Kalamazoo City Commission: Questions and answers

By Kalamazoo Gazette staff

October 11, 2009, 6:04AM

CLICK A QUESTION TO SEE THE CANDIDATES' ANSWERS
1. What should be the No. 1 priority of the next City Commission? 2. Declining residential and commercial property values and stock-market losses in the city’s pension fund are creating shortfalls. Recognizing that most of the budget goes to employee salaries, specifically what services would you cut or what revenues would you increase? Be specific. 3. Voters will decide Nov. 3 whether the city should reinstate or reject an ordinance outlawing discrimination based on sexual identity or gender identification in matters of employment, housing and access to public accommodations. Do you favor or oppose this ordinance? Why? 4. Would you support a 1 percent tax on meals and drinks served in Kalamazoo County restaurants and bars to build an arena in downtown Kalamazoo? Would you support $4.5 million in city money proposed for related infrastructure costs? 5. On a traditional A-to-F grading scale, what grade would you give the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety and why? Has the department gotten better or worse under Chief Jeff Hadley? 6. Public Safety Chief Jeff Hadley has said the department has no intention of enforcing federal immigration laws. Do you agree with this position? Why? 7. The next City Commission could be asked to consider a measure that would make policing marijuana the city’s “lowest enforcement priority.” Would you support or oppose such a measure? Why? 8. Some groups have advocated requiring businesses receiving tax abatements to allocate a percentage of the jobs they promise to create to low-income individuals or ex-felons. Do you support such a requirement? 9. A millage request for 0.6 of 1 mill to fund Metro Transit is on the city’s ballot Nov. 3. Do you favor or oppose this levy? Why? 10. How should the City Commission balance spending for downtown development and residential revitalization projects?

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