The
following is the first of several issues related topics that I will post here
on Dave Burden.com This particular statement is the response I prepared
for the Growth Management topic questions at the Citizens for a Better Eastern
Shore (CBES) sponsored candidates forum on September 25th, 2007.
GROWTH
MANAGEMENT
Growth
Management is obviously a complicated issue, but if I were to focus on one
aspect of the debate, it would be water quality. The economic development
of the Eastern Shore depends on the water
quality of our coastal bays, creeks, and seaside lagoons. At the Economic
Development workshop I attended a couple of months ago, the number one issue in
the minds of Northampton
County residents was
water quality. The second issue was education and workforce development…
which brings me to the third question in this topic. In order to ensure
that we have a healthy and attractive community in the future we need to work
to develop low impact industry such as aqua-culture, high end specialty
manufacturing and marine and estuarine research. But we also need to
ensure that the school system and community college work with the employers and
visionaries within our community to train our workforce to take advantage of
the opportunities that are created here.
This
is why I have worked with the Northampton County Chamber of Commerce to bring
the Community College into Cape
Charles. This is
why I am helping to create and teach a low impact tourism course as a part of
their new workforce development academy program. And this is why I
believe that improved communication is one of the keys to achieving our goals
as a community. Improved communication not just between the government
and the citizens, but also between the county and the towns. If we are
going to grow as a community, then we need to work together to grow in the
direction that has been expressed in the many public meetings that have gone on
as a part of the re-drafting of the comprehensive plan. There are many
people who would like for you to think that growth management is a black and
white issue. That it’s not complicated. That you’re either with us
or against us. But the fact of the matter is that this is a very
complicated issue. I don’t believe that there are many, if any people in
this room that are “anti-growth”.
There are many who are against irresponsible
growth, and that’s a very important distinction. I am in favor of
allowing the Eastern Shore to grow and prosper
in accordance with the comprehensive plan. What I don’t want to see is a
line of outlet malls and stop lights lining highway 13, or excessive runoff
poisoning our creeks.
Eastern
Shore Post Candidate
Survey
Q - What makes you
the best qualified person for the position?
As a small business owner, I have invested everything I have
in the Eastern Shore. I understand the challenges that our working
community faces every day, because I face them myself.
As a leader in the business community I have worked hard to
help us meet those challenges. As an
active member of the Board of the Northampton County Chamber I was very
involved with the effort to open the Community College campus in Cape Charles,
where I will be teaching a leadership course.
As a partner in the Seaside Heritage Program I have
experience working with the local, state, and federal government to create a
unique program that brings together numerous agencies to work toward a common
goal of enabling the ground breaking research conducted within the Virginia Coast
Reserve to continue to grow.
As an Eastern Shore
resident I have been fortunate to experience the friendliness and warmth of our
small towns and coastal communities. I
understand the values that tie us all together.
I strongly believe that in our planning for the future, it
is our responsibility to use a comprehensive plan based on the input of our
neighbors and residents.
Above all else, I believe that my home on Virginia’s
Eastern Shore is a place where I am excited to
raise a family, and so are my friends. I
want to make it easier for us all to be able to afford to do that without
sacrificing the character of our community.
I know that by working hard today to define our vision for
the future we can achieve that goal. It
is our responsibility to our children to leave them an Eastern
Shore with all of the natural and cultural riches that are now in
our care. With well planned growth and a
consistent understanding of our potential we can leave them even more.
Q - What do you see
as the two most important issues facing the county, and how do you propose to
address them?
Water quality in our coastal creeks and bays, and economic
development are the two issues that I believe are most important today in Northampton County.
The threats that face our coastal waters have grown
dramatically in the time I have lived on the Shore, and continue to do so at an
increasing rate. I believe that it is
imperative to address this now, and not put it off until it’s too late. There is a public meeting on October 17th
in Painter to discuss the potential Shellfish Enhancement Zones that are being
proposed for the Eastern Shore. I will be there, and I encourage everyone
else who cares about water quality to attend. Water Quality is not something that we can
easily fix if we fail to protect it. Our
Aquaculture industry and heritage of working on the water depend on this one
factor more than any other, and I pledge to protect them.
Northampton
County needs jobs. Not just any jobs, but opportunities to build
a career that allows us all to live comfortably in this beautiful place and
still plan responsibly for our future. In
order to create these jobs we need to focus our efforts on economic
opportunities that capitalize on the assets that we have on the Shore.
We need to continue to work with local employers such as Bay
Shore Concrete to expand on the success that they have achieved right here at
home. We need to ensure that the
Community College is providing the workforce training necessary for the jobs
that are available now as well as those that we are attracting for the
future. We need to work with the School
Board to continue to improve the education that we are providing to our
children.
As an active leader in our local business community I know
the working families of Northampton
County. I am proud to be a part of the local
workforce, and I look forward to the opportunity to create the rising tide that
lifts all boats… and may allow some of us to afford to buy one.
Please return to this site soon to learn more about Dave Burden's thoughts on:
Economic Development
The Character of our Community
Education in Northampton County
And More...
