Candidate Questionnaire
What sets you apart from other candidates?
What sets me apart from the other candidates is that I have already served on the city council for a four-year term. The learning curve for a new council member might take months or even years before they fully understand the responsibilities of being on the city council. I believe that I am prepared to start leading our community immediately.
What aspects of your personal history, accomplishments, and personal philosophy make you the best possible choice in this election cycle?
My background is that of an independent business owner. I believe that city government should be run efficiently as a business. While I was on the city council, I voted on every issue for what I believed was in the best interest of the city as a whole.
What do you see as the most important issue this election?
I believe that the most important issues in the next four years are job growth and attracting more people to want to live in Baldwin City.
What would you do to ensure the community you hope to represent is a livable community?
A livable community needs to be balanced by expenses and services. If the city council makes our city the cheapest city to live in, our services to the community would need to be cut. If there is excessive spending I would seek to eliminate that to save the tax payers money if it did not reduce the quality of life and services that Baldwin City residents are accustomed to.
If money were no obstacle, what is one project you’d like to see the city move forward on?
If money were no obstacle I would love to see The Lumberyard Arts Center become the anchor to a very vibrant downtown community that draws people from out of town to enjoy many dining, entertainment, and retail businesses.
Polls show most voters don't think government works. What would you do to reform the underlying structures and systems that seem to be a major cause of the problem?
Polls are public perception, not necessarily reality.
Do you think eliminating obsolete laws, regulations (and bureaucracies) would help reduce wasteful spending in government? And if so, how would you do it?
Obsolete by definition is "no longer produced or used; out of date." I am not aware of any obsolete laws that are costing tax payers money. However, if someone would bring a specific law to me I would do my best to correct the issue.
Do you think state and local civil service rules make it harder to cut wasteful spending and to efficiently manage public agencies? If so, what would you do about it?
I believe that there is a lot of wasteful spending on the national and state level. While I was on the council, I worked to keep our mill levy as low as possible and will do so the next four years as well.
What is your position on the Baldwin City Recreation Center?
My questions on the Recreation Center has always been, does the majority of the community (including the school district) want it and how will it be paid for.
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| photographer Kevin Surbaugh |
What sets me apart from the other candidates is that I have already served on the city council for a four-year term. The learning curve for a new council member might take months or even years before they fully understand the responsibilities of being on the city council. I believe that I am prepared to start leading our community immediately.
What aspects of your personal history, accomplishments, and personal philosophy make you the best possible choice in this election cycle?
My background is that of an independent business owner. I believe that city government should be run efficiently as a business. While I was on the city council, I voted on every issue for what I believed was in the best interest of the city as a whole.
What do you see as the most important issue this election?
I believe that the most important issues in the next four years are job growth and attracting more people to want to live in Baldwin City.
What would you do to ensure the community you hope to represent is a livable community?
A livable community needs to be balanced by expenses and services. If the city council makes our city the cheapest city to live in, our services to the community would need to be cut. If there is excessive spending I would seek to eliminate that to save the tax payers money if it did not reduce the quality of life and services that Baldwin City residents are accustomed to.
If money were no obstacle, what is one project you’d like to see the city move forward on?
If money were no obstacle I would love to see The Lumberyard Arts Center become the anchor to a very vibrant downtown community that draws people from out of town to enjoy many dining, entertainment, and retail businesses.
Polls show most voters don't think government works. What would you do to reform the underlying structures and systems that seem to be a major cause of the problem?
Polls are public perception, not necessarily reality.
Do you think eliminating obsolete laws, regulations (and bureaucracies) would help reduce wasteful spending in government? And if so, how would you do it?
Obsolete by definition is "no longer produced or used; out of date." I am not aware of any obsolete laws that are costing tax payers money. However, if someone would bring a specific law to me I would do my best to correct the issue.
Do you think state and local civil service rules make it harder to cut wasteful spending and to efficiently manage public agencies? If so, what would you do about it?
I believe that there is a lot of wasteful spending on the national and state level. While I was on the council, I worked to keep our mill levy as low as possible and will do so the next four years as well.
What is your position on the Baldwin City Recreation Center?
My questions on the Recreation Center has always been, does the majority of the community (including the school district) want it and how will it be paid for.
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