“Why is a veteran cop running for the Newburgh City Council?”

People ask me this a lot.

Here’s my answer: I love my community. I was born here. I attended local schools, played Pop Warner football and was graduated from NFA.

I’ve long been pastor of a church in the East End, and I own a home in the West End. My wife and I have raised our four children here, and they fill me with pride.

I became a police officer to help my community. My first job offer, 22 years ago, came from another municipality but my heart is in Newburgh. And, despite some improvement, the violent crime rate in Newburgh is a concern for all our community, and police-community relations need work on both sides.

I applaud the City Council for their new contract with the Newburgh police and for raising base salaries. For too long, we have been losing our best young officers to surrounding agencies.

We must do more. We must:

• Expand community policing to many more residential neighborhoods.

• Recruit and hire more Newburghers as officers.

• Hold neighborhood community forums on policing.

• Take advantage of the resources and partnerships, including local, county and state assistance, initiatives, programs and mutual aid.

• Teach county, state and federal officials about our community and its needs.

I intend to pursue these objectives, without losing sight of other key issues: the city’s acute housing crisis, its cratered streets and aging infrastructure, the duplication of government services and high taxes, and, yes, the parking meters.

Together, we can do more. We must do more.