League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Santa Clara County, CA November 4, 2008 Election
	Cy Mann Answers Questions Candidate for Santa Clara County Open Space Authority Director; District 7

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

Questions & Answers

1. What experience or training do you have which would help the District meet its goals?

I currently serve on the Santa Clara Valley Water District Coyote Flood Control and Watershed Committee, the Santa Clara Valley Water District Environmental Committee, the Alviso Water Task Force and the SCCAOR Government Relations Committee. My experience from serving on these committees gives me the ability to better understand environmental and land acquisitions issues. I will seek out community involvement to insure the needs of our district are met.

2. What is your evaluation of the financial condition of the District?

The current financial situation of our district and the entire OSA does not look good due to California Supreme Court Decision where justices found that the assessment violated Proposition 218. The 12-year-old law is known as the "Right to Vote on Taxes Act" because it was designed to limit local governments' ability to raise revenue without voter approval. Therefore I believe we need to come up with alternative revenue sources aside from the voter approved monies to ensure the work of the Open Space Authority continues for generations to come.

3. In what ways would you collaborate with other governmental entities to achieve the District's goals?

The key to any collaboration is communication. In order to achieve this, partnerships have to be maintained and new alliances need to be forged between our government agencies, environmental groups, our communities and residents this will ensure our district's goals and needs are met.

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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.

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

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: November 2, 2008 18:01
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