Questions from the Audience—Mayoral Candidates Respond
On October, 22, the candidates for Mayor of Annapolis engaged in debate over the key issues facing the city. The debate included questions from the audience and for the sake of time, many went unanswered. Below is a list of questions surrounding important issues that the candidates were not asked during the debate.
These questions were sent to the candidates after the debate. You can read Chris Fox and Dave Cordle's responses below. Josh Cohen was not able to respond.
Budget
In the first quarter of this fiscal year, overtime is already out of control. Of the annual appropriations for overtime, the following has already been spent: 42% in police; 38% in ONEP; 30% in roadways / sidewalks; 32% in streetscape maintenance; 67% in fleet maintenance; 30% in water supply and treatment; 79% in water distribution; 41% in transit vehicle operators; and 38% in transit maintenance. How will you deal with this problem?
CORDLE: With the City’s current fiscal challenges, we cannot afford uncontrolled overtime. Though it is difficult to restrict overtime when necessary, overtime must always first be approved through appropriate channels before being taken. Overtime must be more carefully budgeted and managed by each department.
FOX: I believe that we need to have a clear understanding of why overtime expenses are out of control, and this needs to come from the leadership of each of these departments. From my experience in private business, this would not be acceptable. The department directors need to be held accountable for their budgets. We cannot continue to have an attitude that the budget is an estimate, but instead we need to look at budgets as a contract between each department and the tax payers. Overtime should be for emergencies, and while there will always be a need for some overtime in the various departments, the consistent use and abuse of overtime shows that department heads are simply not being held accountable for running their operations in a wasteful manner.
What services would you cut from the present fiscal activity other than personnel?
CORDLE: I will reign in out of control spending. The current City government just spent thousands of dollars to send City staff and elected officials to Europe. That will not happen if I am Mayor. I want to eliminate needless programs and duplications of services. The management team I will have serving under me will be professional and they will provide necessary services to the citizens of Annapolis within the budget provided for them.
FOX: I think that we need to look into services that overlap with the county. Some that come to mind are recycling programs, parks and rec, as well possibly combining some police and fire services. I do not want to cut services to the best of my ability, but where we have redundancies, we need to do a better job.
With 85% of the budget concentrated in payroll and benefits, can you “balance the budget” without reducing employees?
CORDLE: There are many ideas we can immediately implement. We can institute a hiring freeze. We can also put the employee health benefits out to bid as the County has done, which resulted in savings of millions of dollars.
Before reducing the positions of permanent employees, I will first look into the number of consultants and contractors that the City has on payroll. We currently spend over $3.6 million (not including benefits) for 93 contract employees. Cutting the majority of the contract employees would save the city $3 million.
FOX: I do not believe that is possible. Given the projected multi-million dollar deficits we are facing in the next two years, although unfortunate, it is my belief that some reduction in city employees will be necessary.
What programs of city government will you eliminate to bring the current budget into balance?
CORDLE: I am not prepared at this time to state exactly which programs I will eliminate. I plan to carefully examine every program individually to see where wasteful or needless spending is occurring, and will then proceed on a case by case basis to determine which programs will be reduced or eliminated.
FOX: I will reduce the department of Planning and Zoning, and the Department of Economic Affairs. Planning and Zoning in the last 29 years has grown by 900% while the city’s population has only grown by 16%. I will explore combining some services from the Department of Economic Affairs with the Transportation Department—successful economic development of our hospitality and tourism industry goes hand-in-hand with making vast improvements to our parking and transportation structure downtown. Moreover, I believe it is the duty of the city council to promote the economy. We certainly don’t need to be spending half a million dollars per year on a department that can easily be incorporated within other city departments.
How would a tax cap allow you to solve the city’s long-term structural deficit?
CORDLE: A tax cap will force the City to find other ways to live within its budgetary means. Without a tax cap in place, the City is too easily able to resort to raising property taxes in order to offset budget deficits. Property taxes should not be seen as a ready source of income to the City. More careful and creative solutions to solving the City’s long-term structural deficit will benefit both the City and city residents in the long term by providing us with sustainable practices that do not jeopardize our citizen’s personal budgets.
The residents of the City cannot afford to pay both County taxes and rising City taxes as my opponent proposes. For many years the County has provided us with an example of how it is possible to operate with a tax cap. As a fiscal conservative, I believe the City can do just as well as the County in providing services under these same circumstances.
FOX: There are positives and negatives associated with a tax cap. The positives include a mandate that the city council work within a defined boundary with regards to spending money. This alone may not solve the city’s long-term deficit, because the tax cap only addresses the revenue aspect, whereas the structural deficit must also include responsible spending practices. However, a tax cap could be helpful if it injects discipline into the mindset of the city council when it comes to spending taxpayer money.
Would you talk about your position on a 4.5% tax cap?
CORDLE: I believe very strongly in a tax cap. Predicted deficit levels would mean a rate increase of 18 cents in 2011 and another 8 cents increase in 2012. Currently the rate is 53 cents per hundred of the taxable assessed value. That’s a 50% increase in property taxes over just a two-year period. Without a tax cap to curb unnecessary spending, people will be driven out of their homes. A 50% property tax increase will be especially cruel to those on a fixed income or out of work in these tough economic times. I believe that the City must be forced to be more disciplined in its spending before asking the citizens to pay more of their hard-earned money.
