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The questions were prepared by the Leagues of Women Voters of Santa Clara County and asked of all candidates for this office.
See below for questions on
Experience,
Important Concerns,
Balancing Interests
Click on a name for candidate information. See also more information about this contest.
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1. What experience related to city government would you bring to the City Council?
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Answer from Teresa O'Neill:
I was an elected member of the Santa Clara Unified School District Board of Education, where we had to manage a budget comparable to the City of Santa Clara's General Fund, set strategy for SCUSD, and hire and evaluate the performance of the Superintendent. During my tenure on the SCUSD School Board, we had to make very difficult decisions on staffing and benefits in order to balance our budget. I also have been on Santa Clara's Planning Commission for 5 1/2 years and the General Plan Steering Committee, where I have gained much knowledge about land use principles and practices as they apply to Santa Clara. I was the vice-chair of the City's Charter Review Committee last year where we examined issues related to how officeholders are elected in Santa Clara and we made a number of recommendations to the City Council that will be examined in the 2013 Council Goal Setting process. This committee made me more aware of the perspectives of many different types of people in our Santa Clara community.
Answer from John L. Mlnarik:
My experiences as a business owner and as an attorney would allow me to make a meaningful contribution to the Santa Clara City Council. In both capacities I regularly mediate conflicts and aim to achieve sustainable, productive outcomes.
As an employer, I must ensure that my employees' needs are being met while also considering business requirements. I regularly weigh the concerns of the individual with the concerns of the group. This challenge is analogous to the hurdles faced on the City Council. Councilmembers must balance the needs of distinct constituents with the fiscal and long-term needs of the city as a whole.
My experiences as an attorney and managing partner further underscore this background in conflict resolution. The clients I work with often require both financial and emotional support-- as do the clients on the opposing side. My goal is to achieve a settlement that validates both parties' interests while also being practicable. This skill is readily transferrable to a city government context as there are many viewpoints that require a thorough, multifaceted analysis.
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2. What concerns are of particular importance to the city and how would you address them?
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Answer from John L. Mlnarik:
a. Public Safety. The most important service provided by our city is public safety and I firmly believe our top priority must be protecting our families, neighborhoods and businesses. If faced with a huge budget crisis and this issue is raised, I would not compromise the funding of our police force and would instead seek creative means of increasing revenue.
b. City Services. It is imperative that we maintain Santa Clara's high level of city services and keep the costs low. I would ensure that the costs are kept low so as to attract businesses, jobs and to increase revenue. Residents now enjoy the lowest combined rate for water, electricity, garbage and sewer in the nine bay area counties and it is my desire to maintain this ranking.
c. Public Education. I would be a strong public advocate for protecting our schools, teachers and children in Santa Clara from devastating school budget cuts. My mother was a grade school teacher for over 20 years and helped to shape the lives of many children. I maintain this passion for education and will actively work with relevant authorities to resolve impending budget conflicts.
Answer from Teresa O'Neill:
The number one concern for Santa Clara continues to be our fiscal solvency. While tax revenues have started increasing again, we still have serious financial issues. Most people now acknowledge what some of us have been saying for years--that Santa Clara and many cities need employee pension and total compensation reform. The Governor's recent legislation was a beginning, but we still have a lot of work to do in this area to ensure that our city of Santa Clara remains solvent and providing essential services to residents and businesses. Instead of only benchmarking salaries and benefits against other cities, Santa Clara needs to evaluate benchmarking against a combination of private industry, non-profit organizations, as well as governmental entities. We need to have the discipline to put money aside each year to rebuild city reserves to a level that will protect us in the event of an emergency. Santa Clara also needs to improve residents' access to their government by increasing information available via the internet, improving use of social media to reach out to residents on many issues and allow them to provide responses. I also will call for more open meetings by the City Council.
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3. How would you balance the needs of the city as a whole with groups’ interests?
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Answer from Teresa O'Neill:
The first requirement to being able to effect this balance is to work towards eliminating as much of the division between groups as possible. Through engaged and effective leadership, we can acknowledge the many things and interests we have in common and understand that even with differences, we may share common goals that will allow us to work towards a consensus. As Councilmember, I will consider how individual decisions impact separate groups in a way that is in keeping with the strategies and goals for the near and longer-term future. If an interest of a special group is not at all in keeping with achieving the goals of the City, then a very compelling reason must be presented for why the special group's needs should be addressed over the plans of the entire community. I would use my understanding of people and analytical abilities to determine if there is a way to meet the needs of the special group that will not go against the requirments of the majority.
Answer from John L. Mlnarik:
In the event of a conflict between a distinct group and the City, I would do my best to facilitate a discussion between both sides. From my experience as an attorney, conflict often accrues when there is a lack of accurate information exchanged between both sides. My priority will be making City information open and accessible to ensure that potential conflicts are mitigated early in the process.
If information is shared and a conflict nonetheless perseveres, I would analyze relevant and available data for guidance. If there is data that accurately reflects the views of Santa Clarans on a particular issue, and if the implementation of this view is viable, then I will simply follow this majoritarian perspective.
Responses to questions asked of each candidate
are reproduced as submitted to the League.
Candidates' statements are presented as
submitted. Please answer each question in no more than 400 words.
Direct references to opponents are not permitted.
The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.
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League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
