Mary Ann Mixon is running for Seat One on the Cutler Bay Town Council in the Nov. 2 election.
A resident of Cutler Bay for the past seven years, Mixon said she is seeking the council seat out of an interest to serve her community.
“My decision to run for office is motivated by my desire to help guide the town’s growth in an environmentally friendly manner and encourage resident participation in the government,” she said.
Mixon was born in Pensacola but moved to Miami during her teen years, attending Coral Gables Senior High and earning her bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami. Professionally she has been a retail store manager, a loan officer and most recently a licensed Real Estate Sales Associate, all of which she believes will help her on the council.
“I believe my interpersonal skills and my ability to connect with people will help me tremendously in the job,” Mixon said. “The capability to get to the heart of what the people truly want will help me represent and advocate for them accurately. My financial background as a loan officer will be especially useful while working on balancing the town’s budget.
“Also, the year I spent working for the Town of Cutler Bay and my environmental activity within the community has given me additional insight to the town. This insight will help me work toward making sure our quality of life and the integrity of our town are maintained for future generations.”
Mixon, special projects coordinator for the Town of Cutler Bay in 2009, developed a town facility recycling program, implemented environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP), helped develop and launch the town’s “Going Green” website, developed an educational recycling awareness outreach program, and wrote several state and federal grants applications. She said her efforts also helped the town achieve a “Silver” Green City Certification from the Florida Green Building Coalition.
Mixon’s community service work includes volunteering for Habitat for Humanity; participating in Miami Dade’s Baynanza bay clean up day, and for the past seven years, volunteering for the Miami Billfish Tournament, which raises money and awareness for marine conservation and education.
She also has volunteered at the Saga Bay Park clean up and at Cutler Bay’s Arbor Day events, and has planned and participated in numerous charitable fundraising events. She is a member of Fairchild Palms, a young professionals’ volunteer group of the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, supporting the Fairchild Challenge, a South Florida-based environmental education and conservation program.
If elected, she said that her top priority is to protect and preserve the town’s natural environment.
“I want to ensure the decisions made concerning economic and suburban growth are approved only with resource conservation and sustainability in mind,” Mixon said. “I also want to ensure that citizen input is a big part of that decision-making process. We have an obligation to future generations to get this right and I think wise economic and growth management policies will accomplish that.”
Mixon said that another goal is to listen, learn and work for Cutler Bay using a conservative approach to fiscal planning.
“I sense the biggest challenge we have will be to balance the community’s vision with the town’s financial reality,” she said. “By employing a constrained financial management approach and maintaining a strict spending discipline, we can keep taxes to a minimum without compromising any vital services.”
She believes first and foremost, a safe community is Cutler Bay’s most basic need, and that containing urban sprawl and traffic congestion also are important.
“Although our police force has done a fantastic job reducing the crime rate, there is always room for improvement,” Mixon said. “I believe by giving the police the tools and support they need, they can continue to increase the level of protection in our community.
“Creating an environment where people can live, work, shop, and recreate all in close proximity will make it more practical to choose environmentally friendly transportation, reducing dependence on automobiles, congestion and green house gas emissions, which is vital for the health of our community.”
She vows that she can make a difference if elected to the council.
“I will bring a fresh perspective to Cutler Bay’s town council,” Mixon said. “I will work to connect citizens to the government and help make the government process more open and understandable. I will support local business growth and responsible economic development in commercial areas. I have the courage to make the right decisions no matter how difficult circumstances and I’m willing to take the heat for the greater good of the community.”
For more information, visit her website at http://maryannmixon.com/.
