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Dear Leesburg Friends and Neighbors,
I do hope your families are all safe in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. The Town of Leesburg, and our many emergency responder partners, did an exemplary job preparing us prior to the storm, which limited many of the impacts. They also worked overtime and throughout the night. We owe so many a debt of gratitude for their selfless efforts, including the Leesburg Police and Public Works departments.
I appreciate the opportunity to humbly submit this letter to you, the Leesburg Voter, to express my gratitude for the honor of serving you the last eight years! I would also like to share with you why I am running for my third-term on the Leesburg council and also to list some of the reasons why I feel I deserve your vote in less than one week -- on November 6, 2012.
Let me begin by stating - Your vote on Tuesday makes a huge difference and our 2012 Council election is at a tipping point this year! We are on the national presidential ballot for the first time in history, but Leesburg’s charter mandates independent non-partisan town council elections. Let’s use our voice, and our common sense.
We are grateful that Leesburg does NOT suffer from the nasty partisanship that is crippling cooperation, thus progress at the state and national level. We need to keep it that way!
Each individual we elect to serve us on our Leesburg Town Council make a huge difference. For instance, the Village at Leesburg “Wegman’s” mixed-use center, that has been a game-changer for our Town, passed by only a slim 4-3 vote. This development has not only brought hundreds of new jobs, but also much needed meals-tax revenue to the Town during a difficult economic downtown.
During my tenure as council member, Leesburg was voted by CNN the 4th Best Place in America to live! I am running for re-election because my efforts have made a difference to our citizens and to our local businesses. I am the most experienced candidate, having served for eight years, and I have a proven record of leadership on Leesburg issues, including maintaining or lowering the residential tax rate for six years in a row.
Besides being the most experienced candidate seeking re-election, I am the only candidate with a state-level leadership experience. I was recently re-elected unanimously by towns throughout the Commonwealth as Town Section Chair on the Executive Committee of the Virginia Municipal League. Why is this important? I will leverage this leadership position to advocate for Leesburg in the General Assembly. Some of the biggest threats facing Leesburg are due to “pass the buck” failures in Richmond. We are seeing unprecedented increases in unfunded mandates and decreases in state aid to localities, combined with a lack of sustainable funding for priority state services, such as transportation. We need to fight to ensure we keep our town taxes low and receive fair services for our significant state income taxes.
I will continue to be a council member who listens to all citizens, researches the issues, compromises with civility, and makes the tough decisions that benefit us all as Leesburg residents.
You have my commitment that I will continue to serve you professionally with honor, dedication, moderation and respect for YOUR agenda as YOUR INDEPENDENT VOICE. But to serve you and the Town we love, I need your VOTE FOR KATIE SHELDON HAMMLER on NOVEMBER 6, 2012!
I would be humbled and honored to earn your vote to represent you for four more years on the Leesburg Town Council. I look forward to seeing you at the Polls on Tuesday, Nov. 6.
Sincerely,
Katie Sheldon Hammler
Leesburg Town Council Member, since 2004
571-228-9515
