fresno elections 2008

The Autry administration has been at the helm of over $1 billion of investment in downtown and there is great momentum for which they deserve credit. The surge needs to continue with a strategic approach that accomplishes the following:

1. The continued development of entertainment/dining venues to provide a reason to stay in downtown after dark. This includes the Master Planning of a Cultural Arts District that brings more live, regional theater to Fresno.
2. Housing…The Forest City project will bring needed housing and is exciting, but it is not the sole savior of Downtown Fresno. We have the local talent and will to revitalize downtown with loft projects and other high density housing opportunities that will provide an urban living experience that is desirable and affordable.
3. Public Transportation improvements like the street car project can increase our public/private partnerships, help identify land that is ready to develop, ease the parking burden, and improve air quality.
4. Celebrates the spirit of Fresno. A project needs to be embraced that is fun, bold, and gives visitors, businesses, and local residents a reason to come Downtown. Fresno has a great history and downtown is a perfect to do things that honor the contributions of our legends.

I am not opposed to Forest City, but am amazed at the price tag. I would make sure any projects that require that kind of city investment would be given first to our local developers.

The No-Neighborhood Left Behind project put thousands of dollars into our neediest neighborhoods and that needs to continue. We also need to revise our Eminent Domain Policies to protect our homeowners and the owners of thriving businesses, and gives us the ability to take action against absentee owners who allow property to sit and deteriorate.

We have a General Plan that was written for 2025 that will prevent sprawl. We need to follow the plan and begin its implementation now. It calls for more transit oriented development; higher density housing and better use of land. We also need an urban development program that will provide assistance and incentives for the development of areas that need improvement.

Two major systemic improvements will positively impact job creation and employment. First, we need to improve the system that will allow small business and local entrepreneurs to prosper. I would start with 3 things: I would seek to move the Redevelopment Agency back under the management of the city. We need a cohesive, systemic approach to the identification of land and usages and to have them working as an independent arm has proven very costly. Next, the city needs to be the lead agency in creating a network of business leaders and organizations that can encourage and support economic development. We need a full scale public relations campaign to get the word out on our incentives that exist for owners to build, hire, and expand their businesses.

The other systemic improvement is in our education system. As Mayor, I support a partnership with our school system works together to effectively eliminate the drop-out rate. If we want all of our students to graduate, we must return our schools to our kids. We need to provide leadership and financial support for quality facilities, opportunities in and athletics and the arts, and numerous vocational options. To accomplish this, we need to create a Community Accountability Model that identifies the key characteristics our citizens expect to find in their schools. Finally, I would continue to develop the Urban Charter Initiative to provide school choice in our poorest neighborhoods. By improving our educational system, we will prepare more young men and women for the work force and continue to attract more businesses to Fresno.

When you become Mayor, you take an oath to protect the people of Fresno. To help people sleep at night, we must be out in front to eliminate gangs from this city. It is absolutely critical that gang members, taggers, and all criminals understand that if you threaten the people of this city, you will pay significant cost. I will fight to make sure criminals are sentenced fully and expected to serve their time. For the sake of our people, we must spread the word that criminals are not going to succeed in Fresno. I applaud Chief Dyer and his department’s approach to not only eradicate gangs, but respond immediately to graffiti. I would continue to fund those programs, continue to consolidate with the county and seek major tax reform to improve public safety funding, and increase the numbers and salaries in our police and fire departments.

I believe a Police Auditor is important in protecting the city against future litigation. It is clear, though, that our City Council and Officer’s Union do not support the IPA. I, therefore, would call for a one year hiatus from making this a budget issue. I would work with council, the District and City Attorney and FPOA representatives to study the issue and find out why this is such discrepancy in opinion.

Our parks are some of Fresno’s greatest jewels. Over the next couple of years, you will see the completion of several projects that will make Fresno the adventure sports capitol of the country. Not only will these be great opportunities for our residents to enjoy, it will bring people here from all over the world, providing revenue to bolster our local economy. We need to continue to add green space to the downtown, southwest and southeast areas of the city. We can utilize a combination of park bonds, grant monies, and private investment to continue to expand. Remember, it is an investment that helps support healthy families and better air quality.

One of the greatest myths in the history of organizational leadership is the idea that when times are hard, we need to go in and fix things. Any candidate that says “As Mayor, I’m going to go in and start making cuts” has obviously never been involved in complex budgeting that comes in a large organization. That is panic leadership and doomed to fail. First of all, you balance the budget EVERY year, not just when revenue declines. So, budgeting is a team process that involves your entire organization in good times and bad. The process doesn’t change depending on the year. It starts with a common set of principles that guide budget decisions. For instance, every budget should have to provide for quality services, make strategic investment in the future, and build a reserve for a rainy day. Each year, the amount that goes into each of the three areas changes depending on the health of the economy. Percent increases or decreases need to be systemic so that everyone shares in the joy or pain. Finally, each department will figure out how to best do their job with what they are given. The Mayor/City Manager will resolve conflicts and have the final say. Disciplined budgeting every year using this process is how you prevent the sky falling when things are tough.

I do support advocating for tax reform that returns a percentage of our income tax to Fresno. Currently, it all goes to Sacramento. Simple reform of a small percentage of our monies being returned would generate the tens of millions of dollars needed to pay and hire enough firefighters and police officers to get to the national average for salary and numbers of staff.

I support the Municipal Utility District for two very simple reasons: First, by creating a special board, the district eliminates the governmental bureaucracy and improves the quality of service. Second, it reduces the rates of our customers. So, better service at a lower rate…some things are not that difficult.

Fresno is a proud city and needs to celebrate. I will launch a full scale Public Relations campaign to promote the idea that we have many, many wins to celebrate. I will start a news publication that goes to all of our residents that highlights the great things that happen in this city every day. Sure, we have great places, quality events, teams, etc.. The best thing about Fresno though is the people; and our folks are world class. As Mayor, I will tell our story.