Candidates for City Council’s Ward 5

So, Mike, just a minute ago, you did mention how it is difficult for the city to do to help on some affordability issues like groceries.

What can the city do to make things more affordable outside of housing?

The biggest single thing that we can do is to live within our means.

And by that, I mean not say.

Well, we don't have enough money to pay for all the things we want to do.

And my opponent lists a lot of different kinds of new services and programs that may or may not be a good idea to do, maybe outside of the city's real scope of what it ought to do.

But the number one thing that we can do to keep life affordable and a higher quality of life for people that live here is not find new ways to charge them new taxes and new fees.

And that has been a fundamental focus of mine for years.

I have a long track record of doing it, even, like I've said, when it means I need to stand alone to voice that opinion.

All right.

So we both of you have already mentioned a few things about budgetary issues for the city.

Mike, you taught in your introduction talked about what needs to be kept.

Let's go and kind of flip that question a little.

And we'll start with Athena on this one.

What can be cut?

I would say nothing can be cut at this point.

From my understanding of the budget, I was following closely the budget process last year, and that is why the fire free was proposed and why hundreds of people came out and gave public testimony about, you want to cut the program I use.

I use that program.

You can't be cutting that.

I use that for my children.

And that's been my experience talking to people door to door as well.

Like I said, not everybody always knows oh, this rec program is from the city or from the state or whatever, but they know that they use it and they know that they rely on it, especially in this election where we're going to have more voters with people paying more attention than the normal off non-presidential year, I guess.

I would say that what's most important to me, that's why I was a proponent of the fire fee, actually, was because I, to myself, thought there's nothing that can be cut.

And...

I think for me what's important is what we defend, what we don't cut.

So, Mike, just a minute ago, you did mention how it is difficult for the city to do to help on some affordability issues like groceries.

What can the city do to make things more affordable outside of housing?

The biggest single thing that we can do is to live within our means.

And by that, I mean not say.

Well, we don't have enough money to pay for all the things we want to do.

And my opponent lists a lot of different kinds of new services and programs that may or may not be a good idea to do, maybe outside of the city's real scope of what it ought to do.

But the number one thing that we can do to keep life affordable and a higher quality of life for people that live here is not find new ways to charge them new taxes and new fees.

And that has been a fundamental focus of mine for years.

I have a long track record of doing it, even, like I've said, when it means I need to stand alone to voice that opinion.

All right.

So we both of you have already mentioned a few things about budgetary issues for the city.

Mike, you taught in your introduction talked about what needs to be kept.

Let's go and kind of flip that question a little.

And we'll start with Athena on this one.

What can be cut?

I would say nothing can be cut at this point.

From my understanding of the budget, I was following closely the budget process last year, and that is why the fire free was proposed and why hundreds of people came out and gave public testimony about, you want to cut the program I use.

I use that program.

You can't be cutting that.

I use that for my children.

And that's been my experience talking to people door to door as well.

Like I said, not everybody always knows oh, this rec program is from the city or from the state or whatever, but they know that they use it and they know that they rely on it, especially in this election where we're going to have more voters with people paying more attention than the normal off non-presidential year, I guess.

I would say that what's most important to me, that's why I was a proponent of the fire fee, actually, was because I, to myself, thought there's nothing that can be cut.

And...

I think for me what's important is what we defend, what we don't cut.