Given her 10 years of experience in working with the City of Columbus on issues of economic development, BRAC and regional growth, land use, crime prevention and neighborhood stabilization, Teresa appreciates the important opportunities that face this community. Her record of civic accomplishment and experience as a successful attorney show her to be a proven leader and an effective problem solver.

“Every issue has a solution. Whether it is finding an answer to the ‘water wars' that ensures what Columbus needs or whether it is finding a way to move the railroad tracks that impede our daily traffic and consume important downtown acreage, I know solutions can be reached. The key lies in finding, focusing on and pursuing our common interests. It's about being able to say ‘yes, if…', as opposed to ‘no, because…'.

As Mayor, Teresa will bring her experience, energy and action to:

BUSINESS – JOBS Ensure Columbus remains competitive as a residential center, reversing the trend of population moving to surrounding counties. Columbus must remain a hub for residential life, as well as for business growth. Jobs and retail follow the population. We need to make sure our population, and our job pool, increases over the next 10 – 20 years.

PUBLIC SAFETY Reduce crime by identifying the sources of crime and turning the city's prevention, investment and enforcement resources to those areas. By fighting crime only through enforcement, we remain purely “reactive”. If we provide prevention, investment and enforcement resources to distressed areas, people will choose opportunity over crime and there is less demand on our public safety resources.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Find innovative ways to reclaim used, discarded, vacant and abandoned properties in the south and central regions of our county. We cannot hope for continued growth if large land areas of our community are under-utilized. Teresa will work with landowners of distressed properties, investors and developers to renew this important economic resource for Columbus, Georgia.

COMMUNITY BUILDING Stabilize neighborhoods, build community and fight crime by facilitating a network of neighborhood associations throughout the city. Harnessing the interests and concerns of citizens through their interest in “their own backyard” is one of the most important ways to give people a voice in their community and governance. Where neighbors know each other and band together to improve their neighborhoods, crime is reduced, citizens become more engaged and government representation is improved.

EFFICIENT/EFFECTIVE GOVERNMENT Work with the City Manager and city department personnel to identify and remove barriers to the efficient provision of city services. Because we have some of the hardest working employees of any city, our employees deserve an efficient and effective workplace.

You, too, can join in our effort to take Columbus, Georgia to the next level. Learn more about Teresa's campaign for the future. Go to www.teresatomlinson.com or contact us at TomlinsonForMayor@gmail.com and help us make a difference.