League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Alameda County, CA February 4, 2014 Election
	Candidates Answer Questions on the Issues Council Member; City of Piedmont

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of Piedmont and asked of all candidates for this office.     See below for questions on Measure A, Risk Management, Housing, Transportation, Safety Click on a name for candidate information.   See also more information about this contest. 1. Do you support Measure A on the February ballot to refinance the pension side fund? Answer from Theadora G "Teddy" (Gray) King: Yes I do. Measure A is sound fiscal policy and has strong support throughout Piedmont. I am proud to have endorsed Measure A on the ballot. Answer from Jeff Wieler: Yes, I want to save hundreds of thousands of dollars by refinancing at a lower rate Answer from Tim Rood: I strongly support Measure A on the February 4, 2014 ballot. This measure is necessary to achieve one of the Budget Advisory & Financial Planning Committee's key money-saving recommendations. This measure would give the City Council the authority to refinance approximately $8,000,000 in existing employee pension obligations (technically, the "side fund" owed to CalPERS and currently accruing 7.5% interest). This refinance is currently projected to save the City between $600,000 and $700,000 over the 9-year period. If voters approve the measure, the City completes the refinance, and the Council negotiates a correspondingly lower cap on City pension contributions in its new labor contracts, both the City and staff will benefit: the City benefits by reducing the rate of growth of its pension expenditures, and staff benefits by freezing a currently uncontrollable out-of-pocket cost that is otherwise likely to rise significantly. The measure will satisfy the requirements of Piedmont's Charter with a simple majority vote; however, if it passes by more than 50% but less than 2/3, a court validation process will be required, which would introduce additional costs, a 4-6 month delay, and interest rate risk. I urge Piedmonters to support this measure and am hoping for greater than 2/3 approval. Additional detail is provided in the 2013 BAFPC report, beginning on page 16, and I'd be happy to discuss my position on the measure with those interested. 2. Do you agree/disagree that the City needs a stronger risk management policy to ensure fiscal accountability? Answer from Jeff Wieler: A few weeks ago, the City Council passed a strong risk management policy that was praised by League of Women Voters leadership. As a council member, I am proud that we have addressed this complex and controversial topic with a policy that is comprehensive and workable. Answer from Tim Rood: Yes. I spoke in favor of the risk management policies developed by the League-appointed Task Force on Open Governance at Council meetings in April 2013 and again on January 6, 2014, at which a risk management policy for major projects was adopted. However, the adopted policy does not provide for monthly reporting on major projects to the City Council and the public - only to the City Administrator. I will work with the incoming City Administrator and other Council members to strengthen the reporting requirements. Answer from Theadora G "Teddy" (Gray) King: I am pleased that the Piedmont City Council adopted the Risk Management Policy and Procedures for Major Capital Improvement Projects proposal at the January 6, 2014 meeting. This proposal, which reflects a great deal of dedication by Piedmont Community members -- including the League of Women Voters, Piedmont chapter -- will certainly help the city avoid costly and poorly planned infrastructure projects in the future. 3. What do you think Piedmont’s relationship should be to the region in regard to housing policies, transportation, and public safety? Answer from Tim Rood: Like any other city in the Bay Area, Piedmont needs to fully engage and cooperate with state, regional and county agencies in these and other realms. State law requires us to plan for our fair share of the region's housing growth, including affordable housing. Our transportation dollars come through regional and county agencies, for which my urban planning firm has frequently done professional work. And our public safety issues obviously require coordination and cooperation with Oakland, our only adjacent neighbor city. Answer from Jeff Wieler: We need to work with the region to promote improved public safety, and I am glad that our new chief of police is doing so. Concerning housing policy, Piedmont is being punished by the state with ridiculously high quotas. We are totally built out, and have no space for new housing. Concerning transportation policy: we need to push to be on more AC transit routes. Aside from commuter routes, we have very little bus service. Answer from Theadora G "Teddy" (Gray) King: I strongly support enhanced cooperation between the City of Piedmont and other municipalities within our region. Piedmont is a small town, but we exist in a broad, urban, and complex environment. It is imperative that we continue to engage in strong cooperation with other law enforcement agencies in Alameda County. To that end, I strongly support Chief Goede's efforts work closely with other Chiefs of Police within Alameda County, utilize state-of-the-art technology to deter crime and maintain adequate staffing levels. In addition, as former Chair of the Piedmont Environmental Task Force, I understand that Piedmont, as a member of the Association of Bay Area Governments, is required to create a certain number of housing units to conform with long-range regional planning goals. For a number of reasons, I believe it is Piedmont's interest to work cooperatively with these regional planning organizations, and by doing so we have access to state funding sources. However, as the city of Piedmont considers housing proposals, the Planning Commission and Council must do so in a way that 1) includes ample community input and 2) safeguards the unique character of our town. Finally, Piedmont has exceptional transit and transportation options. We are particularly well served by AC Transit, BART, casual carpool, and increasingly, pedestrian and bike amenities. This is the result of regional transportation planning, and I strongly support our continued participation in these agencies. Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. Direct references to opponents are not permitted. The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.