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Contra Costa County, CA | November 4, 2008 Election |
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What are the major issues/challenges facing Richmond?By Tom ButtCandidate for Council Member; City of Richmond |
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Based on a comprehensive resident survey, Richmond residents' priorities are the fundamentals of municipal services and quality of life issues.Based on the first and only comprehensive survey taken of Richmond residents just last year, survey (see http://www.tombutt.com/forum/2007/070604.htm), respondents rated the following issues highest (essential, very important and somewhat important): 1. Improving streets (99%) 2. Improving street lighting and increasing police (98%) 3. Improving community centers and programs, improving jab training and development and improving after school programs (97%) 4. Improving fire and paramedic response (96%) 5. Expanding small business development programs (95%) To these I would add from my own survey of neighborhood council presidents a desire for better code enforcement to control blight. One further note from the survey: 37% rated Richmond 's quality of life as poor, and only 1% rated it as excellent. Quality of life is squishy, but it's important to residents. Finally, when Richmond residents' ratings of almost everything were compared to all other cities who used the same survey, Richmond 's level of satisfaction with virtually every municipal service came in dead last as did their rating of their "overall quality of life." This city sees itself as severely challenged and wants substantial changes for the better. Despite a tendency during the campaign to get caught up in high profile and emotional public policy issues like immigration, casinos and pollution, most people's priorities are on fundamental public services. To win an election, we cannot neglect these, and we have to be able to show how we are going to pay for them. Here is how I propose to fund a better Richmond:
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Created from information supplied by the candidate: September 9, 2008 10:44
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