1) Tell us a bit about yourself and why you're qualified for this position.
I have been married to my wife, Tammy, for 30 years. Tammy and I have lived in Oakley for 26 years. For the last 13 years I have been employed as a police officer for the City of Antioch. I served as the elected president of the Antioch Police Officers Association.
I have the following qualifications for serving on the Oakley City Council: Experienced leadership; fiscal responsibility; ability to find common ground, which benefits all parties; not reluctant to take on major issues; loyalty to Oakley residents not special interests.
2) What is the number-one issue or challenge facing Oakley and what needs to be done about it?
Surviving the current economic downturn is the most challenging issue facing Oakley today. For the foreseeable future, residential and retail development will fall below the numbers projected. To meet this challenge, I will budget city services on actual revenue, not on unrealistic expectations of future revenue increases.
3) What is the second most important issue or challenge?
Responsible growth is the second most challenging issue facing Oakley. Oakley must not be allowed to become just another cookie-cutter, strip-mall and bedroom community on the landscape of America. Oakley must become a destination city to truly experience its full potential. Oakley will not become a destination city if all of its businesses and amenities are the mirror image of other cities in Contra Costa County.
4) With the economy in a recession, stores on Main Street struggling to survive and the difficulty in attracting businesses to locate here, is this the best time to raise taxes on Oakley businesses?
Oakley must have an increase in revenue to supply its residents with increased city services such as police, code enforcement, road repair and civic activities. Increasing the Business License Tax on businesses having gross sales over $1 million a year is a superior option rather than increasing the taxes of Oakley homeowners.
5) The City Council is enthusiastic about converting the Cline vineyards into a shopping center with big-box retail in order to increase city revenue but appears lukewarm on a proposed power plant that might bring in $800,000 annually to city coffers. What's your position?
Building a power plant in Oakley will provide a substantial increase in revenue for Oakley. However, by building it, is the future development of the DuPont property and the Crossings shopping center placed in jeopardy? Antioch is planning to incorporate the industrial properties located along Wilbur Avenue. If city staff and the council are slow to determine if the power plant will benefit Oakley, Oakley residents might see the plant in Antioch as we drive by it on Wilbur Avenue. One of my first priorities if elected will be to work with city staff and Oakley residents to determine if our city would actually benefit by building a power plant.
6) Should Oakley's mayor be an elected rather than a rotating position, and should live and archived video of the City Council meetings be placed on the city Web site?
I would support Oakley residents determining if our mayor should become an elected position. One of the most disappointing decisions made by the City Council was not to televise Oakley City Council meetings. Oakley City Council meetings should be televised and archived on the Web. Many Oakley residents want to become more involved in Oakley's future. While Oakley residents cannot speak at a meeting by watching it on television or the Web, they can observe some of the conversations and rationale used by the City Council to make a decision.
7) Why should voters vote for you?
I am asking Oakley residents to vote for me to insure Oakley becomes the city all cities in Contra Costa County wish they were. As the elected president of the Antioch Police Officers Association, I gained the trust of the men and women I represented. I will work diligently to gain the trust of Oakley's residents as a member of the City Council. I believe in government by the people for the people. For too long, many elected officials have believed in governing by themselves for themselves. If elected, I will never forget I was elected to represent the residents of Oakley.
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