raymond’s

Platform

  • Trust is built on openness. The campaign proposes livestreaming and posting City Council meetings, reviewing city departments for efficiency, and conducting regular community surveys with published results so residents can see how city government is performing and what their neighbors are asking for.

    • Livestream City Council meetings and make recordings available through city digital channels.

    • Conduct a top-to-bottom review of city departments focused on efficiency and taxpayer value.

    • Publish regular Mayor’s Reports through the city website, social media, and local media.

    • Conduct quarterly community surveys and publish the results.

    • Maintain a paper option for residents who do not use online tools.

    • Create a city website dashboard showing major-project status and financial information.

    • Explore dedicated communications staffing to manage city information, social media, website content, press releases, livestreaming, advertising, and marketing.

    • Create easier systems for residents to report road, sewer, and other city-service issues.

    • Establish recurring focus groups or stakeholder meetings with Realtors, hotel owners, restaurant owners, retailers, teachers, factory workers, youth, and other community groups.

  • The campaign proposes a balanced approach that supports existing small businesses while recruiting new commercial investment.

    • Attract large retail development to strengthen the local sales-tax base.

    • Establish a Revolving Loan Fund for local small businesses to support building rehabilitation and technical assistance.

    • Create a Food Truck and Vendor Park area in Marion.

    • Pursue a Vacant Building Ordinance for commercial districts along Highway 77 and Military Road to address blight and neglected properties.

    • Work to address limited food access on the western side of the city / Bayou Vista area.

    • Support both large and small business development.

    • Work with the Chamber to support established businesses and startups.

    • Host business expos, business-after-hours events, and entrepreneurial education opportunities.

    • Work with landowners and development partners to make more property available for productive investment.

    • Work with MYSA and Grand Slam Baseball to strengthen youth-sports facilities and events as part of local economic activity.

  • Raymond defines active community development as getting basic city services right while investing in stronger partnerships, public spaces, youth involvement, local nonprofits, and neighborhood quality of life. 

    • Deliver essential municipal services, including water, sewer, sanitation, fire, police, and parks, at a consistently high standard.

    • Utilize high-school community-service requirements to support local initiatives where appropriate.

    • Strengthen the city’s partnership with the Marion School District.

    • Help establish a Community Foundation to provide financial support to local nonprofits; Raymond has pledged $2,500 of his annual mayoral salary to support the effort.

    • Explore a full-time grant writer / community-outreach position.

    • Organize city beautification and trash-pickup days.

    • Beautify gateway areas and major corridors.

    • Expand neighborhood parks and bike-path opportunities.

    • Establish an annual city music festival.

    • Continue work on major community-development and infrastructure projects.

A man with sunglasses in a red Memphis t-shirt holding the hand of a young child who has a pacifier and is wearing a white shirt, shorts, a gray cap, and socks with shoes. They are outdoors on a grassy area with trees and buildings in the background,
A woman in a blue sleeveless shirt and sunglasses and a man in a blue patterned shirt and sunglasses smiling at a petition signing table under a red canopy outside a building.
A man with pink sunglasses and a woman with dark sunglasses smiling, at an outdoor market with tents and trees in the background.
A man and three children dressed in Halloween costumes collecting candies from a decorated vehicle trunk. The man is wearing a wig with orange dreadlocks, and the children are dressed as Spider-Man and princesses. The vehicle trunk is decorated with
A man giving a thumbs-up next to two children standing on grave markers in a cemetery, with flowers on the graves and trees in the background.
Graduation ceremony with students in blue caps and gowns, standing on stage, celebrating at MES school. A woman is taking a photo of the group.
Two men, one in a blue shirt and jeans and the other in a blue graduation gown, stand together smiling at a graduation ceremony, with others in blue graduation gowns in the background.
Three men stand together at night on a football field, two wearing blue graduation gowns, one in the middle in casual white shirt and khakis. The two graduates hold diplomas, and the scene is illuminated with bright lights.
Group of eight people standing behind a table with small potted plants for sale or display outside a building with a large yellow sign showing '50%'. They are smiling and dressed casually, some wearing jackets or hoodies, with a brick wall and a wind
A woman and a man standing behind a table at a petition signing event outdoors, under a white canopy tent. The table has sign-up papers, hand sanitizer, and water bottles. The woman is wearing a pink shirt with green Greek letters and the man is wear
People gathered outdoors under trees, some wearing white T-shirts, participating in a group activity or celebration, with a large rainbow-colored arch in the background.
Two men smiling in the foreground at an outdoor event with tents, vehicles, and people in the background under a partly cloudy sky.
Group photo of children and adults in a gymnasium, some holding basketballs, with banners and flags hanging on the walls.