continues to work to provide private funds to fill the tuition gap that exists for many of our students.
Mike Carpenter believes you should get more "bang for your buck" from county government. So, he proposed shrinking county government's workforce by 300 to save $18 million. Knowing that economically times are tough from private business and their employees, he voted to eliminate automatic pay raises and to curb paid time off abuses. Mike will continue his work to reform our outdated Civil Service policy that tolerates low performance and fails to reward hard work.
In his second term, Mike Carpenter won't give up the fight for a leaner county government. He will continue his push to outsource services that can be more cost-effectively provided by the private sector. Mike Carpenter will continue to be a leader in seeking areas of cooperation between municipalities and county government to achieve greater efficiency in the delivery of essential services.
Holding property taxes down has always been a priority for Mike Carpenter. That is why he voted to cut the tax rate after reappraisal from 4.04 to 4.02. Some on the Commission wanted to lower tax rate two more pennies, but doing so would forced the elimination of 19 positions in the Sheriff Luttrell's office and 4 prosecutors from District Attorney Bill Gibbons. Mike Carpenter couldn't stand for that and put public safety first.
As further evidence of his commitment to holding property taxes down, Mike co-sponsored the Senior Citizen Tax freeze allowed by the legislature. Mike knows keeping a lid property taxes will mean continuing his fight against unfunded mandates from state and federal governments and to reduce the size of county government.
The good news is that the county debt is going down. The bad news is that it is still $1.662 billion. As a candidate, Mike Carpenter promised to work to bring down the county debt and he did. Staying true to the county's debt reduction plan, Carpenter helped achieve declining debt years ahead of schedule. Mike Carpenter will continue the same level of discipline in his final term on the Commission and seek opportunities to pay-as-we-go when it comes to capital projects. Carpenter will demand more accountability and transparency from our school systems when they build or renovate. And he will work with our new sheriff to keep jail population down and avoid the $450 million price tag of a new jail.
As the only Level 1 Trauma Center in the region, The MED must survive, but it can't go on in its present form. Mike Carpenter warned about the crisis at The MED long before the latest troubles and he's committed to long-term sustainability. Mike believes The MED, in addition to its mission to care for trauma patients and the poor, must become a hospital of choice for those with private insurance. Mike is committed to working with local and state governments and private sector hospitals to develop a long-range plan that will allow The MED to continue its mission, but 
provide a high-quality healthcare alternative for residents of Downtown and Midtown.
As Chair of the conservation committee, Mike Carpenter was the sponsor of and led the fight for the transformation of Shelby Farms Park (www.shelbyfarmspark.org), the Shelby Farms Greenline and improvements to the Wolf River. Mike will continue his efforts to improve our trails, parks and bike paths because they improve quality life, raise property values and help recruit and retain talent.
Don't see your issue listed here? Contact us or email Mike at mike@reelectcarpenter.com and he will personally answer your question.