League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area Education Fund
	Hamilton County, OH November 8, 2011 Election
	Candidates Answer Questions on the Issues Council Member; City of Montgomery

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area and asked of all candidates for this office.     See below for questions on Qualifications, Basic Services, Budget, Clean Air Click on a name for candidate information.   See also more information about this contest. 1. What are your qualifications for office? Answer from Craig D Margolis: As an incumbent on City Council for over one year I am an ideal candidate for this position. I volunteered on the City Planning Commission for seven years, serving as Chair for two of these years. I have also volunteered for key city committees such as the committee designated to select a developer for the now successful Triangle Project. Answer from Todd A. Steinbrink: Having spent the last 7+ years on Council, I'm fully immersed in all aspects of the city's operations. Over the years I have served as Chairman of the Financial Planning and Planning, Zoning and Landmarks committees of council providing a deep background in the "business" of the city. As a tenured member of the Leadership team, I have a strong working relationship with the city's Senior Staff. 2. What services do you believe should be considered basic and essential for the City? Answer from Todd A. Steinbrink: I believe our citizens have come to expect a very high level of service, as we have a long history of providing both basic (police and fire) and many special services (parks and community engagement). Maintaining the assets of the city, it's parks and infrastructure, should remain a priority. The city should continue to offer the highest quality services, by a staff dedicated to being stewards of the public trust, within its fiscal means. Answer from Craig D Margolis: Basic and essential services for the City include safety, fire services, police services, and maintenance and improvements of the city infrastructure. And most importantly are the employees that coordinate and deliver our services. 3. How would you balance the City Budget? Answer from Craig D Margolis: I would review all spending to identify potential savings. I would review staffing levels to make sure that they are in line with the City's needs. Answer from Todd A. Steinbrink: Montgomery is unique in it's financial position. Thanks to careful long term budgeting and thoughtful management of resources by staff, our city has revenue and expense targets enabling it to operate with minimal impact on our substantial reserves. Continuing to actively monitor the city's revenues, changes in state funding, and wisely programming our operating and capital expenditures over time, will be critical to maintaining our fiscal balance going forward. 4. What actions will you take to support clean air? Answer from Craig D Margolis: As a participant on the Planning Commission I was conscious to encourage and promote the connectivity between City neighborhoods, thus reducing the dependence on cars to make short errands. (For example, the creation of sidewalks leading to downtown Montgomery and the business district). I will continue to focus on these types of clean-air initiatives. I will encourage residents to be mindful of air quality precautions, such as grass mowing later in the evening, during the warm weather months, and walking or biking to City events i.e.: Farmers Market, Harvest Moon etc. Answer from Todd A. Steinbrink: I will continue to support our Environmental Advisory Commission, a volunteer based commission created several years ago to help explore environmentally sustainable practices, suggest alternatives and promote changes in our community's behavior to positively impact the environment. Many of their suggestions have been implemented including expanded recycling, numerous outreach efforts, along with joint efforts with schools and other municipalities. Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. Word limits may apply. See individual questions for specific word limits. Direct references to opponents are not permitted. Please edit your work before submitting. We are unable to provide spell-check at this time. The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.