League of Women Voters of Ohio
Hamilton County, OH November 7, 2006 Election
	David Pepper Answers Questions Candidate for County Commissioner; County of Hamilton

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. What are your Qualifications for Office? (50 word limit)

I served four years on Cincinnati City Council, chairing the Neighborhoods Committee and Law/Public Safety Committee. I have served in numerous professional capacities prior to running for public office: clerking for Federal Court of Appeals Judge Nathaniel Jones, conducting my law practice, and doing economic development in St. Petersburg, Russia.

2. What plans do you have to address your top three priorities? (100 word limit)

4. My comprehensive safety plan proposes ways to put more patrols and police officers on the streets THROUGHOUT the County--not just in Over the Rhine. It proposes steps to get repeat offenders off the street, while building a new jail. And it proposes ways to prevent crime through treatment and ending youth violence--as opposed to only reacting once crime has occurred.

My Clean Government Commitment proposes 10 steps to clean up broken County government. We will end closed door meetings, end no-bid contracts, end political games and bickering, and make sure all personnel in the Administration are hired through open, competitive processes.

My Quality of Life agenda will set up ways to ensure that County government is closely attuned to the quality of life priorities of each jurisdiction of the County. This way citizens will be listened to as much as developers and political supporters.

3. What funding source do you recommend to pay for additional county correctional facilities, and why do you favor that particular source? (150 word limit)

Citizens will have their say on whether a new sales tax will pay for the jail's construction. I will identify waste under the current regime, and look to reduce the costs of the new facility, using both steps to shorten the length of the tax as much as possible.

Rather than bickering with other governments, County should build more cooperative relationships with State, federal and the City government. Representatives of each have offered to put dollars toward solving the jail problem, and I will engage in constructive dialogues to make these offers a reality. Again, this will reduce the tax.

Finally, the current jail plan does not allocate any dollars to operate the jail--an oversight that could put taxpayers on the hook for up to $8 million per year. Should the "Earn and Learn" initiative pass this November, I will allocate the new tax receipts toward jail operations.

4. How can the County and City of Cincinnati law enforcement work collaboratively? (150 word limit)

Safety is a regional issue, and must be addressed in regional ways. As we've seen for too long in this region, bickering among jurisdictions will get us nowhere.

For this reason, in my Comprehensive Safety Plan, I propose a Regional Coordinating Council on Safety--made up of the County Commissioners, Sheriff, Prosecutor, judges, Coroner, and law enforcement and elected officials from local governments. Together, we can address and solve issues such as corrections, youth violence, enforcement, shared technology, efficiency, very high recidivism, and prevention--far better than we can with each entity going it alone.

5. Property quality is becoming a concern in Hamilton County's older suburbs. How can the County help these communities maintain and revitalize an aging housing stock? (150 word limit)

First is enforcement. We must ensure the Housing Court is fully able to hold accountable those property owners who do not follow our quality of life laws.

Second, I propose an approach where we do with old properties what we do with new homes (Homearama). That is, take a particular area of a neighborhood where there are numerous troubled properties, and bring a concentrated effort--comprising a partnership of private and public entities--to rehabilitate that cluster of old properties at once.

Another aspect of this problem is the high rate of foreclosure we are seeing throughout Cincinnati and the "First Suburbs." Large-scale foreclosures can tear the heart out of a community--reducing homeownership, displacing long-time residents, and leaving blighted buildings in their wake. I will work with the jurisdictions involved, other non-profits, and the banks, to be sure we are doing all we can to reduce foreclosures.

6. What role can the County play in ensuring a wide variety of quality housing options affordable to Hamilton County residents of all income levels? (150 word limit)

Today, the most important thing we can do for quality housing is to make that housing safe. Too many people in rental housing these days--and too many neighbors of rental properties--are faced with unsafe properties, and the crime that accompanies them. I will work hard with all jurisdictions to ensure that those who manage housing in our community--particularly large scale rental and public housing--are following the law, and doing all they should be doing to make sure these properties are run in a way that is safe for both residents and neighboring property owners. This includes proper tenant screening, enforcing rules diligently, evicting those who can not abide by those rules, and adequate property maintenance.

7. What should the residents of Hamilton County expect from a County Commissioner? (150 word limit)

They should expect someone who will represent them. And good representation comes from open and accessible government; government that listens to citizens and not simply political supporters; government that pays attention to all communities, not just a few; and government that is less about politics and partisanship and more about representing citizens' concerns and solving community problems.

Next, they should expect competence and effectiveness from their leaders in getting things done. Rather than delays, bickering and extra costs, we should be delivering projects and priorities on time, at or below budget.

Finally, they should expect an interest in ALL that County government does. County government is not just about a jail and riverfront development. It also oversees foster care, adoption, the safety of abused children and seniors, health care, job development and others. County Commissioners should pay attention to these important issues ALL the time--not just after crises.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. Word limits apply for each question. Direct references to opponents are not permitted.

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 3, 2006 08:07
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