Alan Lowery, Santa Rosa County native and retired Milton Fire Department captain of 30 years, is running for Milton City Council Ward 3. He said he appreciates how local votes count after losing by 12 to Grady Hester four years ago. Lowery has also sat on the Milton storm water committee for 3 years and the board of adjustments for 8 months.
Lowery’s credentials include being a key player in the last major annexation for the city around Highway 90 between McDonalds and Food World in 1999.
As a councilman, Lowery said he’d push for a better alternate route for Highway 90 and stand for keeping the courthouse in downtown Milton. He said the roads in his ward, like Dogwood Drive, Park Street, Sanders Street, and Magnolia Street received work recently so surfaces in his ward are lower on the priority list.
Lowery said, “The number one thing is to be fair. What’s fair for you should be fair for me.” He said some people feel they’re treated differently by the city compared to others. Lowery tied this idea to business saying he’s heard from many people in the business community it’s easier to grow in Santa Rosa County than in Milton. The most important trait Lowery said he’d emphasize on the council would be fairness followed by openness.
The City of Milton has audio recordings of its council meetings available through the clerk and Lowery said the city should either televise city council meetings or make them available on the Internet. He’d also like to see more meetings held at times when people with daytime working hours can attend. Lastly, he said ordinances need to be simplified. According to Lowery, they’re difficult to understand for most. They’re not wrong, he said, just tough for people to grasp. These ideas, Lowery said, would promote more open governance, another trait he said he’d encourage as councilman.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Alan Lowery runs for Milton City Council Ward 3