What questions should we ask the candidates for the Sebastopol City Council?

The election for the Sebastopol City Council is coming up and there are 6 candidates:

• Sarah Gurney, Attorney and Incumbent Mayor
• Ron Basso, founder of a furniture store
• Colleen Fernald, an artist and sustainability consultant
• Mike Kyes, an energy consultant
• Maureen Shea, part owner of a hot-tub chain
• Patrick Slayter, an architect

I'm going to send them a questionnaire and publish their answers here as well as a follow up video interview.

Here's the questions I've come up with so far. Got any suggestions for what to add?

1. Please tell us a little about your background and why you want to run for the Sebastopol City Council.
2. When and why did you move to Sonoma County?
3. What experience and values do you bring to the table?
4. What important decisions of the Sebastopol City Council from the last 4 years, including the Northeast Plan, do you particularly agree or disagree with?
5. What do you see as the most pressing problems in Sebastopol, and what would you do about them?
6. What do you hope to accomplish during your term on the council?
7. What will you do to preserve, protect and enhance the environment?
8. Do you think it is appropriate for the city to take official stands on national issues, and if so, what stands would you like to see taken?
9. Do you support CA Proposition 19 to legalize marijuana? And if it passes, what taxes or regulations would you want to see applied?
10. Are there any other propositions you feel strongly about?
11. How have you have been involved in the Sebastopol community?

OK folks, any comments about these questions or got any suggestions of ones to add?

>>>OK folks, any comments about these questions or got any suggestions of ones to add?

Do you feel you have any inadequacies as a potential Council member? How would you address them?

-Conrad

My brother, (The Moose) has been the selectman for our town for the past 30 years. He's too busy to trifle with this right now because of the busy season on the farm. So I will answer this for him.
Specific local issues should be brought forward. For example, the town has been considering paving a road that has been dirt for a couple hundred years. What is your stance on this, and how would you raise the funds? We raised the funds through a small bond measure which was successful. It was put to vote of course and most, but not all of the towns people were satisfied with the results.

I don't see any specific local issues on your list besides the Northeast Plan, which already seems in the works. You've asked what local issues the person sees as important. But you are not asking specific questions about problems that you see as important.

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Posted in reply to the post by Barry:

The election for the Sebastopol City Council is coming up and there are 6 candidates:

• Sarah Gurney, Attorney and Incumbent Mayor
• Ron Basso, founder of a furniture store
• Colleen Fernald, an artist and sustainability consultant
• Mike Kyes, an energy consultant
• Maureen Shea, part owner of a hot-tub chain
• Patrick Slayter, an architect

I'm going to send them a questionnaire and publish their answers here as well as a follow up video interview.

Here's the questions I've come up with so far. Got any suggestions for what to add?

2. Please tell us a little about your background and why you want to run for the Sebastopol City Council.
3. When and why did you move to Sonoma County?
4. What experience and values do you bring to the table?
5. What important decisions of the Sebastopol City Council from the last 4 years, including the Northeast Plan, do you particularly agree or disagree with?
6. What do you see as the most pressing problems in Sebastopol, and what would you do about them?
7. What do you hope to accomplish during your term on the council?
8. What will you do to preserve, protect and enhance the environment?
9. Do you think it is appropriate for the city to take official stands on national issues, and if so, what stands would you like to see taken?
10. Do you support CA Proposition 19 to legalize marijuana? And if it passes, what taxes or regulations would you want to see applied?
11. Are there any other propositions you feel strongly about?
12. How have you have been involved in the Sebastopol community?

OK folks, any comments about these questions or got any suggestions of ones to add?

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Posted in reply to the post by wang:

I don't see any specific local issues on your list besides the Northeast Plan, which already seems in the works. You've asked what local issues the person sees as important. But you are not asking specific questions about problems that you see as important.

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Fair enough.

My fellow Sebastopudlians, what issues do you think are important??

(I hope to query Santa Rosans, and their city council candidates similarly.)

