I have officially filed for re-election to serve my neighbors in Ward 5 of Merrillville. Yesterday was the first day of filing at the Lake County Election Board. I have been honored to represent all of you and to help keep Merrillville a wonderful place to live. I embrace our cultural diversity and love the many ideas and views that Merrillville residents have and have shared with me. We truly are a ‘melting pot’ of people with roots all over the world. This is what makes our ‘region’ so great.
As my other blog posts (over the past three years) have indicated, Merrillville is HOT now with unprecedented economic growth including both business and residential sectors. Our property values have never been higher, and we now have a more robust and modern Parks and Recreation program with the addition of the Dean and Barbara White Community Center. Our neighborhood streets have seen $10M in improvements in the past 3 years, and our police and public works departments have been equipped with new fleets, and tools to keep residents and our business community safe. The word is out about Merrillville.
We are fortunate to have a thriving business community supporting our needs and desires from retail shopping to just about any type of food restaurant you can imagine. There is still work to do and we need to safeguard our progress to maintain our momentum.
My commitment to you will remain the same as I promised three years ago. To represent the residents of Merrillville and promote a positive future for our town through strong values and progressive ideas. They include Integrity and Ethics, Visionary Leadership, Fiscal Responsibility, Open Honest Communication, Respect for All Individuals, Build Community Programs, Loyalty to the Office (I won’t run for any other office during my term), Professionalism & High Standards, continuing to embrace our Diversity and to complete our Town Master Building and Zoning Plan (currently underway).
I also promise to maintain, at my expense, the RickBella.com website to help keep you all informed about town news, building projects, and community events. Please consider signing up to receive email notices each time I make a new post to this blog. It’s a great way to stay informed.
Looking forward to continuing to serve you on the Merrillville Town Council. I hope you will help me to keep the MOMENTUM going in our great town. – Rick Bella, Town Council President, and Ward 5 Representative