1. Name, occupation, number of years in the city.

2. How much do you plan to raise & spend?

3. How happy are you with Seaside's redevelopment efforts? What steps can the city take to push Broadway redevelopment? Does the city have a realistic vision for attracting businesses?

4. Is the city spending enough on public safety? Why are there still public safety vacancies?

5. How would you characterize relations between city employees & management? What, if anything, would you change about how the city is being managed?

6. How well is Seaside complying with public record requests from the press and other government entities? If elected, would you change how these requests are handled?

7. Why are you the best candidate for this position?

Felix Bachhofner

Corporate Image/Marketing consultant

7-year resident

2. Raised: $2,426

Spent: $1,579

3. Mixed use (commercial with residential above) buildings should be constructed. This will address tremendous local demand for apartments, increase pedestrian presence & create further demand for retail. Currently, there's no realistic vision. What's worse, there's no plan.

4. A vast majority of citizens say "not enough!" Their concerns must be addressed. Vacancies exist due to poor planning & an inadequate hiring system. If this is a citizen priority, why has the current administration let funded vacancies exist?

5. Weak. The Council must insist on setting policy rather than supporting a management-driven direction. The redevelopment agency & council must become two separate entities to reduce the politicization of the redevelopment process.

6. It now seems to meet the letter of law, but not spirit. One improvement would be to allow local faxing of smaller requests (i.e. under 10 pages). This would speed up process, eliminate city accounting costs & reduce copying costs.

7. I have the most experience leading meetings constructively, demonstrated better consensus-building skills & am an accomplished spokesperson. I have in-depth knowledge of planning, law. I will lead and represent.

Gert Foreman

Legal Assistant

30-year resident

2. Raised: $3,000

Spent: $4,000

3. Not very. The only thing we have to show is a redevelopment area merger. So far, all show & no go! The redevelopment agency needs a professional director not under control of city manager. Make it easier for small businesses to locate or relocate here.

4. No! The police chief's recommendations for budget are ignored. The Fire Department has no reserve for replacement of engines. Low starting pay & too much recruiting competition from other area cities leads to a "revolving door" situation.

5. Except for top management (city manager & department heads), the "grunts" live in a climate of fear & intimidation. They know they'll be "exiled" to less favorable jobs if they complain. Insist city manager change his management style.

6. Thanks to citizen outcries, Grand Jury report, newspaper requests & continual reminders by the city attorney that staff has to comply with Public Records Act, the situation has improved somewhat, but still has a long way to go.

7. The citizens are crying for a change in City Hall. The incumbent has lost their respect & has shown no leadership. I'm the only candidate with leadership & experience in city government & I will insist on open & democratic participation by the community.

Don Jordan

Mayor, retired Army major

22-year resident

2. Raised: $35,000

Spent: $50,000

3. Redevelopment has allowed our city to move out of near- bankruptcy, reinstate full work weeks, increase safety services, make neighborhood/area/city improvements. The city is engaged in recruiting businesses to finance additional improvements.

4. Seaside has the lowest crime rate in the county. Public safety is a priority interest in our city. Our city is actively engaged in generating revenues to attract, recruit, train & place additional officers & is establishing a cadet program to encourage additional recruits.

5. Whenever there are competing interests for limited funds, there will be some disagreement about how funds are allocated. In generating money to turn our city from near bankruptcy, there were reductions in positions & work hours, unfortunately affecting people & jobs.

6. Law defines what is available as a public record & how requests are to be made. The city follows those laws.

7. I care about our city & the many wonderful people here. We are a community of diversity. Our strength is caring for one another & about our community. I'm dedicated to our making a difference. We can be proud of the progress we are making together.

Jerry Smith

Community Resources Manager, Dept. of Corrections, Soledad Prison

53-year resident

2. Raised: $24,722

Spent: $15,436

3. Frankly, I'm not happy with our redevelopment plan. The citizens have not been allowed to participate. Again, we need to prioritize the project areas, as opposed to attempting to develop the entire city all at one time.

4. No, I do not feel the city has made public safety the number-one priority. We need to reassess each department, based on their performance goals & objectives & staffing.

5. Poor, obviously. When 4 out of 5 employee unions give management a no vote of confidence, you have a serious problem. I would develop an Employee Relations position to maintain open communication between management & subordinate staff.

6. Much better, but it took the threat of legal action to get the city to comply. Yes, I would insist on an open record policy that would be in total compliance with the California Public Records Act.

7. I have the most experience in developing positive relations with all levels of government. As a peace officer, I understand the role public safety plays. My accounting & banking experiences provides me with knowledge to comprehend budgetary processes.