Introduction

Hi! I'm Kryssi Benson! I'm in charge of The Flamingo Project here in Leominster. I'm also running for City Councillor, Ward 2.

The Flamingo Project is focused on raising recycling awareness here in the city of Leominster. We want to educate kids about the importance of "The Three Rs": Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. You may have seen our presentation at the Summer Stroll in downtown Leominster on June 23rd. For more information, please check out our MySpace page , or, visit the site of our parent company, The Leominster Flamingo Company , where you can sign up for our mailing list and login to our message boards!

As City Councillor for Ward 2, I'd like to make some changes. If I am elected, I will focus on making our Ward an all-around nicer place to be.

There are 400,000 square feet of empty industrial space in this city, yet it's easier for Wal-Mart to raze a cornfield and build a new corporate store than for small local businesses to get permits to open in these already existing buildings. I'd like to see the permitting process made less complicated. Then, we can support local businesses AND be doing something with these empty buildings.

If we have mixed-use zoning, we can open up these areas to better opportunities. We can make downtown flourish, and we can expand it to include the industrial sections of Ward 2. I envision neighborhoods where people can walk to stores to buy whatever they need: food, clothes, tools, etc. and have restaurants and cafes within walking distance. I see it all being owned and run BY those same people, so we can support our citizens and their ideas and also cut down on local traffic and parking issues.