Questions for the Candidate Forum

The Candidate Forum takes place Tuesday night at 6:30 in Lake 2 clubhouse. Last week we provided a link to the Candidate statements and also a summary about each of the candidates. The Forum moderator, Jim Richert, is going to allow time for audience questions and he may ask some of his own. Here’s your opportunity to suggest some questions you’d like to see answered. Thanks to Sonny Morper today we’re going to look at some suggested questions for the candidates.

1. A city council member has been accused of using the peoples’ money to finance their spouse’s food and limousine costs when the member travels on City business. Another council member has been accused of falsely claiming to be mayor and also violating the campaign sign laws. Are Council members “above the law”? Have you personally looked into these complaints? If true, what should be done about it?

2. The previous council required the school district to enter into a contract with home builders before building permits would be authorized in the opportunity study area. Each of the contracts stipulated no schools to be built, instead more homes to be built on land that could have been reserved for schools. Have you received campaign funds from those same builders? What are your thoughts on that sweet deal between the builders and the school district the city council allowed to be made?
3. With no schools allowed to be built to house the children who will live in the almost 5,000 new homes in the opportunity study area, parents will be required to transport their children to schools many miles each day, thereby adding to our traffic congestion at least twice a day. What is your impression of this type of decision that will exacerbate our already burdened streets? What would you recommend to head off this problem?

4. Many citizens want a traffic commission to help resolve existing traffic issues, to head off further encroaching on our impacted major streets, and also to get the traffic lights synchronized once and for all. Do you favor a traffic commission, why or why not?

5. What positive decisions has the planning commission made this past year? What should the planning commission be doing or not doing in the future?

6. The City Council pays the city manager a salary and benefits some citizens believe is excessive considering we contract out for much of the infrastructure projects we have. Would you support reducing, or freezing the city manager’s salary? Do you think he deserved a bonus the last 2 years?

7. Should the City of Lake Forest have its own unified school district along city boundaries?

8. Please indicate the priority for getting things done you believe should be on the new council’s agenda. What are your top 5 priorities?

9. If elected, would you run again? Four years from now, what would you like to believe would have been accomplished for the citizens of Lake Forest because of your leadership?

10. Which of your fellow candidates will you be voting for? Why? Which of your fellow candidates will you not be voting for, why not?

What would you like to see asked? You can put your comments here, or you can e-mail them to me at DrJGardner@gmail.com

About Jim Gardner

Dr. Jim Gardner is running for City Council in Lake Forest. You can check him out on LinkedIn and/or Facebook.