FOX: I have signed the petition to send the tax cap to referendum, and believe it’s an issue that should be decided on by the voters. If there are not enough signatures to get this to referendum, I have committed to conducting a thorough exploration of this issue. We owe it to the residents to investigate this issue extensively and come up with a plan that is best for the City. In principle, I would support tax cap legislation if it included adequate emergency procedures in the case of a large, unexpected event that would require a large, unexpected expenditure.
Environment
What are the major environmental issues that are challenging the citizens of Annapolis and what will you do to address those issues?
CORDLE: First I would like to invite readers to take a closer look at my environmental positions and suggestions that I have posted on my website: www.davecordle.com.
One issue facing our City is how to implement more environmentally sound practices to protect and preserve our remaining natural resources. I plan to retrofit City building and facilities to operate in the most energy efficient way, and to provide for recycling at all commercial properties within the City. It is also imperative that we reduce storm water runoff from streets and municipal facilities by enforcing stricter regulations.
Overdevelopment has also been a major threat to our environment. My administration will partner with the County to preserve undeveloped land within the Severn and South River watersheds, creating more public access to trails and waterways and helping to instill in all of us a greater sense of environmental stewardship. I will also encourage responsible redevelopment rather than new development.
I will use the regulatory powers of the City to ensure that private entities engage in practices that minimize damage to the environment, especially where new development is necessary. The City will use clear and understandable regulations to apply oversight fairly, consistently, and with good common sense.
FOX: I believe that there are 2 major environmental issues that should be a priority of the next Mayor and council: storm-water runoff and recycling. I support a mandate that all commercial development or redevelopment projects inside city limits include a plan to capture storm-water runoff to minimize pollution of our surrounding waterways. Regarding the residential side, the city needs to provide incentives for residents to undertake construction projects that favor pervious surfaces, as well as incentives to use rain barrels and other techniques that minimize runoff from residential properties.
I believe that business recycling is a great area of opportunity to become more environmentally friendly, and it’s something the city can do on its own, right away. The county has a great recycling program that saves businesses money, but the program does not extend into the city. Businesses that create a lot of waste, such as hospitality businesses, must pay for the dumpster space they fill up with their trash. Extending the inexpensive recycling program that already exists in the county will save those businesses money while providing a more environmentally friendly waste management plan.
Crime
How do you propose to fight crime?
CORDLE: I will fill existing vacancies while recruiting and retaining the highest quality officers we can find. We will remain competitive with surrounding jurisdictions on salary, benefits, and retirement, making the Annapolis Police Department a candidate’s first choice. I will make sure that the APD insures swift, immediate, and professional service to ALL areas of the city. We should employ foot, bicycle, and scooter patrols so police can better develop relationships with residents and businesses. The APD should use substations to get police closer to the high crime communities. We will also utilize the best of new technologies along with modern, proven policing methods to reduce all crimes.
I will also focus on crime prevention by increasing juvenile programs that emphasize education, job training, youth mentoring, parenting support services, and social responsibility.
FOX: I believe crime is directly linked to the abundance of public housing in Annapolis. I think that
most public housing residents want a safer community, and while the majority of crime is not committed by residents of public housing, the majority of crime does occur on or around public housing property. Progressive methods of combating crime need to be supported and utilized. Such measures include the Capital Safe Streets Program, and the banning list. While I believe both programs could use some refining, Chief Pristoop and the police department have shown that they are successful at reducing crime, and I believe we should continue these and other measures to make the city safer.
City Manager
How will you distribute roles between Mayor and City Manager? How will you pay a City Manager since you are cutting costs?
CORDLE: As a Council-Manager form of government will be new to Annapolis, it will take time, attention, and flexibility to determine how best to effectively distribute roles between the Mayor and the City Manager. As there are many jurisdictions where a Mayor and City Manager currently work together, I believe we should model specific roles and responsibilities from other successful examples. I believe that the position will pay for itself with the savings a Credentialed City Manager will afford us.
FOX: I believe in a business approach to government. The role of the City Manager is to execute policy made by the Mayor and council in the most cost effective manner. Our executive structure needs to be made up of a Chief Executive Officer (Mayor), and a Chief Operating Officer (City Manager). The City manager needs to carry out the day to day operations set forth by the Mayor and City Council, while the Mayor’s duties should be those of legislation and interaction with residents and businesses.
By eliminating the current City Administrator position, we will already be saving approximately the amount of money needed to pay a City Manager. Beyond that, the City Manager position will pay for itself. In cities with similar budgets, Credentialed City Managers have proven to save three to five times their salary in the form of efficiencies that they bring to city departments. I also believe that the pay increase for the Mayor passed this past spring was an irresponsible measure. Since the Mayor’s duties will be reduced in a Council-Manager form of government, I think it would be appropriate to explore changes to the Charter that would be necessary to reduce the Mayor’s salary to be more in line with the new duties of the office.
