3 Priorities
After talking to voters over the last two month, I have identified three priorities for District 1 voters.
Housing is a top priority. We need to look at expanding the availability of affordable housing in Concord short term. Housing is a regional problem. As the largest city in the county, Concord has the responsibility to be the leader in organizing the cities to develop a regional plan that includes true affordable housing. This is something that the city needs, not just District 1. If other council members disagree, that is how democracy works. It would be my job to make my argument, see where the disagreement lies, and come to a solution we can agree to. We need to address affordable housing, homelessness, and market rate housing in a comprehensive plan. Renters in Concord need protection, including Just Cause Evictions, so they don’t end up homeless because their rent has gone up too much, or they are evicted for filing a complaint.
A second concern that voters in District 1 have identified is public safety. I would support, not just putting more officers on the street, but expanding community policing. Officers have an opportunity to get to know the residents they are protecting. We can extend the use of Neighborhood Watch. When my children were young, if I wanted to change their behavior, I would work to eliminate the negative behavior, and on the flip side, I would help them to learn new ways to get their needs met. We can again also provide leadership in lobbying the county to address the need for drug treatment and rehabilitation services available for perpetrators. This provides better protection for the community.
The third issue that voters are talking about is traffic. Adding to the traffic causes voters concern with the CNWS Re-Use project. They are concerned about how the Re-Use project is going to impact traffic. The recent annual pothole report by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission identified that the pavement condition in 2017 was fair. So not terrible. But we continue to have congestion. But, we can do better. I would support asking the voters at the next opportunity if they were willing to increase sales tax another half percent to cover more road work. I also see traffic as a regional issue. Concord should be taking the lead in contributing to a regional plan for addressing our traffic concerns. We also need to use more creative solutions to traffic problems. For example, instead of adding a new stop light when drivers cannot get from a side street onto a main street, we should consider using roundabouts.
Housing is a top priority. We need to look at expanding the availability of affordable housing in Concord short term. Housing is a regional problem. As the largest city in the county, Concord has the responsibility to be the leader in organizing the cities to develop a regional plan that includes true affordable housing. This is something that the city needs, not just District 1. If other council members disagree, that is how democracy works. It would be my job to make my argument, see where the disagreement lies, and come to a solution we can agree to. We need to address affordable housing, homelessness, and market rate housing in a comprehensive plan. Renters in Concord need protection, including Just Cause Evictions, so they don’t end up homeless because their rent has gone up too much, or they are evicted for filing a complaint.
A second concern that voters in District 1 have identified is public safety. I would support, not just putting more officers on the street, but expanding community policing. Officers have an opportunity to get to know the residents they are protecting. We can extend the use of Neighborhood Watch. When my children were young, if I wanted to change their behavior, I would work to eliminate the negative behavior, and on the flip side, I would help them to learn new ways to get their needs met. We can again also provide leadership in lobbying the county to address the need for drug treatment and rehabilitation services available for perpetrators. This provides better protection for the community.
The third issue that voters are talking about is traffic. Adding to the traffic causes voters concern with the CNWS Re-Use project. They are concerned about how the Re-Use project is going to impact traffic. The recent annual pothole report by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission identified that the pavement condition in 2017 was fair. So not terrible. But we continue to have congestion. But, we can do better. I would support asking the voters at the next opportunity if they were willing to increase sales tax another half percent to cover more road work. I also see traffic as a regional issue. Concord should be taking the lead in contributing to a regional plan for addressing our traffic concerns. We also need to use more creative solutions to traffic problems. For example, instead of adding a new stop light when drivers cannot get from a side street onto a main street, we should consider using roundabouts.