Candidate Profile: Tom Bullock For Lakewood City Council

Tom Bullock

Age (as of Election Day)

48

Position Sought

Lakewood City Council At Large

Party Affiliation

Office is nonpartisan (I am a Democrat)

Family

Wife Molly and three kids (Tommy (6), William (5), and Bridget (1))

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

My brother is a Probation officer in Will County, Illinois

Education

BA, Political Science, American University; MA, Classics, University of London

Occupation

Executive director for an Ohio utility consumer non-profit; more than 25 years' experience in government and public affairs, including work for senior Ohio leaders and as an aide on Capitol Hill.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Lakewood City Council, Ward 2, 2008-2013; Lakewood City Council at Large, 2014 - present

Campaign website

www.TomBullockforLakewood.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

For ten years, Lakewood has flourished, but we can’t take for granted that we’ll always improve and grow. We have to work every day to keep City Hall disciplined, diligent, and delivering strong core services.
I’m running for reelection to protect and continue Lakewood’s momentum. We’ve lost many senior leaders to retirement or transition, so experience on City Council is vital to healthy budgets, infrastructure, and neighborhoods. And upon this foundation we can innovate to improve our community every year.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Top issue: continuing Lakewood's growth during a period of enormous loss of experience due to transition. We accomplish this by keeping our foundation sound (remaining disciplined in responsible budgeting, effective management, strong core city services such as refuse, police, fire, street repair, and snow plowing); innovating every year (so we attract residents through continuous improvement such as by slowing down cut-through speeders in residential areas and extending our investment in parks to include sports fields and recreation); and addressing strategic issues to position Lakewood for long-term success (attracting and shaping major commercial development--including the Lakewood Hospital site--so they add vitality, new residents, and new customers while fitting within Lakewood's context).

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I'm the most experienced member of City Council, so I have direct experience in the policies that led to Lakewood's remarkable growth; I have more than 25 years professional background in government and public affairs, so I have the skills to do the job successfully; and I conduct my work as "the people's Councilman"--speaking with an independent, strong voice of leadership to prioritize the needs of regular citizens over city hall "we've always done it this way" thinking.

How do you think local officials are performing in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

The City of Lakewood did a thorough job of complying with public health orders and additionally got COVID financial assistance into the hands of residents and businesses in need. First Federal Lakewood provided timely business loans; the federal government provided rent assistance, and our city partners LakewoodAlive and the Lakewood Community Services Center helped eligible people apply for and receive the assistance. I helped to add flexibility to our outdoor dining rules to help restaurants and taverns weather the crisis and convened a stakeholder meeting to ensure social distancing rules for restaurants were implemented in a workable manner. When rent assistance ended in June 2021, City Council approved use of an additional $1.6 million in federal funds to prevent homelessness for dozens of at-risk Lakewood families. We should continue these efforts and fine tune our implementation to be responsive to landlords, tenants, and businesses.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

If reelected, I will work to continue Lakewood's progress and work every day to make it stronger. Specifically, I will work to:
Keep Lakewood safe, clean, family-friendly and welcoming to people of all ethnicities and backgrounds
Expand parks investment to improve sports fields and recreational activities
Care for historic buildings and improve neighborhood quality
Build on walkability to make our city green and healthy—a place where health happens in neighborhoods
Support unique, artisan shops and small business entrepreneurs
Attract and shape major commercial development to add residents and shoppers while fitting within Lakewood’s context

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

As the most senior member of Lakewood City Council, I have a proven record of accomplishment and service. I have worked for:
Stronger Neighborhoods: Revitalized parks like Wagar, Cove and Kauffman; supported home remodeling and enhanced housing inspections; increased sidewalk repair; helped residents solve quality of life problems; and worked to reduce cut-through traffic speeds to levels safe for family neighborhoods.
Thriving Commercial Corridors: helped businesses weather COVID-19 public health crisis; incorporated affordable housing into new development; preserved historic buildings for adaptive reuse.
Smart & Responsive Government: Improved City’s fiscal strength by helping pass careful and responsible budgets; seeks out ideas from residents; respectful and timely customer service.
Sustainability & Livability: Transitioned city hall to 100% clean energy, added solar panels and EV chargers to city property, increased recycling, farmers markets, urban gardening, bike lanes; increased care for urban trees; and expanded public art.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

From Mayor Mike Summers: "Start with the facts when discussing any issue. To be effective, align city hall decisions around these principles: sound budgeting, alignment in the community, tackle the hard issues, communicate, respect the pocketbook, innovate, create a culture of possibility, and create financial capacity."

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I am responsive to residents, helping people solve problems. I returns calls promptly and champion regular citizens' issues at city hall, whether a neighborhood concern, park improvement, or a new approach to an old problem such as cut through speeding on residential streets.

I'm also innovative and productive: I've been on the front lines of a great number of Lakewood’s most innovative improvements: public art, slowing traffic, bike lanes, improving walkability, clean energy, EV chargers, tree conservation, enhancing our main street, and supporting artisan, local businesses.