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PUTTING FAMILIES FIRST - OUR VISION FOR BATTLE CREEK

What does putting 'Families First' mean to you?
"Families First means advocating for policies and priorities that will have a positive economic effect on the budget for everyday families in our community. It means advocating for accessible high-quality childcare and lowering the costs for those who need it most. It means listening to our educators to ensure they have what they need to succeed. It means no child should ever go hungry and that food deserts should no longer exist. It means making sure those on fixed incomes & tight budgets have access to safe and affordable housing. It means when you spend 9 months growing a human being inside you, that you deserve some time off at home - without the stress of losing your job. It means advocating for pathways to raise a family's income (Education, Paid Family Leave) while working simultaneously to lower many of the biggest costs in a family's budget (Housing, Childcare, Fresh Food)."

- Tony Iovieno
FAMILIES FIRST - ISSUES WE'D LIKE TO WORK ON
Affordable Housing

We have a shortage of affordable & safe rentals in Battle Creek, as well as affordable homes. 

- Work on amending zoning requirements to allow for more multi-family use.

- Reduce development & operating costs. Work with the business community & economic developers to understand barriers to new developments - and leverage the power of county government to remove them. 

- Consider tax incentives & fast track permitting. Consider innovative programs like donating unused city land to developers, repurposing vacant buildings, offering tax incentives, and streamlining the permitting process for new builds.

The Childcare Crisis

Childcare costs are not affordable for most families, and workers rarely make a livable wage. 

- Educate the public & business community around the negative economic impact the childcare crisis creates (smaller workforce, increased turnover, less disposable income & spending power).

- Promote innovative solutions like the Tri-Share Model.

- Promote under-utilized childcare subsidies for employers.

Paid Family Leave

With no current national or state-level program in place, some innovative cities are solving for this on their own.

- Continue advocating at the national and state level for legislators to implement Paid Family Leave for All.

- Locally, educate the business community on the negative economic impacts of not having Paid Leave.

- Copy successful city/county-wide implementations of Paid Family Leave like in Austin, TX or Kansas City, MS.

Education & Pathways to Local Careers

Higher educational levels consistently correspond to an increase in income, yet our county lags behind in educational outcomes.

- Partner with the business community to identify the biggest gaps in our workforce, and partner with local schools to provide accessible pathways to trainings for those jobs. 

- Provide local schools with pathways to careers in local government - especially considering our needs. 

- Consider incentive programs to help retain and attract critical employees to economic growth such as teachers & childcare workers. Ensure our incentives are on par with or better than neighboring communities. 

Fresh Food Access & Affordability

Hunger is an issue too many of our families face, as well as a lack of access to fresh, healthy & affordable foods.

- Promote innovative ideas like Farmacy & the Sprout Co-Op Market and leverage the power of county government to help more ideas like that to come to life. 

- Highlight the areas of Battle Creek that are 'Food Deserts', and explain how that negatively impacts our economy. Work with local developers on incentives for locally owned markets, not Dollar Stores!

- Partner with local companies, nonprofits, and school systems to ensure every child has access to fresh & nutritious food every day - especially when school is not in session. 

OUR THEORY OF CHANGE - KEY PRINCIPLES

How do you go about creating real and meaningful change?
Change is hard. And change isn't instant. Solving complex problems requires complex solutions. Here's how we would approach the big issues, and bring about change.

3 Principles We Believe
1. Nothing About Us, Without Us
Change rarely takes hold when you do things to people, rather than with people. Taking the time to authentically engage community is critical to affect real change. 

2. Those Closest to the Problem, Are Those Closest to the Solution
We often forget this. We'll begin tackling a big problem without talking to those who have actually experienced the problem. Studies and data are wonderful tools - but they can't replace personal experience. 

3.  To Change the Conversation, Change Who's in It
We can't keep trying to solve the same problems, in the same ways, by listening to the same people. It's well past time to think differently - and that means including perspectives and advice from those rarely at the table.  
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