{"id":72,"date":"2011-02-21T23:01:34","date_gmt":"2011-02-21T23:01:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/svenforcitycommission.com\/?p=72"},"modified":"2011-02-21T23:01:34","modified_gmt":"2011-02-21T23:01:34","slug":"6-news-lawrence-candidate-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wysocki.co.uk\/wordpress\/svenforcitycommission2\/2011\/02\/21\/6-news-lawrence-candidate-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"6 News Lawrence: Candidate Questions"},"content":{"rendered":"

February 18, 2011<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

What do you hope to accomplish if elected into office?<\/em><\/strong> <\/em><\/p>\n

I hope to make a difference in the way we listen to each neighborhood while working toward better employment opportunities, better housing and better shopping, while controlling the City budget.<\/em> <\/em> My emphasis will be on restoring the Downtown as a full-service retail and restaurant district.<\/em> <\/em> I am opposed to new sales tax districts or TIF <\/em>[Tax Increment Financing] <\/em>districts in Lawrence. Senior Citizen parking should be strategically located in Downtown, in addition to required handicap parking.<\/em> I oppose any reductions in Downtown’s total municipal parking count.<\/em><\/p>\n


\nWhat are the most difficult challenges facing our community?<\/em><\/strong> <\/em><\/strong> <\/em><\/p>\n

Overall employment has fallen significantly in the current economic debacle. Opportunities for long-term growth in Bio-Science, Senior Living and Sustainable Organic Agriculture however abound in Douglas County and our nearby farmland areas.<\/em> <\/em> Land use and zoning changes, which abruptly alter established development patterns<\/em>, are becoming an increasing concern to our community. Ending sprawl and focusing on more central development with appropriate infill is necessary as we witness the upward\u00a0 acceleration of food, energy, and transportation costs.<\/em> <\/em> As the Governor\u2019s recent proposals cut funding for education, arts and mental health, we in Lawrence must make a new commitment to fund our humanitarian institutions.<\/em><\/p>\n


\nWhat are the biggest assets of our community?<\/em><\/strong> <\/em><\/strong> <\/em><\/p>\n

The University of Kansas, Haskell Indian Nations University, Spencer Museum of Art, Lawrence Arts Center, Downtown Lawrence, and the proximity to Johnson County and Kansas City are the biggest assets. Lawrence Memorial Hospital and the quality of local physicians and dental care are again far above average for a city of our size.<\/em> <\/em> Our people, their education and diverse skills support our claim as the \u2018Oasis of Kansas\u2019.<\/em> <\/em> The Kansas River is a huge asset but we must be more concerned as a City and County<\/em> regarding the clean-up of pollutants in the river, the quality of our water, and longevity of Clinton Lake as\u00a0 a recreational and drinking water resource.<\/em><\/p>\n


\nWhere do you see Lawrence in 15 years:<\/em><\/strong> What’s changed What\u2019s the same?<\/em><\/strong> <\/em><\/strong> <\/em><\/p>\n

I believe that Lawrence will become a major center in 21st<\/sup> Century Bio-Science, along with agriculture for northeast Kansas. Lawrence can easily become the center for distribution of organically grown crops, now at more than 10% of national produce and growing rapidly.<\/em> <\/em> KU and Downtown Lawrence remain the twin jewels in our crown. While we <\/em> have developed large tracts of family housing since the 1980\u2019s, we have continued to maintain a very good Parks and Recreational environment. Our park facilities are excellent for a city of this size and are a great complement to the University and local community.<\/em><\/p>\n


\nWhat needs to be done to change the state of Lawrence\u2019s economy? <\/em><\/strong>What impact can you make if elected?<\/em><\/strong> <\/em><\/strong> <\/em> <\/em><\/p>\n

We need to take better advantage of our location between state government in Topeka and the metropolitan economy of Kansas City. In light of the national economic situation and budget cuts in Topeka, we must advertise Lawrence\u2019s role as the \u2018Oasis of Kansas\u2019.<\/em> Education and research are our predominant activities so we can easily step up and <\/em> lead the economic recovery in eastern Kansas.<\/em> <\/em> One of my best talents lies in thinking creatively, having a clear vision of long-term goals;<\/em> and making choices that favor the mutual benefits afforded by business and well-planned economic growth, and that enhance our environment and social services.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

February 18, 2011 What do you hope to accomplish if elected into office? I hope to make a difference in the way we listen to each neighborhood while working toward better employment opportunities, better housing and better shopping, while controlling the City budget. My emphasis will be on restoring the Downtown as a full-service retail […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,7,9,12,18,19,23,24],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/wysocki.co.uk\/wordpress\/svenforcitycommission2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/wysocki.co.uk\/wordpress\/svenforcitycommission2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/wysocki.co.uk\/wordpress\/svenforcitycommission2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wysocki.co.uk\/wordpress\/svenforcitycommission2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wysocki.co.uk\/wordpress\/svenforcitycommission2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/wysocki.co.uk\/wordpress\/svenforcitycommission2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/wysocki.co.uk\/wordpress\/svenforcitycommission2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wysocki.co.uk\/wordpress\/svenforcitycommission2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wysocki.co.uk\/wordpress\/svenforcitycommission2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}