League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Sonoma County, CA November 2, 2010 Election
	Shaun F. McCaffery Answers Questions Candidate for Council Member; City of Healdsburg; 2 Year Short Term

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

Questions & Answers

1. In their overall review of budget priorities many cities are questioning their retirement and employment benefit packages. Would you support cutbacks in these areas?

Yes, however I believe it is important that Healdsburg remains competitive when it hires city employees. If retirement and benefit packages in Healdsburg are sub-standard, how can we attract qualified employees? I feel that guidelines for this issue should come from the state or federal level.

2. Because there are no city funds for maintenance of the Memorial Bridge (either the old or a new), should new funds be provided for not only maintenance of the bridge, but also for possible construction of a traffic circle in the area of Healdsburg Ave. and Westside Road/Vine Streets to redirect and possibly alleviate incoming and outgoing downtown traffic?

On September 7th, the city council voted to make the rehabilitation of the Memorial Bridge the preferred option going forward. I think this decision is a step in the right direction. It preserves the bridge we admire and it also saves lots of money and resources. I like the idea of a traffic circle at the 5-way intersection. However, I think careful planning is required to make the intersection friendly to drivers not used to traffic circles, commercial traffic, and the future SMART train system which runs through the middle of the intersection.

3. What measures can be taken to help the people who buy in Saggio Hills become a part of the Healdsburg community?

I believe that the conference center included in the Saggio Hills project will be the cohesive force that unites the development with the rest of the Healdsburg community. It can act as a music venue, meeting hall, theater performance facility - the possibilities are limitless. The artificial turf athletic fields will also serve to unite the community with youth and adult sports programs that can be held year-round with no watering needed and no muddy clothes to wash!

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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. Candidates may not refer to any other candidates in their answers.

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

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: September 16, 2010 08:15
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