Election Day is just one month away. Do you know enough about the six candidates in the Lemon Grove City Council race to make your decision?
Join our Virtual Town Hall by posing your question in comments, or uploading a video clip of yourself here (click on the green Upload Photos and Videos button), or emailing christine.huard@patch.com.
Ask a question about a local issue City Council members will face during their four-year term in office. Lemon Grove Patch will post the candidates' responses in the days leading up to Nov. 6.
If uploading a video clip, please say your name, how long you've lived in Lemon Grove, and ask a question that can be answered by all the candidates. If posting your question in comments or by email, please be sure to tell us how long you've lived here.
What's on your mind, Lemon Grove? Tell us what you want to know about the candidates vying to represent you at City Hall.
ZJBob
I am not saying the candidates dont have plans, but the information is sparse. There may be many of us that are unable to attend some of these meetings or meet and greets. Is this the page to ask the questions or will there be another set up like the on proposed on this story? I only ask because I think its really interesting to see what other readers are thinking in a commenting type of format. Thanks
Christine: Maybe the maybe the Lemon Grove Patch can create an one-hour on-line debate forum with interactive questions that could be submitted by Patch users. Just a suggestion.
I have not lived here long (2 years) but have heard from some of my established neighbors that fixing the streets had been talking about for years or was a campaign issue (eg. so and so was running and said our streets would be fixed.) I had also heard that streets are recommended for paving once they reach a certain gradation. WIth the exception of grants that have been used to improve some streets, there is a LOT of pavement to cover in LG. If you were going to lobby for having the streets be such a priority, how would that look as a plan considering the size of LG and the many streets we have? What areas or streets would be getting higher priority? Besides block grants which we seemed to have relied on heavily for such improvements, what fiscal plan do you have to pay for these street improvements? How long would that take to accomplish based on projections?
Looking at the most recent budget numbers on what we spend in LG, our contracted Sheriff's services cost over 4 million dollars a year. Easily one of the most expensive, if not the most expensive services we have. To improve safety in LG, what plans do you have to work with the Sheriffs Dept lessening some of that financial burden and improving safety as it related to the types of crime that we have? What will you bring to the table to help lessen this financial burden and offer some expertise to one of our most expensive annual expenses per year?
When my wife and I decided to buy a house here two years ago, we really saw a lot of potential in the our downtown and still do. We are seeing tremendous improvements in our downtown and lots of construction. Basically this was years in the making and is coming to fruition now. Going forward based on the DVSP and General Plan, what kind of expertise do you bring to the table to help spur growth in our shopping and business district? What new business opportunities can a small city like ours find a niche in and grow upon? Do you have contacts that will see LG in the way that we see its potential? What obstacles do you see besides the current state of the economy (which appears to be improving).
1) What they would have done different and how, and exactly how would they pay for it? 2) How can you involve more of the community more in decision making, not just a select few? 3) Do you think Lemon Grove Residents are happy living here? And why? 4) If your were a child living here in Lemon Grove, what would you do with your free time and where would you go? 5) Why are our streets so thoughtless done? For instance: One turn lane when 3 are needed, Stop signs thrown up, when yield signs or street calming would work, street lights not synchronized, sidewalks too narrow, if any at all, and just how big does a pothole need to be to be filled? 6) What do you think can be done about the rampant drunkeness and crime in our area? 7) What is the percentage of homeowners and business owners compared to renters (non property tax payers)?
Chirstine , As I have seen that no organization wants to host a candiates formun. I would sure like some substitive answers to a few questions that are confronting our city. #1--Lemon Grove has 24 miles of paved streets many have not been repaved for over 20 years. How many miles of streets should the city be repaving each year? And how should we pay for it? Use gas tax money? #2--Lemon Grove will need a new fire engine in the next year or 2--cost $500,000. How do you think the city should pay for it? Our newest engine is a 2002 followed by a 1997 engine and the city's reserve is a 1992--20 years old now. Life of these engines are supose to be about 12 years. #3--The state ended our Redevelopment Agency earlier this year, at the time the Agency owed the city $3,100,000. How should we get the city's money back? The state says it will only repay a small protion and that will be in small installments. #4 The Lemon Grove Lighting District has a surplus reserve of about $600,000. The city wants to borrow this money to repay a high interest city loan. Do you think this a prudent or do you think some of the surplus should be used improve the lighting of streets and parks or should some be returned to the District's rate payers? ZJBOB