Letter to the Voters: Sandy Iannarelli, candidate Middleport Mayor

(EDITOR’S NOTE: The Meigs Independent Press does not participate in advertising for or endorsing candidates. The submissions from candidates are a service to the voters and the people of Meigs County. Candidates were invited to write an open letter to the voters. It is published as submitted, unedited.)

Letter to the Voters,

Sometimes progress is messy. Sometimes the dream for a better tomorrow disguises itself in the form of a lot of hard work.

My name is Sandy Iannarelli, and I write to you today to ask for your vote to re-elect me on November 5th.

Let’s start by addressing the elephant in the room. Due to the multitude of infrastructure projects going on in town over the last few years, a lot of our city streets are a mess! I will be honest with you; I live on one of those torn-up streets, and I would be lying if I told you that I’m not getting impatient for them to finally be done.

I understand that you are tired of the rough roads; I know that many of you may even blame me for it! When we decided to start this project, I knew that it would likely ruffle a lot of feathers due to the inconvenience that it would cause, but at the end of the day I am happy to take your frustration and blame. You know why? Because when this project is complete, not only will we have all new roads, but we will have all new infrastructure too! Sometimes progress is messy. Sometimes a better tomorrow looks like a lot of hard work. The end is in sight, and I can promise you that once we finish, it will all have been worth it.

During my time as Mayor of Middleport, I am proud to say that we have secured almost 10 million dollars in grants for our town. This money has gone from everything from general maintenance to park upgrades and marina rehabilitation. We were able to add an archery range, and fund new village refuse trucks! Furthermore, we have an additional 5.2 million in future grants that are already in the pipeline, including $532,000 to pave those pesky streets! Our police department patrolled over 25,000 miles in 2018 alone and was able to make 519 felony indictments, cleaning up our streets, and protecting us from those who would do us harm.

I care about the little stuff too. That is why I have issued 247 citations in Mayor’s court this year alone. In 2017 I decided that we needed to do something to bring back community pride, so I started the “Yard of the week” award to bring attention to the residents who take pride in their yards, motivating several others to do the same. I have already contacted over 50 people this year who have neglected to maintain their properties, and if they have to be contacted twice, they will be summoned to court. It is time to start holding people accountable and bring up the standards of what it means to live in Middleport.

My time as Mayor has been an absolute honor and privilege. I love this village and the people in it. We have made a lot of progress, and I would hate to see the momentum that we have gained to stop now. On November 5th, I humbly ask that you vote to RE-ELECT SANDY IANNARELLI. Progress can be messy, but stick with me just a little while longer, and I promise you that it will all be worth it.

Sandy Iannarelli, candidate for Middleport Mayor