Mark Bransford: A vote for me is a vote for needed change in Ward 2

Hello! I’m Mark Bransford, running for Rochester City Council Ward 2. With the election near I wanted to reach out and explain a bit about my background and why I hope to earn your vote.

My wife Lori and our family moved to Rochester in 2001. We have raised 4 children in this amazing town. I have the intelligence and common sense to lead Ward 2. With a PhD in Astrophysics, and as a scientist and engineer, I bring 30 years of experience to the City Council in crafting solutions to very complex problems.

Those of us who live and work in Ward 2 need to have faith that our City Council representatives care about what we think and will go to bat for us. In listening to Ward 2 residents, many feel disenfranchised because their voices come second place to an increasingly narrow world-view. That our leadership is focused on their priorities and pet projects. That the city comes before the needs of the community.

The incumbent openly expressed support for implementing term limits in 2009 yet is now seeking a fourth term, on the heels of voting to approve a 100% pay increase. He sits on an RPU fee subcommittee where he can recommend future rates, and then turn around and approve them on the city council. This is too much power and the city charter must be changed to make council liaison positions ex officio. Most importantly to my campaign: he defends huge increases in the costs for building housing outside the city center, in a time when we have a gap in housing working men and women need and can afford. No wonder we have true sprawl: 30,000 people commute daily to Rochester from outlying towns because that’s where reasonably priced housing exists. It’s for those reasons I’m running. Ward 2, and the city, will be better off when people have homes they can afford, lower property taxes and cost of energy, and our economic development is equitable across the city, not solely focused downtown.

I bring creativity, intelligence and common sense to the City Council, and want everyone at the table to brainstorm and work in a collegial manner. You can find a meticulously crafted platform on my website that is filled with ideas and plans for housing, relationship building, getting the school district into our plans for growth, helping with giving the disaffected a voice, and much more. However, a website filled with nitty-gritty is not enough. As my experience has taught me, and as any scientist and engineer knows, it takes a team and an open-minded discussion to meld ideas to produce real solutions. Not individual voices. A vote for me is a vote for a proper approach to solving problems: smart people working as a team. And that team includes you! Together we will determine what works best for Ward 2. I’m just a bridge between the city and its people. While we’ll certainly disagree on some issues, there is no doubt that we’ll do so with maturity and respect.

When you read the other candidate’s literature, are you struck by how many times they use the word “I?” If “I” is the most frequently used word, you can tell who their top priority is. People hear me talk about “we” a lot, which is why my campaign has received so much support. I’m running so that my neighbors and my community have a voice at the City Council.

My hope is people like you hear this platform and agree: It’s indeed high time for a change in Ward 2.

Mark Bransford is running for the Ward 2 position on the Rochester City Council.