Welcome
Tara Waisanen for Sanford City Commissioner District 4
Sanford, the best is yet to come!
My Focus
Growth Management
As a 25 year resident of Sanford, I have seen the growth of the City. I have become increasingly concerned with the large apartment complexes and the eradication of the trees when these complexes are built. I will work to strengthen and follow Sanford's development rules so that projects, such as these large apartment buildings, do not overwhelm our services and negatively impact our quality of life or the environment.
Making our community safe by prioritizing funding and training for first responders
As my husband and I and our two daughters reside in our home, or when they leave to go about their day, I want them to be safe. Our First Responders: police officers, fire fighters, and EMTs are the men and women who risk everything so that we can safely move about our city. Our Mayor, City Commissioners, and City Manager have done a good job holding the line, but as Sanford’s population increases, we must make public safety a top priority. I will work to ensure that we have in place highly trained police officers and fire department personnel. In an increasingly challenging time for our brave and selfless First Responders, we must continue to work hard to support them, to give them the training and funding that they need to be effective in their job. Your safety and our First Responders are Top Priority!
Keeping our children safe through increased school resource efforts
School resource officers, or SRO’s are the men and women of the Sanford Police Department who are responsible for student safety. Every day they vigilantly watch over the most vulnerable members of our community, our precious children. I will work to ensure that every school in Sanford is fully staffed with SRO’s and that funding is available for additional training and equipment. I want to provide our officers with all the resources that they need to keep our children safe!
Facing the challenges of a growing city by modernizing our aging infrastructure and protecting our water supply.
We love our historic city but not failing pipes. Through better maintenance plans, we can get ahead of issues before they become major problems. I will make sure that we share important information with residents and aggressively protect and improve our water supply through testing and better treatment.
Supporting the residents by easing the permitting process, expediting water meter replacements, and improving water quality.
Whether it is applying for a permit to build a shed, or applying for water service, the city’s procedures for residents should be easy to follow. A comprehensive assessment of customer service needs to be done so that the city works for the residents.
Addressing the Seminole Town Center Mall
The city needs to be proactive working with all of its businesses to help them succeed as the economy changes. A vibrant mall is good for businesses and the city. More needs to be done to assist business owners not just in big buildings like the mall, but also when trying to change the use of small historic buildings. And when necessary, the city needs to enforce code requirements to force owners to take care of their properties.
