Candidate for
Member, City Council; City of Salinas; District 4

I believe that in general government has gone off track in its focus. I include the city of Salinas in this feeling. The purpose of the city is to provide services to the general public, and as such the top priority should be given to the desires and needs of the residents, and taxpayers. Since the main problems in Salinas seem to be the same as they were for the last 20 years, I question whether the decisions being made by the administrators and city council have truly felt that way. To me it seems as though the focus has been to "feed the bureaucratic infrastructure" rather than provide necessary services to the public. Our parks have been neglected, our roads are in poor condition, our sewer system is antiquated, etc., but our employees are the best paid around. I believe that the city council and administration needs to become more "customer friendly". There is no one who believes that the permitting process in Salinas is fair or efficient. City Hall should not be closed on Fridays, if furloughs are necessary there should be a way to cover positions so that it could be open every day. The solution to the many problems in Salinas will come with Leadership, desire, and good decision making.