1) Leadership -- When two groups of citizens have different opinions on a subject do you feel that elected leaders should take sides or should they work to reach a compromise?

                In our form of Government (representative republic), Elected Representatives serve the people.  We elect leaders whom we trust will make decisions and votes based on our best interest.  I believe that for important issues, true leaders are responsible for researching facts and discussing the issue with the citizens.  Then the leader’s opinion should be formed based on the learned information and a combination of factors, including costs and long-term implications of a decision.  Many decisions will have long-term implications that must be thought out.

                First, understand the issue, second, are limitations established by law?, third, what are the potential benefits and liabilities? Fourth, attempt to approach the issue without bias and work to find a middle ground.  Lastly, is the compromise good public policy?  If compromise works with these considerations and factors then yes, compromise can be achieved.

2) Customer service at City Hall -- Do citizens report positive experiences or negative ones? If the latter, what appears to be causing the problem?

                Customers service is a very important thing the City needs to focus on.  Government touches people more at the local level than any other level, and the City Government needs to be 1) available; 2) easy to navigate; 3) fair; and 4) transparent.  There is always improvement to be achieved, and it’s exactly the reason I’ve been working on trying to develop ways to educate residents about how the City government operates and why it does some things.  I look forward to working with the Mayor and Council to make some positive changes with regard to how the City serves its residents. 

                One example is that of the comments I hear most frequently is that when a citizen sends in a concern to the customer service email they don’t hear back for some time that the email was even received.  The processing of the emails needs to be handled in a timelier manner and the emails need to be responded to with a clearer process with a response of receipt and actions being taken. 

3) Reserves -- The City of Brunswick has financial reserves in excess of $2 million. What do you suggest be done with these reserves? Leave them alone? Spend part -- how much and on what?

                Reserve funds are an important component in financial planning, and need to be available in some amount for unforeseen needs or emergency repairs.  Personal financial planners recommend at least 3 months of expenses including debt service to be in a savings account.  This is the same practice with municipal financial planning.  It is recommended that the City hold in reserves 10-15% minimal for municipal surplus reserves.  These funds should not be used to supplement an operating budget. 

I can understand some residents raising the issue but if we spend without a strategy is reckless.  There are many projects to undertake.  This would be a great task for the finance committee i.e. develop a policy for reserves and make recommendations to the Mayor and Council.  Some of these projects could be paying down debt service, roads, swimming pool upgrades even possibly a dome, strategic methodical planning for sidewalks that would include grants, strategic planning of the municipal buildings and their uses, planning/ build out for the newly purchased property on West Potomac. 

 

4) Transparency -- Do you think that the mayor and council have been abusing the provisions of the Open Meetings Act to secretly conduct regular business? If "yes," can you cite specific incidents?

                There has not been an abuse (violation) of the Open Meetings Law, though I think that some issues could have been dealt with more efficiently. Councilmembers have spoken up if the discussion began to lose focus of the issue at hand.  Frequent meetings resulted in part as personnel matters that were in multiple parts that needed to be addressed in additional meetings.  We were also considering purchase of two buildings and those negotiations were legitimately closed meetings. 

5) Sidewalks -- There are many areas on Brunswick with broken or missing sidewalks. What should be done about that?

                Sidewalks are an important part of infrastructure that enhance community living.  But many of the sidewalks in Brunswick have been in disrepair for a long time.  So, such a significant undertaking needs to be planned thoroughly and fairly with engagement of the community. Right now, we need specifics on the conditions of the existing sidewalks and we need to know where sidewalks do not currently exist.  The city should be exploring grants and other possible funding sources during the development of a plan.  Yes, it is going to take some time to develop such plan but let us do it right.  We have a success with grants.  Why create more public anxiety than is absolutely necessary?  There are grants for safe routes to school for BES and BMS students.  The walk distances established by FCPS basically cover most of Brunswick.  I propose a sidewalk commission to be established to prioritize implementation and ensure engagement of the community. 

6) Sustainability -- Should Brunswick continue with its efforts to promote sustainability by encouraging recycling, conserving energy and resources, and supporting a walkable and bikeable community?

                Sustainability is a popular term these days.  I think it’s absolutely the role of the City to promote the concepts of sustainability in terms of recycling, resource and energy conservation, and increasing walking and biking in Brunswick.  I do not think that drastic changes to the way we do things are necessary.  Brunswick’s citizens are smart and know how to apply information.  I can’t tell you the number of people who have told me how much their water bill benefited by basic water conservation techniques.  I think that finding ways to educate residents on sustainability concepts would benefit us all. 

Where it makes sense, we might find some ways to increase the City’s investment in sustainability.  But as with all things, we have to ensure that the benefits outweigh the costs, and that the citizens are engaged.  

7) Leadership II -- What is the role of the Council in a modern City government? Should there be less reliance on hired professionals (City Administrator, Superintendents of Public Works, Water, Wastewater) and more on citizens such as elected Council members and members of City Commissions?

                The City government more directly affects taxpayers than any other level of Government.  As the City grows, it’s important to maintain an organizational structure that is able to meet the needs of the City.  Having knowledgeable management chains is a critical component of any diverse organization and the way to do that is to rely on professionals to lead qualified staffs.  Commissions can be a good tool for planning and long-term types of tasks, but day-to-day management is better left to full-time professionals.

                The basic role of the council in a modern government has not changed.  Simply stated to represent the citizens to the best of our ability.  Many times there are differing views among citizens and a Council member then exercises their best judgement.  Further, help citizens when they feel their concerns are not being addressed and/or resolved.  Many times, a Council member can not resolve the citizen’s satisfaction due to constraints of law and other considerations but we need to do our best to do so.

8) Incumbents -- What have you done while in office that make you most proud?

                I have dedicated many of my efforts to improve our city, specifically the businesses climate specifically downtown business. I have been very active in Main Street, EDC and GBACC as well as the one-on-one efforts to retain business and recruit new business.  I speak with passion to make our city a better place for all residents.  I have been involved with the trail and the skateboard park at the Sports Complex, spearheaded the mini-golf project coming to the pool complex and volunteering at the museum, creation and maintaining the Brunswick Community Calendar for events as well as the Brunswick Community Calendar on facebook to share the events in our city indicate my level of commitment.  My desire to provide constituent service by helping to resolve issues.

9) Leadership III -- When making a decision on an issue, what is most important: 1) learning the facts from research and staff reports, 2) The word on the street, or 3) Social Media?

                I find that facts learned by research and staff reports and the word on the street are most important.  Social media outlets can be a source of information, but are often very polarized or biased with little support.  Further, social media outlets have not been adopted by everyone in the community, and those that do subscribe to social media do not necessarily contribute opinions.  So by allowing social media to drive decisions, we ignore a part of the population. 

                1) Research and staff reports are crucial to good decision making.  Research can take many forms including the thought/position of a learned individual.  Exploring how other municipalities have handled similar situations.  Contact MML to gain insight as to the history of similar ideas.  Assessing information is more readily available with the internet.  Inquiry as to whether the city had dealt with the issue in the past.  Refer to city charter and ordinances.  Seek input from fellow elected officials and staff members with institutional knowledge.  Contact the city attorney if appropriate. 

                2) Word on the street can add value.  First question, is the message consistent or are their mixed messages?  The merit of the message is of more significance than the messenger.  Is there a clear understanding of the issue or is there a misinterpretation? 

                3) Social Media could have some value but must be viewed with some skepticism as some people post for reaction rather than adding any meaningful information.  The same number of keying strokes could have sent an email to an elected official.  Completely ignoring social media is not recommended but should be considered with reservation.  Look for the merit of the comment.