League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Sonoma County, CA November 2, 2010 Election
	Candidates Answer Questions on the Issues Council Member; City of Cotati

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of Sonoma County and asked of all candidates for this office.     See below for questions on cities' merger, budget Click on a name for candidate information.   See also more information about this contest. 1. How do you feel about a possible merger with Rohnert Park and Penngrove? Answer from Pat Gilardi: Merging with Rohnert Park would not be a priority. Penngrove is not a city at all, but rather a part of the County, thus an expansion, not a merger. The purpose of a merger would be to achieve cost savings. It would be difficult ascertain cost savings with an expansion. That being said, cost savings can be achieved by sharing services, and we should continue to seek out those opportunities. We currently share our Community Resources Officer with Sebastopol. 2. What are your priorities for the annual city budget? Answer from Pat Gilardi: Cotati is working very hard to balance its budget and at the same time set aside funds for a healthy reserve. We must stay vigilant in evaluating our efficiencies, or lack thereof. We must examine the impact each decision we make has on our budget, not only in the current fiscal year, but beyond the sunset of the half cent sales tax measure, to ensure we stay on the path of sustainability. Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' responses are not edited or corrected by the League. Candidates may not refer to any other candidates in their answers. The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.