League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Sonoma County, CA November 2, 2010 Election
	Carol Russell Answers Questions Candidate for Council Member; City of Cloverdale

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 your opinion, what are the three most important things the City Council has achieved in the last two years?

1) A sensible, attainable, yet innovative, Economic Development Plan utilizing the data and recommendations of the City's Branding and Marketing study along with input from a range of "mission-critical" stakeholders from the City's trade area, other municipalities and agencies. 2) Presentation to voters of a UGB endorsed by the League of Women Voters and The Greenbelt Alliance; as well as other land use/planning strategy improvements such as the Downtown Station Area Plan. 3) Resourcefully and successfully maintaining the City's organizational strength and resiliency even in the midst of the worst economic downturn since The Great Depression. Amidst a global financial shockwave which required sharp cuts to City personnel and other core budget items, our clear-headed, measured reaction to "The Great Recession" enables Cloverdale to continue and, in some instances even improve, the delivery of our key public services and our general administrative and management tasks while being ready to take advantage of unexpected, often complex, opportunities as diverse as applying for the newest government funding and assisting a team of volunteers to line up enough electronic votes to win the Budget Travel's "Readers' Poll".

2. What are the present goals of the City Council?

The most urgent goals center around implementing the Economic Development Plan (that I work to keep "casino-free") and continuing to live within our means while we work towards reinvigorating the City's financial health through a variety of strategies, such as: constantly searching for cost savings and efficiencies; striving to enhance sales/TOT tax revenues; aggressively working with the Chamber of Commerce, our Economic Development Consultant and other resources to bring in new businesses with good jobs for our residents while finding more ways to help improve the profits of our existing local businesses; joining with The League of Cities to work to protect City funds from "raids"; streamlining our essential procedures where ever we can, including through wiser use of existing technologies and no cost or low cost resources; seeking new funding sources, including grants, plus more goal-oriented activities than the room provided herein allows me to type. (Please contact me for more information.) Other goals include: creating a wider range of wholesome activities for our teens, such as the proposed Skate Park; supporting our existing volunteerism, community events and organizations while also, if they wish, encouraging their growth; creating a Dog Park; enhancing Cloverdale's relationships with, and reputation among, all our local media while networking with other cities, including those outside our region, to develop mutually beneficial alliances and partnerships.

3. What is the city doing or should the city do to develop measures to amicably co-exist with the proposed casino-resort?

The City of Cloverdale has passed a "No Casino" Resolution, which I support. However, we will continue to interact with tribal and, if available, Sealaska representatives in the same respectful and business-like manner as we do with the developers of all potential projects. These interactions and activities include, but are not limited to: following all legal, administrative and communications "best practices"; tribal meetings at the various stages of the process with our City Manager and her development team; holding as many public workshops and hearings as required to ensure that information and input from all parties, including advisors, agencies, the media and the public, flows freely without interference or political pressure to provide everyone involved with a working environment that is--to the degree the City can help make it so--a professional, efficient and transparent one.

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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: October 1, 2010 07:29
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