League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area Education Fund
Hamilton County, OH November 3, 2009 Election
	Tony Fischer 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)

My experience as a combat infantryman in Iraq has given me several insights as to what it means to be a leader. Leadership sets the tone of every organization. First, a leader needs to understand that he or she maintains their position to serve the common good. Second, leadership requires ...(over word limit)

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

I plan to address the issue of public safety by pledging to ensure that no police and fire personnel are laid off for 2010. Public safety is the primary concern of Cincinnati residents, and it is essential to maintaining economic vitality and promoting investment in our City. In addition, we should focus our attention on key neighborhood business districts and work to increase the vitality of those districts. It's no secret that the more desirable neighborhoods in the City also have the most vibrant business district. The revitalization of Main Street in Mansfield, Ohio, is a model we should consider following ...(over word limit)

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)

Cincinnati and Hamilton County should begin to implement the recommendations to combine services called upon in the Government Cooperation & Efficiency Project. While I recognize that some of these tasks will take longer to realize cost-savings than others, movement on this front should begin immediately, and the scope of the project should be expanded. These combinations should work to decrease expenditure for both Cincinnati and Hamilton County while striving to maintain the same level of service. My second suggestion is one designed to increase revenue. Cincinnati could offer a tax rebate amounting to half of the earnings tax rate for any new job created in the ...(over word limit)

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

Local government official should be working together with our statehouse delegation to have them pass a law allowing for a dedicated housing court to be established in Hamilton County, similar to the housing courts currently active in Franklin and Cuyahoga Counties. A full time housing court will allow for better and more accurate enforcement of legal standards for rental properties. It would also allow for better enforcement of owners who neglect their blighted properties. This new dedicated housing court is an essential tool for keeping properties up to standard.

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

One of the best ways for City of Cincinnati to encourage affordable housing is to ensure efficient and convenient public transportation. The ability of the City to directly effect the housing market is severely limited. However, if Cincinnati makes the right investments in public transit, and makes it safe, convenient and affordable, it will finally give residents a real opportunity to reduce that portion of their personal expenditure that is devoted to transportation and instead direct those resources to housing. By doing this, and by making building density a priority around major transit nodes, Cincinnati will help create real choice in the ...(over word limit)

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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: September 27, 2009 14:53
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