Today we live in a society where nothing significant can get done by our federal government. If we can't get anything done at a federal level wouldn't it be great if we could improve our society at a town level? I know that my community in the city of Torrance, California can use some improvement. There are particular issues that I believe many people in my community agree need to be fixed. If I were the mayor of Torrance I would keep my community’s roads maintained, keep the citizens safe from wild coyotes, and keep my community clean.

Quality roads are one of the most basic and important aspects of any community that is needed to let it thrive. Keeping these roads in tip-top shape can have multiple benefits for a community. First of all the work required to fix these roads will require more workers. Hiring new workers will not only help decrease unemployment but will also stimulate economic growth that will lead to increased consumer spending. Secondly, the potholes that riddle the streets can cause major damage to cars. Recently my mom had to spend hundreds of dollars on fixing her car after she hit a pothole. That puts a lot of strain on my family’s budget and I can assume it does the same for others. By fixing these roads the citizens won't need to constantly pay for repairs and can increase consumer spending elsewhere and can benefit both the economy and families. Lastly, it is important to note that the longer we take to fix these roads, the more it will cost later. We can fix this now or have future generations pay for a problem that we could solve for a much cheaper price. I would try to start fundraiser specifically meant to raise money for our roads because I believe people want better roads and would donate. Fixing our roads is an important task that must be tackled now because it will help our town’s economy, help families who already struggle to make ends meet, and will end up costing us more later on.

The city of Torrance is located near Palos Verdes and Rolling Hills which is known for their wild animals including the very dangerously coyote. These are dangerous animals that can adapt to environments easily. There have been dozens of sightings within just 1 mile of where I live and some of these include deaths. They will often get into people’s backyards and kill their pets. I myself have had a coyote sighting recently when I was walking my dog. It was about 8:30 P.M and I went to the park across the street from my house so my dog could relieve himself. After a while he started barking towards the bushes and that's when I saw a coyote creep out. Luckily, I was still a whole basketball court away from it so before it started to chase me I grabbed my dog and hurried back to my apartment. If I had been any closer, the situation could have turned out a lot differently. Sooner rather than later, these animals will start to prey after children who don’t know any better and can not protect themselves. One thing that I would do as mayor would be to increase the amount of police patrols in the area because I hardly see any coming around my local park which happens to be a hotspot for these coyotes. Another thing would be to increase funding for a program that’s goal is to follow up leads on coyote sightings, capture them, and release them into the wild where they can't hurt anyone. If we do nothing, how long will it be until newspapers start to report on human deaths related to coyotes?

Another big topic I would address is keeping my town clean. It feels like people litter more and more everyday and that can have a lot of negative impacts. Firstly, littering can make the appearance of a town seem filthy. This will discourage people from moving into the town and will be a huge revenue loss. Secondly, by just leaving food and junk all over the ground we are encouraging the spread of bacteria in and around the town. When we come in contact with this bacteria it can lead to health problems for the community. Lastly, littering can have a negative effect on wildlife. When we just drop our trash around we can poison animals and even cause it to starve by blocking its intestinal tract. The money that we can spend cleaning up for people who don't pick up after themselves can go to more important things like the roads and safety that I talked about previously. My plan to reduce littering in Torrance consists of a program where citizens can help clean up the streets and get a slight tax reduction for doing so on a somewhat regular basis. I would also try to start putting trash cans on every block. That way people can always have somewhere to throw their trash instead of dropping it on the ground. Not only can reducing littering help our community look nice, be healthy, and be safe but it can also help out with the threat littering is contributing to the rest of the world.

Maintaining roads, keeping people safe from the threat of coyotes, and keeping the community clean are three very big topics that I don't believe get as much attention as they should. If I were mayor of my town I would make sure to implement many of the ideas I've given to help better my community and its citizens. While we may be having trouble with leaders at the federal level getting bills passed that help our county, we can start at a smaller level in our communities and build out from there.