Monroe Mayor Friday Ellis is gearing up for his second term after easily winning his reelection bid in March. Ellis received 64 percent of the vote. Among the top priorities for his next term, Ellis plan to bring passenger rail service I-20 corridor.
“We want to continue the work there to one day see passenger rail along the I-20 corridor. What that means for us is economic growth. It means another form of transportation besides our airport. So it means so much to our community.”
This initiative aims to boost the regions connectivity and economic vitality. Monroe has already seen significant developments including the 56 thousand square foot last mile Amazon facility. While Ellis is committed to expanding parks and recreation projects, he also plans to address the challenges facing Monroe.
“Crime is a major problem but we worked to rebuild Monroe PD and so we’ll continue to invest in our police and really try to tackle some big issues when it comes to crime and the reduction of crime in our city.”
Ellis, who ran as an Independent, says his administration completed several projects including construction of the city’s first all exclusive playground on 4th Street. In addition to enhancing the city’s infrastructure, Ellis is excited about a major economic development.
“The one I’m really excited about is all the work that’s happening on the I-20 Development District. They are a tax increment finance district. They are work on the state tax increment and we’ve been able to move millions of dollars in infrastructure to help businesses grow.”
Ellis will be sworn-in for his second term in June.
