Editor’s Note: The Santa Rosa Press Gazette will feature Milton City Council candidates running in the Nov. 8 election. We continue this multi-part series with current council member Jimmy Messick, who seeks re-election for Seat 2 in Ward I while running against Margaret "Peggi" Smith.
Tell us about yourself.
I grew up in a small Alabama town similar in size to Milton. I am a veteran, having served both as an enlisted soldier and then as an officer in the Army Field Artillery.
I am a certified public accountant with degrees in Accounting and Business Administration and have maintained my small business practice for more than 40 years.
I moved to Milton in 2003 because of the charm and small-town atmosphere we found here. Theresa and I have four children, all grown and married, and — soon to be — 10 grandchildren.
My accounting practice is in Pensacola and I am a member of the Pensacola Lions Club. I have been a Lion member for 40 years, have held most of the offices at the club level and currently serve as a director of my club. The board of directors functions similarly to the city council by setting guidelines the officers of the club use to run the club.
In Milton, I served on the Firefighters’ Pension Board and, for the past two years, have served as your public servant on the City Council. I am currently the chairman of the Finance Committee and serve the city as its representative to the Florida Alabama Transportation Planning Organization.
As an elected official, what are you proud of seeing the city council accomplish?
While I am proud of the many things this council has accomplished in the past two years, the one that I am absolutely the most proud of is the development of a plan for the systematic repaving of streets in Milton.
I took a leading role in getting this plan implemented. All the streets in Milton are ranked from excellent to failing. Those streets in the failing class are given first priority for repaving. While we would like to repave all the streets needing so immediately, by ranking them and starting to systematically repave the worst ones, we will be able to budget our funds and fix our streets on a continuing basis.
If re-elected, what would you like to see accomplished in Milton?
In addition to paving roads, we have taken various steps to attract businesses to Milton, especially downtown and along the corridors of Stewart Street and Highway 90.
We recently rezoned commercial properties along Stewart Street from commercial to commercial/residential, giving property owners more flexibility in the use of their properties in an attempt to stimulate revitalization of that sector.
We rezoned all the properties south of the railroad from industrial to commercial/residential. That area is no longer suitable for heavy industry, which does not fit with our long-range plans for the city.
We have approved the hiring of a retail recruitment firm to work with the city to identify and attract retail companies looking to expand in areas similar to Milton.
We have expanded the Bands on the Blackwater activity and promoted other activities in the downtown area in order to increase foot traffic to downtown and attract more people to that area.
We developed a tourism overlay for the downtown area whereby we can offer incentives to businesses willing to build or improve their property and increase their employment.
We have worked on beautification projects throughout the city to make it more attractive for the citizens and prospective businesses looking to locate in the area.
We have adopted the “Complete Streets” concept for any future street or road development in the city. This means any future development must provide for walking and bike paths, compatible landscaping for the area and rest areas along the way.
We have instructed our Parks and Recreation manager to develop plans for the improvement of Carpenters Park to include a splash pad.
We continue to develop recreational opportunities for the youth of this city, especially at the Guy Thompson Community Center. We are working on getting that facility nationally certified as a senior center.
We continue to seek funding for the building of a new wastewater treatment facility which would remove our current facility out of downtown and away from the Blackwater River.
As you can see from the above, this Council has been proactive and forward-thinking in improving the city of Milton.
As your conservative city councilman, I will continue to pursue activities, programs and funding sources to improve Milton for all its citizens: young, middle-aged and elderly.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Messick: Road resurfacing, business-friendly initiatives among Milton's achievements