Position 8 Candidate Forum - Follow Up
Our first Exit133 forum is now done. I would like to thank the Broadway Center for providing us with the venue. I would also like to thank the candidates and everybody that contributed questions, input, and suggestions.
The general format of the evening went like this:
The candidates were provided with 4 minutes to introduce themselves. It began with Marty Campbell. Next was David Curry, Marilyn Strickland, and then Jonathan Phillips. The order was determined by ballot order as provided by the Pierce County Auditor.
Then I began asking questions that we created by morphing and combining many of the questions you provided to us via email, voicemail, and in person. The time limit for answers was 3 minutes. I would ask the question to one candidate. Once that candidate was done speaking, I would ask one of the other candidates to follow up. Once the second candidate had spoken, we moved to the next question.
After eight questions, we asked one final question of all four candidates.
The entire event lasted 90 minutes. We have it all on tape. We’ll share it with you once we have a chance to… sleep.
Click for the topics, respondents, and the questions from this evening:
Housing Affordability
Jonathan Phillips & David Curry
As Tacoma becomes more dense and we in-fill with condos and multi-family projects, many of these new projects are priced well above the capabilities of a median income Tacoma resident. How would you respond to accusations that Tacoma is gentrifying at the expense of long time residents?
City Council and School Boards
Marty Campbell & Marilyn Strickland
With school boards and city councils becoming increasingly intertwined across the nation – with independent school boards being eliminated in some cities all together – what do you see as the role of Tacoma’s city council in directing education policy?
Regional Transportation
David Curry & Marty Campbell
As an elected official you would have the opportunity to participate in various regional boards and affect regional policy. Two of these boards, Sound Transit and the Regional Transportation Investment District, are proposing a tax package to the voters this fall. While an efficient transportation system is often required to accommodate economic growth, the direct impacts to the City of Tacoma is unclear. What are the positive and negative impacts of this transportation package on the City of Tacoma?
Alternative Transportation
Marilyn Strickland & Jonathan Phillips
Streetscars have been a fairly hot topic on Exit133 for the last few years. How do you see streetcars fitting into our urban landscape and how should we pay for them?
Environment
David Curry & Marilyn Strickland
The City of Tacoma has faced significant environmental issues over its history including multiple superfund sites. Though progress has been made, there are still significant issues facing the City. How can the City of Tacoma become more environmentally responsible as an organization and encourage environmental responsibility in its citizens?
Height Restrictions
Jonathan Phillips & Marty Campbell
The population of Tacoma is expected to grow by about 70,000 people over the next 20 years. With limited room for additional development, the Planning Commission is currently considering raising the height limits within some of the neighborhood business districts, as well as on a portion of the Foss Waterway. Is this an appropriate strategy to pursue? If so, what qualifications or restrictions are needed to ensure development compatibility with the surrounding neighborhood?
Partnering with Private Development
Marilyn Strickland & Marty Campbell
Other cities in the Puget Sound area have found ways to attract young people, professionals, and businesses by courting specific industries with high-paying creative and/or professional jobs, such as software and biotech. How do you envision Tacoma positioning itself to attract companies that hire such workers? Are there specific industries in this segment that you believe would be especially good fits for Tacoma?
Follow Up: What role do you see for council in encouraging commercial building development?
Neighborhood Infrastructure
Jonathan Phillips & David Curry
A primary responsibility of the City is maintaining City infrastructure such as roads and sidewalks. A recent survey identified the repair of inadequate infrastructure as a critical issue. While the citizens recently voted down a tax measure designed to improve and replace roadways, the City must still find a way to address the issue. What should the key components be of a city-wide plan to maintain the sidewalks and roadways – including how to pay for it?
Follow-up: Round-abouts, traffic circles, bulb-outs and other traffic calming devices have been added to many of the City’s roadways. Do they help or hurt the streetscape and how should their placement be identified in the future?
The Final Question
Many readers of Exit133 have dreams for the City of Tacoma or projects they would love to see happen. These regularly come out in the ongoing discussions on the site. So the Exit133 community wants to know: If you were given free reign to do a single capital project (either public or private) and funding is already available, what would you do? Why?
Previously on Exit133