Candidate for
Councilmember; City of Marina

Statement of Principals Committee to Elect Ken Gray Marina City Council Race November 2002 Election

" New housing in Marina should address the needs of families across a broad range of incomes, but work-force housing is clearly the highest priority. The working people of Marina and Monterey County, including trades people, small business owners, teachers, firemen, and police officers are in desperate need of more affordable housing. Addressing community needs in addition to housing is also important. I believe that the members of our community who have less independence and who are less well off financially, including the elderly and especially our children deserve special consideration.

" Support for Implementation of Measure E and new urbanism principals to steer our community toward urban designs that emphasize pedestrians and bicycles and less dependence on the automobile. Different housing types should be mixed together. Shopping and office areas should be within walking distance of where most people live.

" Support for open government. The present city council is making too many decisions in secret closed session. The public was excluded from decisions about implementing Measure E. As a result over $200,000 was lost to unnecessary legal fees. In addition the council is planning a major new community for Abrams Park on Fort Ord in closed session. The public has a right to know what the City Council is doing and better decisions will result from open government.

" Support for a new downtown for Marina as proposed by the Downtown Committee. We can create a walkable downtown along Reservation and Del Monte. When the Imjun Parkway bypass is opened we should reduce traffic speeds and increase parking along our two main streets. A new commercial center should not be built on Armstrong Ranch. Instead we should invest in improving our existing downtown area, promoting multi-story buildings, mixed use and better use of empty parking lots.

" Support for conversion of our storm water percolation ponds to parks and open spaces as proposed by the Greenbelt Committee. Many of our existing percolation ponds are ugly blights on our neighborhoods. The percolation function can be placed underground and the sites converted to min-parks, natural area or even community center sites.

" Support for preservation of our shoreline as public open space and natural habitat. Improve public access to the coastline.

" Support for annexation of the CSUMB campus including the campus housing areas into the city. We should work to become a University town and can benefit by having the faculty, staff and students living on campus included with our city limits.

" Support for building Marina's tax base as quickly as possible, by encouraging building more hotel and motel rooms. Support the Marina Knolls Resort project near the airport and rezoning the K-Mart site for visitor serving uses. Improving our tax base is essential if we are to improve the level of public services provided by the city.

" Support for the County General Plan principal that most new growth in the county should occur in and adjacent to existing cities. The county's limited water and land resources should not be going exclusively into luxury second and retirement homes and golf courses when working people can't find decent places to live. We need to preserve our prime agricultural lands.

" Support our local public schools. Since the school bond failed in March a smaller bond should be placed before the voters. Support for conducting a feasibility study to determine if creating a separate Marina School District is financially feasible.

" Support for the Marina Larger Library Project. The citizens of Marina deserve a larger library. Its proposed location at Lock-Paddon Park is a beautiful site that could become a major center of community activity. Marina's youth, seniors and families need a center for literacy and reading.