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

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 been a member of Montgomery City Council since 2005. I've chaired the Law & Safety Committee and served on Finance, Public works, Parks & Recreation and Planning & Zoning Committees. I previously served on the Civil Service Commission for 8 years, including 6 years as Chair.

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

I will evaluate financial actions to ensure justified expenditure and prudent fund balance policies that will sustain the city through economic downturns. Secondly, I will support development that aligns with the goals of residential diversity and business growth. Thirdly, I will continue to actively recruit talented volunteers for appointment to boards and commissions as well as the Montgomery Citizen Leadership Academy in an effort to expand resident participation in city governance. Finally, I will encourage the ongoing training and development of staff and adoption of organizational practices that achieve high performance and efficiencies in operations.

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)

I support cautious multi-year budgeting, projecting out operations and capital improvements over a five-year period. This is essential to plan future actions. On the expenditure side, I will continue to encourage process improvement initiatives and new ways to manage resources to reduce costs. One such example I supported was the revamping of Montgomery's Snow Emergency Policy last year, which reduced salt usage by 200 tons and saved $25,000. On the revenue side, continued encouragement and recruiting of suitable businesses will serve to sustain the withholdings tax base, the largest contributor to city tax collections.

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

The ratio of rental property in Montgomery is relatively small. To manage the quality of rental property, local governments should have an up-to-date property maintenance code in place. The scope of the code should specify the standards for properties and define the responsibility of owners and occupants of properties and provide for enforcement and penalties in the event of non-compliance. Another option for jurisdictions with higher rental property ratios could include rental licensing coupled with a proactive enforcement program.

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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 2, 2009 09:37
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