League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Santa Clara County, CA November 2, 2010 Election
	Brian Brennan Answers Questions Candidate for Council Member; City of Campbell

The questions were prepared by the Leagues of Women Voters of Santa Clara County and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. What experience related to city government would you bring to the city council?

--BROAD POLICY EXPERIENCE: The issues that I work on professionally with tech companies across Silicon Valley are the same ones of concern to us in Campbell: from education and jobs to traffic and the environment.
--UNDERSTANDS SENIOR CITIZEN ISSUES: My work on the Santa Clara County Senior Care Commission has given me the opportunity to delve deeply into seniors' issues.
--LAND USE BACKGROUND: I have been exposed to land use issues through participation in both a general plan task force and a land use advisory body.
--ECONOMIC VITALITY: My professional work with the Silicon Valley Leadership Group means that I understand businesses' decision-making processes surrounding where to locate and grow jobs.
--THE COMPLEXITY OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT: California local government was the subject of my PhD dissertation, such that I have a strong understanding of the local government landscape.

2. What concerns are of particular importance to the city and how would you address them?

--EDUCATION: There is no more important issue to our community than education. While school districts have primary responsibility in this area, the city can support their critical work by more agressively looking for opportunities to share facilities, and by celebrating the academic acheivements of our students as part of our city awards program.
--PARKS: With budgets tight, we have to be creative to be sure that our parks remain gems in our community. One way of doing this is through and "Adopt-a-Park" program, in which community groups would agree to help keep a park in good shape. Not only would this conserve municipal resources; it would also provide an opportunity for civic engagement.
--ECONOMIC VITALITY: We want a diverse and growing economic base, and technology companies have an important part to play in this. Part of my mission on the Council would be to highlight the remarkable tech companies already located in Campbell, and work to champion our city as a great destination for cutting edge companies.

3. How would you balance the needs of the city as a whole with groups' interests?

James Madison thought that pluralism - a vibrant discourse between social groups - was critical to the success of our democracy. I believe that citizens have the right and responsibility to participate actively in their government, both as individuals and with others, and listening carefully to citizen concerns will be critical for me. At the same time, the role of the Councilmember, in my view, is to assimilate the input of the various interests in our community, and make the decisions that are best for the whole community. This is what I would strive to do on the Council.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' responses are not edited or corrected by the League. Answers must not refer directly or indirectly to another candidate.

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

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: September 18, 2010 22:13
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