League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area Education Fund
Hamilton County, OH November 3, 2009 Election
	Chris Bortz Answers Questions Candidate for Council Member; City of Cincinnati

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. What are your Qualifications for Office? (50 word limit)

I have served two terms on City Council. I am general counsel for a real estate development and property management company.

2. What plans do you have to address your top three priorities? (100 word limit)

I plan to advance the goals laid out in the GO Cincinnati economic development strategy. I also plan to continue advancing the Government Cooperation and Efficiency Project to enhance regional cooperation and shared services between and among jurisidictions in Hamilton County. I support advancing passenger rail, including streetcars. And I believe strongly that we should not reduce the capacity of our public saftey services. Budget cuts should first come from duplicative and unnecessary services provided at the municipal level.

3. What two actions would you promote to enhance city revenue or decrease city expenditures in order to balance the city budget, given the current economic conditions? (100 word limit)

Pursue County funding of our regional bus service and healthcare system, streamline government to prioritize necessary services.

Additional fees and taxes are not advisable in the current economic climate and will stymie efforts to attract jobs and residents.

As chairman of the city's economic development committee, I have worked hard to develop GO Cincinnati, a targeted and aggressive economic development strategy. Despite the difficult economic environment, the strategy has had successes--companies such as Medpace, US Bank, Humana, First Group, Kendle International, Dunnhumby USA and Graeters, have either expanded or relocated to Cincinnati, bringing over 2,500 jobs to our city.

4. What steps should the local government take to ensure that the quality of rental property meets minimum legal standards? (100 word limit)

The City of Cincinnati and CMHA have procedures and laws for ensuring rental property meets minimum standards. Rental registration laws help to identify responsible parties. Aggressive enforcement of the Chronic Nuisance ordinance is a logical step to hold absentee landlords accountable. Reductions in the size of the police force will hamper those efforts.

5. What actions should Cincinnati take to ensure a range of housing choices for residents, including affordable housing? (100 word limit)

Affordable housing is available across the city. To ensure a balance of affordable housing will be available in the future, set aside or "sprinkled" affordable units should be a part of redevelopment efforts, similar to the model used by 3CDC in OTR.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. Word limits apply for each question. Direct references to opponents are not permitted.

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 22, 2009 17:12
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