Motivation to run for office:
I was a councilmember in the past and want to go back to continue the tradition of making government responsible to the community. I have institutional knowledge since 1996 of the Village Council (1996-2006) and have been monitoring (city business) throughout the years. There are a lot of issues that are still being talked about. One of the things we tried to do as a council before was set up real departments to respond to the community. We’ve put together real good infrastructure for Village government and it needs some fine tuning. So far we’ve been pretty successful and the residents are happy with it.
Pressing issues and strategies for resolution:
One of the things we dealt with early on was Parrot Jungle, now Pinecrest Gardens. I want to work on the progress there, longterm redevelopment to make it a very usable part of the community. The water distribution system is a problem. Many of the homes in the north do not have county water and operate on wells. I want to try to get county water for all. We got it started, but there are still a number of homes that need it. I find that financial problems are getting very expensive, wherever we can get money seems dried up now. It is not so easy to obtain funding as it used to be; this is a long term goal I would like to continue to address. Personal/professional:
I have been in the Village for 30 years, since 1982. I’m active — and have been for many years — with the Howard Palmetto Khoury League and Optimists Club in Suniland. Baseball and basketball take up a lot of my time. I like to go to Dolphin games, and to see the Marlins and the Heat play. I am an attorney and my primary area is construction matters. I have been with the law firm Welbaum Guernsey since 1974 and our office is in Coral Gables.
Future vision:
I would like to continue to do what we started with, (efforts that) have been very successful and positive. One of the things we attempted to do is help community residents solve problems without a lot of red tape. I don’t want us to become a city with a lot of restrictions and rules that prevent people from living a comfortable life.
Accessibility to constituents:
Because I have been a part of this community for over 30 years and also served as a former councilman, as well as being involved in the Howard Palmetto Khoury League, many residents know me. For those who want to reach me they can contact me at my work phone number, 305-441-8900 or votehingston@yahoo.com