Are you now, or have you ever been made aware of, the number the innocent, law-abiding citizens that have had their state and federal civil rights violated (under "color of law") by the Sebastopol Police Department, with Chief of Police, Jeffrey Weaver at the helm?

There are issues that are county wide like the proposed Dutra plant in Petaluma that the City Council of Sebastopol opposed in support of the unanimous vote to oppose by the City Council of Petaluma. Where do you stand on this issue as well as the Best Family Winery and Preservation Ranch?
Recently the Council passed ordinances concerning smoking in apartments and drinking in homes by minors. Do you believe that these were a violation of our rights to privacy and citizens ability to make sound decisions to protect health and safety without being mandated by law?

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Posted in reply to the post by Barry:

The election for the Sebastopol City Council is coming up and there are 6 candidates:

• Sarah Gurney, Attorney and Incumbent Mayor
• Ron Basso, founder of a furniture store
• Colleen Fernald, an artist and sustainability consultant
• Mike Kyes, an energy consultant
• Maureen Shea, part owner of a hot-tub chain
• Patrick Slayter, an architect

I'm going to send them a questionnaire and publish their answers here as well as a follow up video interview.

Here's the questions I've come up with so far. Got any suggestions for what to add?

1. Please tell us a little about your background and why you want to run for the Sebastopol City Council.
2. When and why did you move to Sonoma County?
3. What experience and values do you bring to the table?
4. What important decisions of the Sebastopol City Council from the last 4 years, including the Northeast Plan, do you particularly agree or disagree with?
5. What do you see as the most pressing problems in Sebastopol, and what would you do about them?
6. What do you hope to accomplish during your term on the council?
7. What will you do to preserve, protect and enhance the environment?
8. Do you think it is appropriate for the city to take official stands on national issues, and if so, what stands would you like to see taken?
9. Do you support CA Proposition 19 to legalize marijuana? And if it passes, what taxes or regulations would you want to see applied?
10. Are there any other propositions you feel strongly about?
11. How have you have been involved in the Sebastopol community?

OK folks, any comments about these questions or got any suggestions of ones to add?

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Another question:
What criteria will you use to reduce budget items if cuts are required in the future?

Thanks for your helpful and thoughtful actions.
Gale

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Posted in reply to the post by Barry:

The election for the Sebastopol City Council is coming up and there are 6 candidates:

• Sarah Gurney, Attorney and Incumbent Mayor
• Ron Basso, founder of a furniture store
• Colleen Fernald, an artist and sustainability consultant
• Mike Kyes, an energy consultant
• Maureen Shea, part owner of a hot-tub chain
• Patrick Slayter, an architect

I'm going to send them a questionnaire and publish their answers here as well as a follow up video interview.

Here's the questions I've come up with so far. Got any suggestions for what to add?

1. Please tell us a little about your background and why you want to run for the Sebastopol City Council.
2. When and why did you move to Sonoma County?
3. What experience and values do you bring to the table?
4. What important decisions of the Sebastopol City Council from the last 4 years, including the Northeast Plan, do you particularly agree or disagree with?
5. What do you see as the most pressing problems in Sebastopol, and what would you do about them?
6. What do you hope to accomplish during your term on the council?
7. What will you do to preserve, protect and enhance the environment?
8. Do you think it is appropriate for the city to take official stands on national issues, and if so, what stands would you like to see taken?
9. Do you support CA Proposition 19 to legalize marijuana? And if it passes, what taxes or regulations would you want to see applied?
10. Are there any other propositions you feel strongly about?
11. How have you have been involved in the Sebastopol community?

OK folks, any comments about these questions or got any suggestions of ones to add?

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Additional questions

Where do you stand on

Prop 23, the initiatve sponsored by oil companies that would suspend climate legislation in California.

Prop 21, which would fund State parks through a fee on auto registration.

Are Prop 21 AND Measure W BOTH taxes on vehicle registration? Uh oh......

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Posted in reply to the post by Richard Nichols:

Additional questions

Where do you stand on

Prop 23, the initiatve sponsored by oil companies that would suspend climate legislation in California.

Prop 21, which would fund State parks through a fee on auto registration.

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