League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Butte County, CA November 6, 2012 Election
	Sean Morgan Answers Questions Candidate for Member City Council; City of Chico

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

Questions & Answers

1. In July 2012 the State Budget Act (SA 1464) suspended some sections of the 1953 Brown Act. To assure transparency in local city government, do you support a resolution reaffirming adherence to the "Brown Act" as it was prior to these suspensions?

I support the Brown Act. A resolution "reaffirming" adherence? Would that be like a resolution "reaffirming" the speed limit? If so I think we probably have more important matters to (publicly) discuss.

2. How can we maintain the essential safety employees (both police & fire), meet their negotiated retirement/health benefits, and protect our city from bankruptcy? What is your solution to this problem which faces so many California cities?

We owe it to our employees to honor their current contracts if at all possible. The way to fix the completely out of whack budget picture is to raise revenue by becoming a business friendly city. Keep taxes low to encourage investment, and remove burdensome and murky regulation and permitting processes. Business growth will drive revenue up while we hold spending in check. Additionally we need to stop wasting time on feel good initiatives that create an economic drain on limited resources. Police and Fire protection help create a safe environment. These services should be #1 on the priority list of what our city spends money on.

3. What is your position on maintaining the green belt around Chico?

Chico is an agricultural community and many of the businesses and jobs here are created as a direct result of agricultural. It would be a mistake to get rid of the green line and rob Chico of it heritage. That said, there may be areas where the green line no longer makes sense and land could be put to other uses.

4. What is your position on in-fill building within the city limits of Chico?

It's better than blight.

5. Butte County has become a haven for the arts and music. How can, and should, the City Council help promote this asset?

Arts and music are part of the Chico experience. Unfortunately, if we don't have fully funded police and fire services we won't be able to enjoy much of anything. It's easy to distribute generosity, its much harder to be strategic in the long term. Essential city services need to be fully funded (and sustainable). This is clearly not the case in Chico and must be addressed before we move on to other priorities.

6. . With the demise of redevelopment funding, how can the City address future development needs, especially in blighted areas of the community?

It depends on your definition of "blight". RDA funds were distributed in some questionable ways. If private industry wants to redevelop "blighted" areas the city should make it easy for them to do so. The city needs to be careful defining what kind of housing goes where as that is a step toward social engineering.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. 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 30, 2012 21:57
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