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I will ask the tough questions, and tap the activism of our citizens. That means never taking our eyes off the ball when it comes to efficiently providing the services that touch the lives of people every day, and it means always looking for ways to improve. It also means making sure decisions by representatives at all levels of City government are transparent and rooted in citizen perspective and participation. Our City government should look and act like Austin.
Accessibility and Accountability: I see accessibility as the most important aspect of a Council member’s job. I decided to challenge Jennifer Kim for Place 3 specifically because of her reputation for inaccessibility. As a Council member, I will make my calendar and office expenditures public and will work to see that online resources are more readily available so that anyone interested in following City business can do so, and so that you know how I am spending time and resources on your behalf. I will also work to ensure citizens receive prompt, responsive and effective service at every level of City government.
Citizen Involvement: The responsibility of engaging citizens at City Hall falls on Council members. The Council sets the tone for the way the City’s staff involves citizens, as well. I will actively seek your input rather than simply relying on you to visit me, and you will continue to see me at meetings, town halls and community forums after I am elected - not just while I am campaigning. I will actively promote participation of Hispanics, African-Americans, Asian Americans and all others often under-represented in City decisions and contracts, and I will work hard to bring new people into the process of local governance.
Single Member Districts: While I don’t believe our current system is broken, I do believe it’s possible that we could be better served by a mixed system of representation that incorporates both single-member districts and at-large districts. A mixed system would ensure that every citizen has more than just one representative, while still offering the opportunity for more accountable, more accessible and possibly more diverse representation than the current system affords. The devil is always in the details, though, so I can’t say for sure whether I would be in favor or opposed to changing our current system until I know what alternative is on the table. At this point I support the Mayor’s position that we wait until after the 2010 census, when we have more current demographic information, to revisit the issue.
Inter-governmental Collaboration: I want to work with Travis County to explore additional inter-local agreements to save taxpayers money. I will identify more ways for the City and AISD to better leverage each other’s resources, especially as it relates to youth activities and support networks. I will also support collaboration among all local governmental jurisdictions to address the challenges of regional growth.
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