Candidate Forum

When: Wednesday, Sept. 2 at 6:00pm

Where: MSU-COT

The actual forum begins at 6:00pm and is scheduled to run until 8:00pm. At 5:30pm, there is a "meet and greet" reception.

Questions are to be asked by Gary Moseman of the Tribune. If there is enough time, questions will be taken from the audience, although they have to be presented to the moderator in writing beforehand.

7th And Last Question: Commission Raises

This is the last question asked of the candidates by the Tribune:

Should part-time city commissioners give themselves a raise? Commissioners receive $487 per month, and the mayor receives $643 per month, in pay and expenses, and both positions qualify for health insurance.

Given the economic conditions and that the city's 2009-2010 budget was not at all flush with excessive cash, the commissioners should not give themselves a raise.

6th Question: Why Did The Levies Fail?

Here is my answer to this question:

Why did the city police and fire special levies fail, and what should be done, if anything, to improve staffing in those departments?

I believe the levies failed due to the tough economic times, although I do think citizens are also getting sick and tired of fiscal irresponsibility on the part of the city. Funds continue to lose money and, with the support from the incumbents, the city's reserves continue to be spent to cover these shortfalls. I am not at all confident in the numbers presented by the city, and I am not positive that we needed a public safety levy in the first place.

5th Question: Speaking Limitation

Do you favor continuing to limit speakers to 5 minutes each during the commission's public comment period?

No, I do not favor limiting speakers to a 5-minute time limit. The mayor controls the meeting and, from the outset, can remind folks that in the interest of others, comments should be limited. If a speaker ignores that request, the mayor, as the chair of the meeting, can graciously tell them to conclude their remarks.

Not only do citizens have comments, but many times they also also have questions about various issues. Those questions and any answers they might receive currently go against their five minutes. This is not fair. Government belongs to the people, not the other way around.

4th Question: Pay Raises

Considering economic conditions, should the city continue to give pay increases of more than 3 percent annually to city employees?

I would not have voted for this increase. In these tough economic times and the less than rosy financial picture of the city, an increase of 3 percent should not have been authorized. If elected your mayor, I will vote against any raises for the 2010-2011 budget year.

3rd Question - Golf And Swim Funds

Here is my response to the following Tribune question:

What should the city do to improve the bottom line for its golf courses, which are to receive $245,000 in subsidies this year, and swimming pools, which are scheduled to receive a subsidy of more than $580,000 from the general fund?

I think both of these funds need to be examined very closely as to why they continue to lose money. It concerns me greatly when the director of the Fiscal Service Department reported that the golf fund would receive a $240,000 "gift" from the general fund. This was done in order to reduce the red ink this fund has been wallowing in for the past several years. Shifting monies around to make certain funds look better does not solve the problem. it adds to it.

There's a reason(s) why both of these funds continue to lose money, but before I can suggest solutions, I need to see exactly what is going on.

2nd Question: Recycling Fee

Here is my response to the second question posed by the Tribune:

City government may soon consider a $1.50 monthly charge on city households to support recycling, which has been a money-losing venture for the city. Would you favor such a fee, and why or why not?

At this time, I do not favor the city continuing its involvement in recycling. First and foremost, cities have a responsibility to provide core services in a fiscally prudent manner. Providing recycling services is not a core service of the city. It has been reported from the Public Works Department that even by adding this proposed fee, recycling will continue to lose money. It is not fiscally responsible to continue to provide a secondary service that doesn't break even.

This is a service that should be left to the private sector. Why this city has such a penchant to stick its nose into private business is beyond me.

What Do I Think About ECP

As I posted over at Cataract City, the Tribune has started to publish the Commission Candidates responses to several questions they asked. Today, they published the answers to the following question pertaining to ECP:

Do you think the city should shut down its utility arm, Electric City Power, or should the city try to make its venture more profitable? The city stood to lose an estimated $4.75 million if it suddenly liquidated its electrical energy business earlier this year.

My response:

I believe ECP should be shut down for a number of reasons. Citizens were never given the opportunity to vote as to whether they wanted their government to get involved in public power in the first place. The city has already lost more than $4 million on this venture, and according to ordinance #2925, this entity was to be self-sustaining from day one. Citizens continue to be barred from information pertaining to this entity and cannot get straightforward answers to their financial questions and concerns. This foray into public power has not been a benefit to the city or its citizens and has already cost us millions of dollars.

Contrary to what the incumbents say, this entity has already lost several million dollars and will not benefit city residents. (As a result of legislative action, ECP cannot sell power to the residents). The "blended rate" scenario mentioned by mayoral candidate Commissioner Bronson is the subject of a lawsuit (page 9). Information pertaining to the "blended rate" has also been kept from the public by this lawsuit. (Commissioner Jolley, who is the only commissioner to have actually viewed the documents in the secret box, has indicated that there are documents in the box pertaining to the "blended rate").

Want A Yard Sign?

If you would like a yard sign, please e-mail me at siguynn@yahoo.com.

Thanks very much!

Neighborhood Councils

We're getting down to the wire and as I reported at Cataract City, only 14 of the needed 45 candidates have filed for Neighborhood Council.

The deadline to file is August 20.

I have been a member of NC#4 for 3 years and I am in my second year as the chair of this council. It has been a very good experience for me. I have learned more about city/county government and how it works than if I had not gotten involved.

As the chair, I am responsible for setting the agenda and have made an effort to bring in speakers who educate the public about what our government or community is doing. I have received several compliments from citizens who tell me they enjoy coming to Council 4 meetings because they always learn something. That's always been my goal.

If elected your mayor, I will definitely ask for more input from our councils. According to the City Charter, councils are supposed to be involved in several aspects of our local government, including finance. Currently, councils are not invited to participate in the budgetary process. No meetings are ever scheduled with councils to discuss the budget. Oh sure. We can show up at the normally scheduled budget meetings, but how many council members and citizens can just drop what they are doing during the day to attend a budget meeting? More of an effort needs to be made to include the public, before the public hearing.

Please consider joining your council. For more information, contact Patty Cadwell at 455-8496 or pcadwell@greatfallsmt.net.