As ballots are about to go out I want to encourage you to take a look at Jim Taylor’s time on the Elma City Council as a major positive for the city. He has served on the council for 12 years and has done a great job in serving everyone. His continued support in public safety and economic development are second to none, and he puts in a tremendous amount of time in his duties representing the city.
I began working with Jim 10 years ago when I was first elected to city council, and he helped mentor me to bring me up to speed on the needs of Elma. From there we worked together, mainly in public safety issues, and we soon began to mold a great working relationship. Even when we disagree on an issue we can discuss the issue and move on. We need more of this in the world today, especially in small towns.
Earlier this year Jim put together the first annual First Responders Memorial Service in Elma where we had first responders from all over the county attend to remember those first responders who never made it home from doing their duty for the people of our communities. I was very proud to be part of that event, and I am grateful to Jim for planning all the details of this wonderful event.
During my time as mayor Jim has put in countless hours working on public safety projects for the city. As we speak he is putting together plans for an Emergency Communication Center (ECC) for the city, which is essential for us to have in the event of a disaster. We project that this will be completed around 2020 or 2021. With this ECC the city will maintain communications with the state and national entities as well as internal communications within the departments of the city itself. Without Mr. Taylor’s foresight and continued labor I really don’t believe this would happen.
Lastly, I want to point out that Jim moved to Elma to retire, but he never stopped working. After retiring as a firefighter in California Jim moved to Elma and right away started working to help Elma become a better place to live. His experience in public safety has been nothing but an asset to our small town, to help us prepare for whatever comes next. Whether it’s the next big storm, or the next big earthquake we are better prepared because of Jim’s leadership and dedication to our city.
Jim Sorensen
Mayor, City of Elma
