ALTON - Alton mayoral candidate, Scott Dixon, will be hosting a town hall meeting set for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2017, at the Riverbender.com Community Center Atrium, located at 200 West Third St.
The town hall will be to make a case against the re-election of current Alton Mayor Brant Walker, who Dixon accuses of using "deceptive statistics." During the meeting, Dixon will discuss his plan to revitalize neighborhoods, businesses and the riverfront as well as making a case against what he sees as "the failed leadership" of Walker's administration. Dixon will seek questions and views from the public as well.
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"Alton cannot afford another term for Brant Walker," Dixon said in a release. "Brant Walker is running for reelection on his record, but Brant Walker is not being straight with us. He's not being honest with us."
Dixon promises to take Alton in a new direction from Walker, who he claims uses false statistics to show a "false image of progress under his term." According to a release from Dixon, Walker's administration has seen key areas such as crime, economic growth and cracking down on slum lords lose ground over the course of the last four years.
"Not only does Brant Walker manage through statistics, he uses them deceptively," Dixon said in the release.
Although Walker claims to have filed as many as 3,500 citations against alleged slumlords, Dixon said those citations mean next to nothing, claiming as many as 88 percent of those citations are not prosecuted.
"That contributes to declining neighborhoods and a lower quality of life," Dixon said in the release. "Too many residents feel unsafe in their neighborhoods.
Dixon also disputes Walker's claim of 130 building demolitions during his administration as a sign of progress. According to a release, Dixon said the city needs proactive policies to prevent the need for building demolitions, saying the city "cannot afford a mayor who prioritizes destruction and demolition over building and growth."
Walker's transparency was also called into question by Dixon, who himself pledged to run a transparent administration, directly confronting Alton's problems and constantly seeking opinions of the residents. Dixon said Walker has "not been accessible to citizens, has presided over mismanaged budgets and unfunded pensions and has haphazardly pursued various projects without a plan that asks Altonians what their real priorities are."
"We all want responsibility, accountability, transparency and good management," Dixon said in the release. "There are serious questions about whether we've gotten that from Brant Walker."
Dixon also claims no business owners with whom he has spoken credit Walker for Alton's progress.
"I've met no business owner who gives him credit for their success," Dixon said in the release. "What they do see is a mayor fond of photo ops, a hotel fiasco and caving streets. We can't afford a mayor who takes credit for others who are successful in spite of him."
Refreshments will be available for purchase at the meeting inside the Riverbender.com Community Center.
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