League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
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John Morrow Hackmann
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This is an archive of a past election. See http://www.smartvoter.org/ca/scl/ for current information. |
League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
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John Morrow Hackmann
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The questions were prepared by the the League of Women Voters of Palo Alto and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).Questions & Answers
1. In light of the economic down turn and possibly reduced income for the city in future years, how do you propose to both balance the budget and meet the cities desires for quality services ?
Cost containment should first be addressed by fair negotiations between labor and management. Structurally, we clearly need to reform the taxpayer's annual contribution to the pension pot so it is a known and fixed contribution each year. Lifetime payouts of pensions can be up to $2,000,000 to $6,000,000 EACH for long serving employees. The city, and the taxpayers, can simply not be on the hook for forever increasing, unknowable obligations far into the future.Palo Alto is said to be in much better shape on the pension funding than other cities. This is precisely the reason we should fully address and solve this problem now.
No essential service need be cut. With focused goals, specific objectives, closer management and accountability, and increased public partnerships with the non-profit organizations we have here in Palo Alto, we can continue to provide all essential services. We have many excellent employees here in Palo Alto.
Overall, we need to do a better job controlling spending. In my opinion, we, as other cities do, have a high cost per employee when salary, benefits and pension contribution are all included. And Palo Alto has a larger number of city employees per population than most of our neighbors.
One specific area of service where savings are possible is to have a closer partnership between staff and volunteers in library operations, where there are many skilled and willing people ready to help. A second valid alternative to contain costs is with new government sector productivity software, for example, in public record keeping and record retention. This would put Palo Alto on the cutting edge and demonstrate Palo Alto's leadership.
2. An updated Comprehensive Plan is due to be approved in 2010. What changes if any should be made to the Plan and why?
Many feel Palo Alto is overrun with too many large developments and too much new traffic. These MUST be better addressed.Specifically, ABAG (Association of Bay Area Governments) requirements for 10,000 or so new units of housing in Palo Alto are unrealistic and will never be met, as there is not land available and no political will to build such a huge amount of new housing. These goals need to be readdressed to more realistic levels. Palo Alto was an early leader in affordable housing, and has great income diversity already present in town. Palo Alto has welcomed a great variety of senior, family, low income, and other housing to our town.
High density housing should be closely scrutinized for its impact on neighbors, traffic congestion, and whether it even is the best location for the actual population it serves.
Impact on school attendance, school funding, and school boundaries must be closely accounted for.
3. The Baylands Master Plan guides land use east of Route 101. Several land use changes are currently being proposed relating to composting, recycling, parkland, airport needs, and hotel development. What land uses do you think desirable and what uses are incompatible in the Baylands?
Baylands are a wonderful resource that I have fought and lobbied for in the past, and will continue to fight and lobby for in the future. A large composting center should not take up land that is actually used by the airport including the secondary emergency helicopter area.It would be good to find a place for composting for parklands, Baylands, or airport use. We all remember in the 1989 Loma Prieta EARTHQUAKE where our modest working airport was able to help transport medical patients and supplies when roads and bridges were blocked.
One possible area for composting could possibly be in a reconfigured waste management treatment plant, which is on city land and not parkland I believe, and is due for a reworking in the near future. A three member Ad Hoc committee of City Council members should address this topic. A large composting operation probably should not be at the entrance of our beautiful Baylands park.
Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League. Candidates' responses are not edited or corrected by the League. LWV Palo Alto is using Smart Voter information to publish a paper Voters Guide. Therefore, word limits apply to some of the sections. Contact Veronica Tincher <vtincher@yahoo.com> if you misplaced the instruction sheet with the word limits which was mailed to you. Your answers will be taken from Smart Voter at 8 p.m., September 18 and will be published in the Voters Guide. After that date, you are free to enter more information according to the Smart Voter guidelines.Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).
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Created from information supplied by the candidate: September 29, 2009 13:56
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