League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Sonoma County, CA November 2, 2010 Election
	Jack Rosevear Answers Questions Candidate for Council Member; City of Rohnert Park

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. Please speak to the WalMart expansion issue.

Personally- I favor the Walmart expansion which adds to the public's shopping choices and business competition. Walmart has planned for a future expansion long ago and they have been good community partners. As a City Council member, when faced with making a decision about an issue like this, I will assure that there is a solid study process that incorporates facts, expert recommendations and input from the community. There were expert studies regarding the expansion impacts which were disregarded. Public input was not obtained in an organized and valuable way. Concerns about the expansion were set aside because the Council is in a panic mode due to lack of action regarding their financial status. The City does not have an organized and established way to evaluate projects, how the community feels about it and what the decision making process should be. The Council members should not act on personal feeling but on definitive studies with facts backing it up. This did not happen with the Walmart expansion and with other important projects. The Council must act based on solid facts and the input of the community- this did not happen and I am not sure the Council made the right decision for the community regarding the expansion.

2. What are your feelings about the combined police and fire duties and the financial cutbacks?

I have the most experience in this area due to my recent service as Fire Commander (Fire Chief) and a life career in the fire service, including five years as a police officer. Rohnert Park is only one of two agencies in the state which use a "public safety" model, which is a true integration of police and fire services. To properly operate such a system (Sunnyvale is the other city), it takes money and a commitment from the City that it will be properly supported and funded. The City of Rohnert Park has a very efficient system and the overall costs do save money. The cutbacks to Public Safety have been devastating in terms of staffing and training priorities to keep skills sharp for both professions. If elected, I will bring an understanding of what the public safety concept is and will work with my fellow Council members to maintain the current system- if possible; currently the system and the proper way to operate it is misunderstood- Public Safety is naturally thought of as a huge spender and waster of money (taking the majority of the General Fund). Cuts to Public Safety without consideration of impacts to the public safety model and what it takes to run this kind of operation- it is not as easy as it looks. The reduction in funding has caused the police to prioritize their function at the detriment of fire services. This is due to the influence of the DPS management and their lack of experience with fire department administration. The public safety model must be understood and the City should evaluate if they are committed to such as system. If left alone- there will be inadequate staffing for either police or fire- fire will collapse first. This is a dangerous combination regarding their ability to operate as a fire department, exposing employees to injury and jeopardizing the safety of the public by being unable to perform basic tasks- such as search and rescue from a burning building. I do not advocate a split from the current system because realization and understanding of the system needs to happen first. The level of ignorance shown by the City in managing this unique system is quite astounding. This is a detriment to the public.

3. Please give your views on the considered merger of Cotati and Penngrove.

I have not heard of such a proposal. I have heard of a merger between Rohnert Park and Cotati- which does seem logical considering the geography, financing and infrastructure. Penngrove is a more rural setting and the County support does seem a long distance away. Cotati and Rohnert Park need to establish solid leadership, representation of its community, fiscal responsibility and more before it can take on anyone else's community. I do believe that mergers and consolidations should happen when the community is supportive and it makes economic sense. To hold on to one's "piece of the pie" does not work any longer and elected officials must think outside of the box. Some consolidations and mergers can be a detriment to one side or the other so it is very important to be smart, approach issues in a business-like manner and seek the solid imput from the community.

---

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).

Candidate Page || Feedback to Candidate || This Contest
SmartVoter Home (Ballot Lookup) || About Smart Voter

---

Created from information supplied by the candidate: September 28, 2010 17:45
Smart Voter <http://www.smartvoter.org/>
Copyright © League of Women Voters of California Education Fund   http://www.lwvc.org
The League of Women Voters neither supports nor opposes candidates for public office or political parties.