| What do you believe the primary goal of city government should be? |
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Government exists to protect individual rights and manage shared resources. When government ventures past these core responsibilities, it becomes more susceptible to being waste, abuse and mismanagement. |
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| In August of 2011 the Orange County Register reported that Fullerton had a total unfunded pension liability of $222,933,349 or $1,644 for every man, woman and child living in the City. What will you do to reduce the amount of this unfunded liability? |
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The pension crisis will either be resolved through better negotiations with the public employee unions or increased taxes. Since I am opposed to tax increases, I believe the city council must take a very strong position on reforming pensions and salaries when negotiating with the public employee unions. That is the best way to solve this problem. |
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| In August of 2011 the Orange County Register reported that Fullerton spends over $52 million, 70% of the general fund budget, on public safety. Do you think this level of spending is sustainable? What will you do to reduce these costs? |
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Police and firefighters have extremely lucrative compensation packages that are causing our city financial problems. As their benefit and pension costs continue to rise, the situation will become more dire and this city will be forced to make sacrifices across the board. We need to face the reality of this issue now by demanding that city employees pay more towards their pensions. We most also analyze compensation as a whole, rather than just looking at salary. |
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| What else will you do to ensure that the City’s is financially strong? |
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The city’s budget must be focused on the core responsibilities of city government, which includes public safety and infrastructure. Everything must be scrutinized to ensure the efficient use of taxpayer dollars. |
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| What will you do to restore confidence in the City’s law enforcement system? |
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This city needs a citizens’ oversight group that can review complaints of improper behavior by members of the Fullerton police department. |
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| What will you do to help the public keep tabs on City spending? |
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I support the idea of an ordinance that provides more transparency in the negotiation process with public employee unions. The public needs clarity and more time to understand the financial ramifications of each union contract before it is approved. |
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| What will you do to repair the City’s streets? |
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More money needs to be directed towards infrastructure repair rather than salaries and benefits for city employees. |
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| What will you do to repair the City’s sewer and water system? |
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Again, the budget must prioritize infrastructure repair with a long-term plan for bringing Fullerton up to par. We spend too much money on emergency repairs instead of scheduled pipe replacements. |
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| Do you support hiring City employees that have retired and are receiving pension benefits? |
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Double dipping is a symptom of an employment system that allows people to retire too early (often at the age of 50 or 55) at the expense of taxpayers. At the very least, employees should not be allowed to return to work in government once they have retired. The retirement age for public employees needs to be moved out to match the private sector. |
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| What will you do to make Fullerton a more business-friendly City and attract new businesses? |
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Reducing onerous regulations will encourage businesses to make long term investments within the borders of Fullerton. Financial stability and solid infrastructure are also important attractants of good businesses. |
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| What are your top priorities for the City? |
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I am focused on pension reform, infrastructure repair, police oversight and good fiscal management. |
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| If you are elected will you accept the Salary and Benefits provided to Council members by the City? |
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As a current councilmember, I have accepted the salary which amounts to approximately $6.00 an hour. I declined the expensive medical benefits and the public pension |