Questionnaire by GSACC to Julian Castro for Mayor
Questionnaire by GSACC to Trish DeBerry-Mejia for Mayor
Questionnaire by GSACC to Sheila McNeil for Mayor
The Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce 2009 City Council and Mayoral Candidates
Questionnaire
Julian Castro
Mayor
1. Economic Development, Job Creation and Retention: How would you
encourage job creation and retention? Please describe the model/tools and/or
incentives you would support to boost economic development in San Antonio.
What are your thoughts on additional organized labor entering the San
Antonio region?
Top priority will be to create jobs and keep San Antonio competitive in
today’s global economy. I will work to attract and retain jobs by leveraging
San Antonio’s industry clusters in biosciences and healthcare, military,
information security, automotive manufacturing, and hospitality. I will also
focus the city’s efforts to invest in effective job training initiatives that
prepare San Antonians for jobs in growing industries. In addition, I will push
to establish stronger tax incentives and information resources for locally
owned small businesses.
As Mayor, I will also lead an effort to collaborate with school districts,
colleges and universities to set high achievement goals for academic
excellence. I will do this by supplementing their work through use of the
City’s library system, After School Challenge initiative, the Education
Partnership, and Head Start. San Antonio will aggressively pursue new
business and grow local jobs, and I am committed to keeping our city
business friendly.
2. Emergency Services: Do you believe that the City of San Antonio provides
adequate Police and Fire protection and other emergency services for its
citizens? Please explain. If additional personnel are required, what funds will
be used to pay for service enhancements?
My goal is to make San Antonio the nation’s safest big city by taking several
steps to reduce crime. First, I will work with the City Council and city
manager to add police officers and firefighters to meet the needs of our
growing city. Second, we will provide our first responders with the equipment
and resources they need to fight crime. Third, we will ensure that, no matter
where you live in San Antonio, if you or a family member dials 911 in an
emergency, our city’s first responders will respond promptly. Fourth, we will
invest in neighborhood policing initiatives, including Cellular on Patrol and the
SAFFE officer program, to forge strong relationships between our police
officers and our neighborhoods. Finally, we will invest in our police Crisis
Response Teams and in non-profits with a track record of reducing domestic
violence.
I am proud to be endorsed by the San Antonio Police Officers Association, the
San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association, and the Bexar County
Deputy Sheriffs Association, because they understand that I will make San
Antonio a safer place to live.
3. Education: What role should local government have on education and
workforce issues? How can the City be involved in student mentoring and
dropout prevention programs? If additional monetary resources are being
recommended, from where will they come?
A skilled, well-educated workforce is the most essential component to making
San Antonio competitive in today’s global economy. First, the City of San
Antonio will implement the recommendations of Mayor Hardberger’s P-16 Plus
Education Council, to collaborate with local school districts, colleges and
universities on higher student achievement and dropout reduction. Second,
as Mayor I will use our exisiting assets, particularly the library system, to
supplement the work of our school districts. Third, we will focus on early
childhood education to produce a generation of San Antonians who are
kinder-ready, more likely to graduate from high school, to complete a college
or university degree program, and to take on the jobs San Antonio seeks to
attract and retain. Finally, as Mayor I will lobby in Austin for the benefit of
Texas AM San Antonio and to make UTSA a flagship university.
4. Water: What do you think about the status of water with regard to the
current drought? What is your plan to improve the quantity and quality of
water for our City and region? How will your proposal(s) be funded?
A robust, reliable water portfolio is essential to San Antonio’s economic
vitality and the quality of life of its residents. I plan to pursue additional
investment to diverse water options that make sense on a cost per acre foot
basis, including aquifer storage, desalination, recycled water, and
conservation incentives. Securing our city’s water future will require utility
rate adjustments and a Mayor who remains actively engaged in policy making
on the SAWS board. I will do so.
5. Transportation: What transportation projects would you recommend and
support in order to alleviate our traffic congestion issues? How would your
proposed projects be funded? Please share your thoughts on the
recommendations of the San Antonio Bexar County Transportation Task
Force.
I firmly believe that a well-built transportation infrastructure and a superior
mass transit system are fundamental to enhancing San Antonio’s quality of
life and keeping our city competitive in today’s global economy. Traffic
congestion is one of the biggest problems facing our city. As Mayor, I will
strategically address San Antonio’s transportation needs. This means:
improving major thoroughfares; alleviating traffic congestion along the
Highway 281/Loop 1604, IH-10 and Highway 151 corridors; investing in mass
transit; fixing neighborhood streets; building neighborhood sidewalks;
creating a citywide network of bicycle lanes; and synchronizing our city’s
traffic lights
6. Energy: Do you believe our municipally owned electric utility has done a
good job in diversifying our energy mix, including coal, natural gas, nuclear
power, wind and solar? Please share your thoughts on the importance of
each of these sources.
Maintaining a strong, diversified energy portfolio will enhance San Antonio’s
global competitiveness. CPS Energy has done an outstanding job of providing
low-cost energy to ratepayers and serving as an effective economic
development partner by offering competitive utility rates to existing local
employers and to prospective investor companies. Securing San Antonio’s
energy future will require significant investment in additional energy
resources and in energy conservation and renewable energy. I have visited,
along with CPS Energy officials, the South Texas Nuclear Project. All options,
including additional investment in the STNP, must be kept on the table as we
seek to meet our growing city’s energy needs and enhance its
competitiveness in the global economy. I look forward to being actively
engaged on the CPS Energy board of directors as it diversifies and
strengthens the utility’s energy portfolio.
7. City Budget and Finance: What are your top five budget priorities for FY
2009-2010? What is your position on increasing revenue streams for the
City to address basic city services, such as streets, drainage and other
infrastructure improvements?
Given San Antonio’s current economic circumstances, balancing the fiscal
year 2010 budget will require spending restraint and prioritization of core
functions. If elected, my top five priorities will be 1) investing in emergency
services; 2) enhancing and maintaining local infrastructure; 3) solid waste
collection; 4) maintaining parks and recreation; and 5) attracting, retaining
and growing jobs through tax incentives and workforce investment. My first
priority as Mayor will be to work with City Manager Sheryl Sculley and the
City Council to ensure that the basics of City government are well taken care
of and, at the same time, that we create economic opportunity for San
Antonio in the face of the national recession. An increase in the property tax
rate will not be necessary. However, a hiring freeze will be implemented in
non-emergency services departments to cut costs and ensure to two-year
balanced budget.