Patrick Vescio

Criminal Justice / Public Safety I’ll continue to ensure that the relationship between our public safety department and the community it serves is strong, healthy, and positive. The community deserves respectful and caring public safety and that public safety deserves our collaboration and support. This means supporting our police chief in his quest for grants that bring innovative programs to Fridley, protecting funding at the state level for public safety, and ensuring that the chief has what he needs to recruit and retain the best officers possible. Environment / Energy I will work hard to ensure that Fridley is an environmentally safe community to raise families. I am confident that we can reduce waste, reduce toxic chemical exposure, and increase the quality of our air, water, and soil for future generations. Environment / Energy As your council member at large I’ll work with the environmental planner, the Fridley Environmental Quality and Energy Commission, our state elected officials, and NGOs to ensure that Fridley has a solid plan to fight pollution, promote sustainability, and protect your health. Government Reform I will work to implement a new commission called the “Community Engagement Commission.” This group of Fridley residents will serve as ambassadors - connecting the city with each neighborhood. They will help with the flow of information in BOTH directions, ensuring the council hears the community and is responsive and respectful. Environment / Energy As an environmental justice community, we need to ensure we are advocating for ourselves to secure the funding we need to remediate lead paint in homes and lead pipes serving our water. We must educate families regarding water quality testing, filter installation, and health monitoring if exposure to toxic chemicals has been high. Infrastructure / Transportation A transportation system that works for Fridley means access to public transit,including stop sites that are safe, clean, and accessible, safe and secure roads, and walkways that are safe and accessible. We must address transit concerns with the long term in mind. In other words, quick and cheap fixes are just that - we need to ensure the updates and spending we’re doing for our transportation system lead to long term and meaningful improvements that won’t cost more money in the long run.