General Statement of Positions and Principles

By Neal Andrews

I support the maintenance of effective public safety services, more aggressive efforts to stimulate local economic prosperity and particularly to create more high quality jobs, initiatives to provide more affordable housing for our workforce, an effective street and infrastructure maintenance program, and the development of a strong cultural arts and tourist program.

The first duty of local government is to protect its populace. I will always keep that duty highest in my priorities as a City Councilman. I will do everything I can to find additional funds to assure the continuation of our storefront and neighborhood-policing program and to bring our police and fire staffing up to appropriate levels.

 Public Art Programs!

I strongly support the commitment of a reasonable amount of public funds to nurture and support the cultural life of our city. I would support modification of our current ordinance that already reserves a portion of project budgets or development fees for use in artistic expression directly related to the project at issue. I would favor amassing these reserved funds and granting greater flexibility in their use to the extent that the law may allow. I will continue to work diligently to promote the development of a cultural arts center in Ventura, a proposal which I sponsored as a City Council priority project in 2002, along with an artist-in-residence program to bring world-class artists, composers, and writers to our community. The potential contribution of these projects to our quality of life cannot be over-estimated.

 Economic Prosperity to Fund Streets, Beautification and Maintenance!

The problem we face is simple. There is not enough money to pay for all the things we need to do. The solution is to stimulate the economic engine of the city. Prosperity will result in the revenues necessary to meet our needs. With prosperity people buy more, and the city receives more sales tax income. With prosperity we draw more tourism, and the city benefits from increased hotel tax revenues and more tourist spending in our retail stores. With prosperity our property values rise, and the city benefits from increased property tax collections. That's how we will pay for all the things we need. I will tirelessly promote the economic prosperity of our city and our citizens. That's how I will see to it that our streets are paved, our trees trimmed and our sidewalks repaired.

 Housing and Affordability!

Housing costs in Ventura have sky-rocketed over the last few years. On the plus side, those rising property values have helped us cover some of the extraordinary increases in city expenses driven by escalating workers' compensation insurance costs, increases in the cost of employee health and retirement programs, and inflation. On the other hand, the cost of housing has now risen to the point that neither the City nor local employers can easily recruit quality employees at salary levels that support a competitive market position.

I have recently sponsored a joint public-private employer funded workforce housing proposal to help solve this problem. I will continue to aggressively pursue the implementation of this program if I am re-elected. In addition, I have consistently supported the development of a mixture of housing forms and a variety of programs to encourage development of affordable housing options as a part of each new major development in the City.