March 29, 2009

What would you ask the mayoral candidates?

We're 10 days out from the April 7 mayor primary and the mayoral forums are coming fast and furious. YPR has one scheduled for tomorrow night at City Hall. (It'll be interesting to see if Bob Turner participates.)

RacinePost and WRJN are hosting the only radio forum of the campaign season on Tuesday night, and we need your help. What do you want to know from the candidates? What questions would you ask? Post them in the comments and we'll consider them for the forum.

Like all of the forums so far, the numbers issue is going to make it difficult to dig into where candidates really stand on what they'd do as mayor. But we'll give it our best shot, with an toward the month leading up to the May 5 general election as the time to really get a sense of what the remaining two candidates have to offer.

With that in mind, what do you want to know from the candidates?

14 comments:

  1. I want to know which of them support KRM. I've been told that the only one who does NOT is Jody Harding. I'd also like to know which of them would plan to institute green technologies such as solar, wind, and geothermal.

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  2. Turner SHOULDN'T particiapte, and now he has a reason......

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  3. A few things:

    Why now? The last election was unopposed.

    What industries do they believe will be the primary drivers of jobs in Racine in the future? How can the mayor help position Racine today in order to take advantage of the opportunities of tomorrow?

    Name some ways the mayor can have an impact on education improvement in Racine, given the power currently held by the Racine Unified School District.

    As mayor, what is the biggest risk to their ability to bring change to Racine and what can be done to mitigate that risk?

    What is one authority the candidates wish the mayor position had that it currently does not (if any)?

    What role does the arts play into the viability and attractiveness of the city? Has the city focused too much on those efforts? Not enough?

    In addition to Jacato Drive which has been highly reported recently, where are the other hot spots of activity that require attention and better solutions?

    Do the candidates have a vision for how to make the lake-front more of an asset for Racine? Development, parks, etc?

    If KRM is implemented, what are the plans to get arriving passengers to their work (or other) destinations?

    Name one thing you wish people knew about you that they may not.

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  4. Your friend!3/30/2009 1:41 AM

    I noted during this campaign very little have been mentioned about our senior citizens. As mayor would you provide the community center near the zoo to seniors at no cost for exclusive use by senior citizen's?

    Would you promised the residents of the North Side near the King Center and the residents of the Southside near Southside Center that you would never attempt to close those two centers. Would form a advisory group of residents to advise you of how to improve the community

    How would you improve the relationship between the Hispanic and African-American community and City Hall. Would you be willing to meet with both communities periodically so that they can keep you informed of their issues and concerns.

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  5. If you have had a government job all your life how will you create jobs?

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  6. Your thought on the pay to play scandle in Madison

    Who is John Galt

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  7. Are you a landlord?

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  8. (1) If you are not elected, which other candidate would you prefer to see in the Mayoral seat and why?

    (2) If you can accomplish only three things in your tenure as Mayor, what would you like those three things to be?

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  9. What do you see is Racine's greatest asset?

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  10. This may sound counterintuitive -- but at a time when there is great and growing concern about high spending and taxes, would it not be a good idea for Racine to dramatically cut unnecessary spending and offer seriously low-tax-rate or even zero-tax-rate incentives for start-up businesses and businesses moving in from elsewhere? When the mob is running in the opposite direction, not turn Racine into a high-growth laboratory -- with the understanding that after a grace period there would be more tax revenue available as a result? Why not buck the trend, and play smart against the competition?

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  11. 1. I would ask Jody Harding-what positions she would cut besides the city administrator? And can she say anything positive about Racine?

    2. I would ask Kim Plache-if Racine is sucha great place to live and raise a family, why did she buy a house in Mt. Pleasant? Where is your committment to Racine?

    3. I would ask Pete Karas-how much will this muni power plant cost? Where will it go? And will it be coal or nuclear?

    4. I would ask QA Shakoor-why havent you been to the neighborhood watch meetings held next to your home?

    5. I would ask John Dickert-how have you assisted those clients of yours who purchased a river bend loft but now face losing everything?

    6. I would ask Bob Turner-how do we know you will work hard for us when you have been absent from many forums or ask to speak first so you can get back to Madison?

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  12. 1. I would ask Jody Harding what specific regulations does she think the City has imposed that is hurting business.

    2. I would ask Jamie Charon and Jody Harding if they have any actual understanding of how a municipal government works.

    3. I would ask those who think they can address City spending by cutting the Mayor's $16,000 travel budget: a) what is the relative effect of that amount of money on the City's $80 milliion dollar annual budget?; b) how they would replace the many tens of thousands of dollars that the City has received from a variety of sources arising from the contacts the Mayor has made while using that travel budget?

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  13. The City of Racine is in a population decline over the years, while communities surrounding Racine are increasing: Kenosha, Oak Creek, Franklin, etc. What can be done to retain families in Racine while attracting more 30-45 year-old employed people to live here? Hint: Think better education and safety.

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  14. I would like to ask Jaimie Charon how his college, professional and family experience fits in with his potential role as mayor?

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