Teddy Reese kicks off campaign for Council District 10 seat

Standing in front of the Beallwood Area Neighborhood Development Community Center, attorney Teddy Reese kicked off his campaign Saturday for Council District 10 in a neighborhood with needs.

“We wanted to show up today to let folks know that you are not forgotten,” Reese told about a dozen supporters at Charlie Hill Park. “As early as this week walking through the neighborhood, people were glad to see us because they feel that no one is carrying their voice. No one is listening.”

Reese, the staff attorney and director of community operations and affairs at Georgia Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, is challenging incumbent Berry “Skip” Henderson for the citywide council post in the May 24 non-partisan election.

With education and experience, Reese said he wants to serve as a voice to look at community challenges from a budget prospective. “I ran because I wanted to be that new voice for the people that sincerely feels they do not have a voice of their own,” he said.

Reese presented his B.E.S.T campaign platform which focuses on Budget Control, Economic Development, Safety and Together.

He noted the recent issues with the city garbage trucks and the aquatic center as budget control concerns. “I would like to use not only my education but my experience in working with multi-millon dollar budgets to help get us back from the budget perspective,” he said. In addition to a law degree, Reese said he has a master’s in public administration, the same degree held by the city manager, and a bachelor’s degree in computer science.

Reese is concerned abou the city’s reserve fund. In 2007, the city had a reserve of 130 days but now it’s down to 57 days. He said the city violated its own policy not to let the fund slip below 90 days.

In economic development, Reese said Columbus based Carmike Cinemas recently announced a $1.1 billion deal to be acquired by AMC Entertainment Holdings. And the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia also has projected the slowest growth for this area in its economic forecast. “We need to improve that,” he said. “How can we improve that? We do that by reaching out to venues we have not explored.”

Around the city, Reese said safety is a concern for people on a daily basis. “Neighbors are afraid to take a walk in their neighborhood,” he said. “We can fix that and it starts by coming together, elected officials getting to know the community and being involved in the community,” he said.

The final piece of his platform is pulling the city together. “Right now we need to heal,” Reese said. “We have challenges all over Columbus that can be handled with basic care and love, neighbors that will be willing to come out of their own homes to help another person. That is what we have here today.”

Reese and supporters planned to combine the kickoff with a day of service in neighborhoods but it was canceled due to the weather. He still plans to visit neighborhood along Floyd and Steam Mill roads and the Lake Oliver Marina.

This story was originally published March 26, 2016 at 5:57 PM with the headline "Teddy Reese kicks off campaign for Council District 10 seat."