As part of the process of filling a vacancy on the council, we were given seven questions the day prior to the meeting. These questions were the ones that would be asked of us during the council meeting. We were given a minute and a half to answer each question, and as such, responses had to be short.
Below are the seven questions and my answers.
a. One of the important functions of a City Councilor is an ability to function effectively at a broad policy level. Can you speak to your ability to focus on the broader policy picture and avoid the temptation to engage in "pet" issues or agendas?
While working in a congressional office, we were trained to look at the broad picture as opposed to our own pet issues. This was important, as we regularly interacted with constituents whose ideas and issues were different than our own. During this time, I learned that this input from the community, and acting on that input, allowed me to focus on the broader picture of what the entire community needed, and not get bogged down on the smaller issues that were my pet projects.
b. What single action can City Council take that would significantly cause citizens to be more effectively involved in local political issues?
Make information on how to get involved, what the cities and its committees are doing, etc. more widely available. Right now, often times the only way to find out what is happening is to call City Hall or to attend one of the meetings. But for people who are considering getting involved, or looking to find out what is going on, that's not enough. Many of these people work during the day, which for many people rules out the ability to call into City Hall. The information on the web site as well as The Outlook is slim to non-existent. Locating which committees need help, what the neighborhood associations are doing, and the like is almost impossible to find as well. We need to look at improving access to information online, as well as in the newspaper. Newspapers I've worked at in the past were very receptive to weekly columns from the city regarding what was happening and how people could help. There's also a reporter working with The Oregonian who has been looking for similar type stories. Because without information on what's happening and how they can get involved, only those extremely determined to get involved will get involved.
c. Name one thing the City is doing well. Name one area upon which the City could improve. What suggestions might you make to change this situation?
One thing the city is doing well is in regards to interaction between the neighborhood associations within the city. Having a coalition where representatives can come together and share news, ideas, and more is a great idea. It's further expanded by having an e-mail discussion list as well. However, an area the city could definitely improve upon is getting more participation from its rental community. Many see this community as transient and not interested in the city. However, that is not necessarily true - a large portion of this population is invested in the city and plan on purchasing a home here. Doing more to go out and meet with people in rental communities, ensure they are invited to neighborhood association events, and establishing relationships in these communities are important steps towards changing this.
d. Can you devote sufficient time from your personal career to actively represent the citizens at all internal and external meetings, including planning sessions, committee liaison responsibilities, budget meetings, etc.?
Yes, I can. I am self employed as a web designer, which means I have full control over my schedule. I take only as much work as I can do on a part-time basis so that I have time for work in the community. Also, most of my work occurs during the late night hours when sites have little traffic and maintenance can be done without affecting site visitors.
e. What outside City Hall community partnerships are you currently involved with?
I have been working over the past few months to reactivate my neighborhood association. As the population from North and North East Portland shifts, many families are moving into our neighborhood, changing its demographics and needs. As part of that proves, I have begun attending the Gresham Neighborhood Coalition meetings.
f. What does business friendly mean to you (ie: City contracts, current City department processes, and/or hurdles of moving or maintaining business in Gresham)?
To me, business friendly means making the process of moving or maintaining your business in Gresham as well as the city contract process as transparent and easy to navigate as possible. I don't mean removing parts of the process, as it is important to have steps to ensure the community has participation and that safety needs are met. However, unless you're a large business who has dealt with the process many times, moving or starting a new business in Gresham, learning about and applying for a city contract, etc. can be a difficult task. I've been in the process of applying for a business license recently, and the lack of clear instructions and guidelines has made the process take longer than necessary-especially for small home based businesses like mine. I've had to contact city employees several times, which is time they could have spent elsewhere.
g. The City is engaged in many issues. What do you see as the three most important issues facing the City? Why? What steps would you take to ensure they receive priority attention?
Transportation, affordable and safe housing, and a growing rental community. The first steps I would take on all of these issues would be to hold community meetings on each of the three issues. Because of how diverse Gresham is, the difficulties that come with each of these issues vary widely from neighborhood to neighborhood. It would be important to hear from members of the community across the city so that we could have a more complete picture of the problems, and what the community sees as some potential solutions. I'd also work to establish resident representatives from many of the rental communities across our city to sit on a subcommittee or group so that we could get buy in and participation from a population that makes up almost half our city.
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