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Candidate's Name
Colleen Fernald
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Office Sought
Sebastopol City Council
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Campaign Website
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Email Address
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How strongly do you believe there is a close relationship between the economic vitality of a community and a healthy, fiscally sound government?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Based on a scale from 1 to 10 |
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How important is job creation and retention on your priority list if elected to office?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Based on a scale from 1 to 10 |
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Should job creation and economic development be one of the top priorities for Sonoma County City Councils and Board of Supervisors in 2010 – 2011?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Based on a scale from 1 to 10 |
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Are you committed to diversifying and strengthening your jurisdiction’s economy?
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Do you believe that your jurisdiction is doing enough to attract businesses that provide jobs?
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Do you support attracting new business and expanding existing businesses in your jurisdiction?
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Do you support the coordination of and participation in an economic development effort that promotes Sonoma County on a regional basis?
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Should local government offer incentives, financial or otherwise, to attract new business to our area?
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Should your jurisdiction provide funding to local Convention & Visitor Bureaus to promote tourism?
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Do you view using the Redevelopment Agency as a tool to be utilized for economic sustainability in your jurisdiction?
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Do you support the expansion of the Sonoma County Airport to allow more commercial air service?:
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Do you support allocating funds for deferred maintenance and infrastructure improvements including roads, airports, telecommunications, water, sewer and power?
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Do you support reducing development and impact fees to spur job creation?
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Do you believe that there are too many local regulations preventing or discouraging businesses from starting up or expanding in our area?
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Will you consider job creation as a top priority in your decision making?
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Will you put your jurisdiction’s jobs and the economy ahead of political agendas and special interests?
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Do you support the deferral of local government impact fees on a construction project until that project is completed?
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Do you support a Living Wage Ordinance that would mandate what private businesses contracting with your jurisdiction would have to pay their employees?
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Do you support local production and distribution of construction materials (i.e. sand, gravel, asphalt, lumber, etc.)?
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Should local government set a policy requiring open and fair competition in bidding on all public works projects?
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Would you support efforts to position the North Bay to maintain a leadership role or become a leader in key job-producing industries?
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Do you believe that it is important for your jurisdiction to provide flexible land use policies?
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Do you believe that a cost-benefit analysis should be a required step in the process of formulating new regulations and reviewing existing regulations?
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Will you support land-use and zoning regulations that deter excessive regulatory control?
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Do you support having local regulations that are no more stringent than federal or state requirements?
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Do you support fast tracking new projects that will create new jobs?
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Will you support a streamlined licensing and permitting process if it doesn’t sacrifice environmental protection?
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Will you support setting aside money to adequately fund the liability for current and future public employee pensions and medical benefits?
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Do you believe that salaries and benefits for public employees should align with the private sector?
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Do you believe that privatizing or outsourcing government services should be considered?
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Do you support consolidation of government services as a means of providing more efficient government?
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Will you vote to cut your jurisdiction’s expenditures before raising fees or taxes?
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What ideas do you have for creating new jobs?
Before answering this; I must address that yes or no answers don’t work for most of these questions; so many of my answers require further explanation.
The City of Sebastopol has done well in keeping a balanced budget. The public understands cutting services would come at a big price.
Sebastopol has long been on the cutting edge of sustainability and entrepreneurship. To facilitate the growth of our Green economy, I wish to promote public/private partnerships to assist individuals and businesses with the tools needed to develop, and bring to market, solutions to enhance our lives.
Clean energy generation is another robust sector we can enhance through these partnerships.
Engaging our high school age children in this endeavor would give them interesting ways to utilize their math, science, etc. skills, while learning the basics of business development.
To enhance our economy and our well being, I'm interested in exploring how our community can create a single payer wellness program. This model could support Palm Drive Hospital remaining solvent; keep wellness health care workers employed, and more of our citizens thriving, and thus able to generate more income.
Additional wellness revenue generation could be supported through research programs and wellness centers.
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