Sidewalks
What do you intend to do about completing sidewalks in the city?
CORDLE: There are many options we can consider regarding completing and repairing sidewalks. I will recommend a study group be formed to develop solutions and rank options and cost for Annapolis sidewalks.
FOX: I believe that the city government must be more accountable to the sidewalk problems. In the past, the city has relied on residents to fix sidewalks in front of their properties, but there are many problems with sidewalks that require a more comprehensive approach. Many sidewalks and other paths do not connect with each other, and in many cases sidewalks are interrupted by a telephone pole spiked right in the middle of the pedestrian right-of-way. Like many of our problems, the city’s ability to fix sidewalks is directly related to the next Administration’s ability to regain a strong financial position, a goal to which I am dedicated.
Public Housing
What specifically do you propose to do with respect to public housing in Annapolis?
CORDLE: I would like to see some of the existing properties redeveloped to include a combination of rental and homeownership units. This will result in a greater mix of incomes as well as increased opportunities for residents to grow into self-sufficiency. During the process of redevelopment, I would offer residents an array of on-site public and private services that will help them to achieve self-sufficiency in a way that ensures that they are not displaced without adequate housing they can afford.
I believe that what most public housing residents are looking for is a hand up, not a hand out. I would like to make residents more aware of government programs already available to assist them, such as the “Work Opportunity Tax Credit Program” that provides special tax credits for employers who make an effort to hire job seekers currently dependent upon government assistance.
FOX: I have proposed an unprecedented job placement and job training program for residents of public housing. The biggest thing I hear from public housing residents is the lack of available training that could help them to get back on their feet and sustain their own private residence. My plan is to give a one-time tax credit of up to $2000 to any local business that hires, trains, and retains employment of a public housing resident for at least 1 year. The goal is to create a shift in the generational dependence on subsidized housing while providing a boost to the local economy. The community stands to benefit in several ways. We can lessen the socio-economic dilemma of lack of employment and job skills, while empowering public housing residents with the financial ability to purchase local goods and services. To work in the long-term, this plan must be a generational collaboration between the residents of public housing, businesses, and the government, but we’ve got to start somewhere, and the status quo with public housing is unacceptable.
Downtown Business
What important actions will you take to revitalize the downtown business district? What will you do to reduce not only storefront vacancies but also second-and third-floor vacancies?
CORDLE: I have many plans to revitalize the downtown business district. I will create a business liaison position within the Economic Development Department. This position will help streamline the permit process for new and existing businesses, assist downtown businesses facing severe challenges from new competition and a difficult economy by working with landlords to compromise on rents, and provide local businesses with a direct link to the City government in order to ensure constant communication and cooperation.
I foresee hiring a marking professional who will be responsible for marketing downtown businesses, including the Market House, both locally and nationally.
As for the Market House, I would like to see part of it used as an incubator space for new, small businesses, giving local entrepreneurs a low-risk testing ground for their shops and enterprises. If successful I will help transition these businesses into one of the numerous vacant, larger venues downtown, helping to reduce storefront vacancies.
FOX: The most important way to revitalize downtown is to improve the parking situation. People want to drive their cars and park downtown—partially because of the convenience, and partially because the public transportation alternatives are inadequate. As it is now, even local Annapolitans who know the parking “nooks and crannies” struggle to find parking on a busy afternoon. We need to explore expanded parking garages and a more extensive and reliable shuttle system so that people have easy ways to get downtown whenever they want.
Like any business, the rent paid by downtown businesses is a huge factor when deciding to open a new establishment. Through reduced spending, I plan to reduce property taxes which will therefore reduce the rents downtown, making it more likely that a business will be profitable.
The storefront businesses that are successful are what you might expect—restaurants, t-shirt shops, ice cream shops, and the like. For second and third floor vacancies to be filled, I believe a more unique mix of businesses should be encouraged. Visitors want to experience what the locals experience, and having a mix of businesses that better accomplishes this goal will help attract visitors and locals to the downtown area.
Moreover, marketing needs to be improved. Small signs around the city directing visitors to the downtown area are helpful, and a banner on the city website with business listings and photos is an inexpensive way to promote the beauty of our downtown. But then, the question is, what do the people do when they get downtown? Thousands of people patronize downtown on a given day, only to be met by a lack of seating and pedestrian-only areas. In conjunction with creating more parking spaces at garages, I believe we should look into creating more open space for pedestrians so that people coming downtown have places to sit, eat, play, and spend multiple hours.
Is it true that businesses in Annapolis have to pay extra to have recycling picked up?
CORDLE: All commercial establishments must pay for their refuse collection. They contract with City licensed refuse collector. Some of these collectors do pick up recycled trash. Whether these commercial haulers charge additional fees for recycled items, is a contractual issue between the commercial establishment and the hauler.
FOX: Yes. However, the fact that they pay extra is not as important as the fact that there is not a universal plan and vision articulated by the city for a recycling program. Coordinating with the County to extend their plan or a similar one to city businesses, while still perhaps costing extra money, can show businesses how they actually save money in the long term while helping the environment.
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