Smaller Government - Lower Taxes - More Freedom

For Albany Area Chamber of Commerce – Governmental Affairs Committee

Mike Taylor is a 5th generation Oregonian, born and raised in Albany Ward I - Graduated from West Albany in 1983. Graduated Cum Laude from Oregon Institute of Technology in 1988 and immediately went to work for Hewlett-Packard Company in Corvallis. 17 years employment at HP included 3.5 years at HP’s European Marketing Centre in Germany and the remainder in Corvallis. Left HP in 2005 and started Mid Valley Computer Services in 2006, a small business in Albany.

My top priority if elected will be to develop Albany’s economy and to reduce government spending and reduce property taxes; I will also do anything I can to reduce violent crimes, property theft, identity theft, and production, possession and distribution of meth which continues to be a serious threat to our community --

I am not a politician; I have never run for office. My campaign will cost less than $350. I will work hard to reduce government spending and taxes. I will work hard to ensure our children have opportunities. I will serve with integrity.

1. Please summarize your business background and leadership experience

   17 years as engineer for Hewlett Packard Company – Started Mid Valley Computer Services in 2006 – I can tell you first hand that it is very, very hard to start a small business in Albany - more than anything I have been obstructed by payroll taxes - I cannot afford to have employees - Most experts will tell you that small business is a critical part of our economy yet the current environment makes getting started very hard – I am very sensitive to Albany’s economy I will do whatever I can to turn things around.

   Perhaps the biggest influence and responsibility the Albany City Council has is on our property taxes – Currently ~41% of your property taxes go to spending that is controlled by the City Council - My leadership experience is very limited but I promise that if I make any mistakes they won’t be because I spent too much money.

2. What are your top three action items that you will pursue if elected and why?

   1. Economic Development – This is our biggest issue in Albany – if the economy was more healthy here other things would fall in line – Our young people would have opportunity and would not be in so much trouble, many of them are in a state of hopelessness – 654 of the 1377 houses currently on the market (47%) are in foreclosure – when people stop paying their mortgage they stop paying their property taxes and that is lost income for the City. BTW there are ZERO new homes currently on the market.

   2. Cut city government spending – Lower taxes - Taxes are causing people to lose their houses – Significant amounts of spending – say more than $1M - should be approved by a vote of the people – Surpluses should be returned to the taxpayers – Taxes are destroying too many people.

   3. Meth and Crime – Too many of our young are unemployed and their future is bleak meth turns them into walking dead – We need to be harder on meth and crime anything the City Council can do I will support. I am all for freedom of the people but we need to come down as hard as a City Council can on meth and crime.

3. What should Albany do to attract new jobs to the community

   One idea would be to complete the Pepsico property so that it is ready for some other company to come to the area – Since so much has already been done I would not be opposed to that idea.

   But honestly those big production jobs for mega corporations are fairly limited as far as contribution to the local economy – Most of the jobs are a few bucks above minimum wage. Albany should focus more on small and medium sized businesses and locally grown businesses – We really need to depend on ourselves instead of dreaming for a Pepsico on a unicorn to come save us – This area has lost many, MANY engineering jobs, Pepspico-style production jobs are not going to get us anywhere close to where we used to be.

4. What are the most detrimental issues affecting business in Albany today and what would you do to address/correct them

   Taxes and government spending are oppressing this community financially - Crime and meth use are also big problems and symptoms of the poor economy. Starting to repeat myself now, but I would try to keep more money in the local economy by lowering government spending and property taxes.

5. What are the major challenges facing Albany in the next two years? How will you address these challenges?

   The economy in Oregon and in Albany is at great risk of becoming much worse than it is now – Most of the people on the City Council don’t realize how bad it is – I think the City can help us all get through it by lowering taxes – and in the case of a surplus even giving property tax rebates – doing so puts more hard cash money in the economy – Otherwise if unemployment and foreclosures increase - those people don’t pay ANY taxes which is lost revenue for the City

6. If elected, what will you do in office to promote a positive business climate?

   Primarily “business” wants to be profitable and will flow to areas where it can be thus profitable – just as water pools where it is best received – I would decrease fees and taxes to businesses and individuals thus putting more money in the economy and making it easy to do business here – We don’t need to spend money to bring business to Albany – we need to stop taking so much -

7. How will you work with and support local economic development organizations?

   Outside of putting more money in the local economy by means of decreasing fees and taxes I don’t have any great magical “outside the box” ideas for developing the local economy - I do think it is probably the most important issue for Albany in many ways so by all means if someone comes up with a way to pay everyone in the county $20 an hour to make widgets I am all ears – I support democracy and free market – many, MANY lives have been lost fighting against communism and socialism – I am against big government and I don’t expect the government to create an economy mostly the government just needs to get out of the way –

“A wise and frugal government which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government.” – Thomas Jefferson (1801)