2025年8月12日晚6点，Kelly Stewart 的市长竞选启动会在 Johns Creek 的 Sapphire Banquet Hall 圆满举行。
On August 12, 2025, at 6:00 p.m., Kelly Stewart’s Johns Creek mayor campaign kickoff event was successfully held at the Sapphire Banquet Hall in Johns Creek.
本次活动吸引了逾百位自发前来的 Johns Creek 居民，其中包括近二十名关心市政发展的华人市民。
The event attracted more than one hundred Johns Creek residents who came on their own initiative, including nearly twenty Chinese community members concerned about the city’s development.
现场提供了印度风味晚餐，大家在下班后来到会场，一边用餐一边与 Kelly 及其他竞选公职的候选人交流互动。
Indian-style dinner was served at the event, and attendees arrived after work to enjoy their meals while engaging in conversations with Kelly and other candidates running for public office.
晚7点左右，活动正式开始。首先发言的是 Rivermont Golf Club 的拥有者 Chris Cupit，他作为当年推动 Johns Creek 建市的重要人物之一，对 Kelly 此时站出来挑战现任市长的勇气与热忱给予高度肯定，赞扬她为公众服务的精神。
At around 7:00 p.m., the event officially began. The first speaker was Chris Cupit, owner of Rivermont Golf Club and one of the key figures who helped establish the City of Johns Creek. He highly praised Kelly’s courage and dedication in stepping forward at this critical time to challenge the incumbent mayor, commending her strong commitment to public service.
随后，前 Fulton County Commissioner Lynne Riley 登台，回顾了 Kelly 与其丈夫多年来投身公共服务的事迹，并给予盛赞。
Next, former Fulton County Commissioner Lynne Riley took the stage, recalling the many years that Kelly and her husband have devoted to public service, and offering high praise for their contributions.
在热烈掌声中，Kelly Stewart 登上讲台。她的演讲语气平和、条理清晰，辅以详实数据与案例，令人信服。
Amid warm applause, Kelly Stewart took the stage. Speaking in a calm and well-organized manner, she supported her remarks with detailed data and concrete examples, making a convincing case to the audience.
Kelly 表示，决定参选市长主要基于三点考虑：
Kelly stated that her decision to run for mayor was based on three main considerations:
高离职率影响市政运作——现任市长执政3年半以来，市政府约284名雇员已有140人离职，关键岗位尤其是财务部门受到严重影响。A high turnover rate affecting city operations — In the three and a half years under the current mayor’s administration, more than half of the city government’s approximately 284 employees and now 140 have left, with key positions, particularly in the finance department, being severely impacted.
高负债率引发财政担忧——由于大型基础设施项目的推进，市政府负债比例偏高，未来将由每位市民分担。A high debt ratio raising fiscal concerns — Due to the advancement of large-scale infrastructure projects, the city’s debt level has become relatively high, and this burden will ultimately be shared by every resident.
Performing Arts Center 项目加重税负——该项目可能使居民税负上升14%-17%，并导致其他公共服务（如消防与警力）预算被压缩。目前 Johns Creek 的警力配备为每千人仅一名警员，低于周边城市每500-800人的水平。周边城市每8000-14000人有一个消防站，而Johns creek是2万1千人才有一个消防站。随着 Town Center 建设带来的人口增长，消防站和消防车的资金需求将更加紧迫。The Performing Arts Center project increasing the tax burden — This project could raise residents’ taxes by 14%–17% and would also squeeze the budgets for other public services such as fire protection and police. At present, Johns Creek has only one police officer per 1,000 residents, compared to the surrounding cities’ ratio of one officer per 500–800 residents. In neighboring cities, there is one fire station for every 8,000–14,000 residents, whereas Johns Creek has just one station serving 21,000 residents. With the population growth brought by the Town Center development, the need for funding additional fire stations and fire trucks will become even more urgent.
When discussing the PAC project, Kelly presented more detailed analysis and data, prompting many in the audience to remark that the situation was “much worse than they had imagined.” She pointed out:
由于 Town Center 的建设，市里已经背负 1600 万美元债务。Due to the construction of the Town Center, the city is already carrying $16 million in debt.
目前计划再投入 6000 万美元 建设一个只能容纳 800 人、仅有 52 个车位的剧院。The current plan calls for an additional investment of $60 million to build a theater that can seat only 800 people and provide just 52 parking spaces.
资金来源中，4000 万美元将通过发行债券筹集，另有 2000 万美元则需从其他公共资金中挪用，这将直接影响消防和警力预算。Of the total funding, $40 million would be raised through the issuance of bonds, while another $20 million would need to be diverted from other public funds — a move that would directly impact the budgets for fire protection and police services.
此外，剧院建成后的年度运营成本也可能最终转嫁到居民头上。In addition, the theater’s annual operating costs after completion could ultimately be passed on to residents.
Kelly 呼吁市民将这些事实告诉更多不了解情况的朋友，并积极向市府提出质询、参与监督，以确保城市财政健康和公共服务均衡发展。她强调，只有透明、理性和负责任的规划，才能保障 Johns Creek 的可持续未来。
Kelly urged residents to share these facts with friends who may not be aware of the situation, and to actively question the city government and participate in oversight to ensure the city’s fiscal health and balanced delivery of public services. She emphasized that only transparent, rational, and responsible planning can secure a sustainable future for Johns Creek.
Kelly的现场还有一个小细节，让人印象深刻。有市民当场捐款，支持Kelly。拍出了$300现钞。帮忙的小哥说现金不能超过$100，也要登记。几乎没人注意，小哥坚持只收了$100。 Integrity is doing the right thing when nobody is watching， 诚信就是在无人监督时依然做正确的事。
目前在市长候选人 John Bradberry 与 Kelly Stewart 之间，最大的分歧集中在 Performing Arts Center（PAC） 项目上。
在今天的竞选启动会上，Kelly 用详实的数据和分析，让到场的市民信服。很多人表示，这些信息和真实的财政预期他们此前并不了解，而未来的运营情况可能比想象中更糟糕。
欢迎大家补充自己掌握的相关情况，也希望每一位关心市政建设的居民，都能主动向市府提出问题，并积极参与监督运作。
唯有公开透明、理性规划，才能确保城市财政健康与公共服务的均衡发展。
发表于 2025-8-12 19:57:53
