9 Responses to “good questions to ask candidates?”

1. posted by je ne sais pas at June 26, 2008 12:17 pm :
   

   [...] for suggestions HERE as to what to ask candidates for city council. Any suggestions? Posted at 12:17PM under [...]

2. posted by Don at June 26, 2008 3:15 pm :
   

   1. Ask about their support for the Party Patrol and whether that is a legitimate use of city money and police resources? Ask them if they support plans to widen the focus of the Patrol citywide and if they support recent efforts to make the Patrol pro-active and not simply respond to complaints.

   2. Ask if they intend on revisiting the CenterStage deal and introducing measures to block the $500,000 operating subsidy, making the project transparent to voters, as well as making sure independent arts professionals are finally put in real positions of authority on the project.

   3. Ask what they intend to do to help Curated Culture and First Fridays find needed funding and city resources (contrast with #1 above).

   4. Ask where do they stand on Echo Harbour and the views expressed in the proposed Downtown Master Plan. Ask them to be specific and not talk in flowery generalities about “striking a balance” as most of the mayoral candidates have.

   5. Ask specifics about their plan for schools. For instance: What are their views on an elected school board?

   Just a few….

3. posted by Paul Hammond at June 26, 2008 7:49 pm :
   

   What are you for and how are you going to get us there?

4. posted by Paul Hammond at June 26, 2008 7:53 pm :
   

   Some more…

   Why should we trust you?

   What are your qualifications?

   Why do you want this job?

5. posted by Gray at June 27, 2008 2:44 pm :
   

   Ask them…

   1) What Richmond leader do you most admire? And why? He/she can be a leader in any field, office, service, organization, neighborhood, etc within the city.

   2) What has been Richmond’s biggest success in the last four years? And largest failure?

   3) Outside of any family member, who has influenced you the most?

   4) On a scale from one to five, how would you rate the importance of Richmond going green and taking measures within our community to save the environment starting today? One being very important and five, not important at all.

   5) Who or what is most to blame on the flight of the middle class (for ex: schools, taxes, unaffordable housing, etc)? What measures should be taken to attract the middle classes to and keep them in the city?

   6) What do you think would be the number one thing, plan, program, etc that would help the poor rise out of poverty?

   7) Are Richmond Public Schools offering students equal opportunity? Are all schools equal?

6. posted by Scott Burger at June 28, 2008 3:00 pm :
   

   I would ask them how they would implement a stormwater utility, from
   both a taxation view and an environmental view.

   I would ask them if they will vote for the conservation easement on
   James River Park and if they would expand the easement to include
   other local parks.

   I would ask them what they would do to develop the East Coast
   Greenway and other local greenways.

   I would ask them if they would support a greenbuilding ordinance that
   would require green building as part of the City’s building code.

   I would ask them what they will do to support renewable energy use in
   Richmond and what they will do to help citizens cope with rising
   energy costs.

   These questions are consistent with the environmental agenda that I
   outlined earlier this year:

   http://scfoj.tumblr.com/post/28015695/citys-main-environmental-issues

7. posted by RVA Foodie at June 28, 2008 5:12 pm :
   

   Good questions so far. Here’s a couple more:

   1) a: How will you create more living wage jobs in Richmond? b:Will you continue contracting out city jobs to poverty wage-paying day-labor temp agencies?

   2) Considering the territorial and mistrustful relationship between branches of the city government, how will you cultivate trust, collaboration, and productivity among city officials and administrators?

   3) Will you encourage development that serves the interests of Richmond residents, or will it be a continuation of the parade of boneheaded blunders to lure big spenders into downtown in pursuit of some fantasy of a richer and whiter metropolis?

   4) Explain your anti-poverty agenda (repeat request until the candidates understand that this is a serious issue and the 20% of Richmond’s citizens living below the poverty line are deserving of their consideration).

   5) How will you help Richmonders explore alternatives to driving their cars?

   6) Do you have any ideas for increasing access to affordable healthy organic food?

8. posted by Gray at June 29, 2008 12:07 am :
   

   Okay this is off the subject of city council candidates and please, anyone, feel free to correct any mistakes I make here because I’m writing this from the top of my head and I’m not an environmentalist.

   In the past week, James Hansen, NASA climate expert, told congress that if we don’t starting doing something today to reduce CO2 in the world, in ten years “we will be toast” –it will be too late then to reverse the catastrophic climate changes that will occur. He says we should start with getting rid of coal burning plants immediately. They put off more CO2 than gas. Virginia Dominion Power wants to open a coal burning plant in Wise county, VA. Go here http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/423/t/1906/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=736 . Robert Grey, one of Richmond’s mayoral candidates, is being backed by Dominion Power chief, Tom Farrell (go here http://www.styleweekly.com:80/article.asp?idarticle=17235 ).

   I know that the mayor has no power over what happens in Wise County or with State issues, but this corporation is wanting to install the very thing that is frying the world. If I were a mayoral candidate, I wouldn’t want the devil backing me.

9. posted by obsessedwRVAblogs at July 1, 2008 1:26 am :
   

   I second everything RVA Foodie has said.

   We cannot build up our city until we empower our own citizens with better skills and resources. This includes training those who want to learn more marketable skills and providing the infrastructure for them do find better (above poverty level) paying jobs IN THE CITY.

   I would invite the candidates to publicly explore the various areas and neighborhoods of the city to find out where the real problems are. This can also lead them to figure out solutions to benefit all Richmonders and not just the upper 10% in Richmond and their counterparts in Henrico, Goochland, Hanover, and Chesterfield.

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