Candidate quiz

What is important to you? 

The active part of the campaign season is coming up, and a variety of public meetings are being scheduled to meet and hear the candidates.  Unless a last-minute candidate appears - registration deadline is August 31 - here is the line-up of candidates for Mayor and City Council:

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Mayor: (Vote for one)
___ Dave Berg
___ Jon Gustafson
___ Kent Studebaker

City Council:  (Vote for three)
___ Charles Collins
___ Theresa Kohloff
___ John LaMotte
___ Skip O'Neill

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Successful Council candidates will join Councilors Jeff Gudman, Joe Buck and Jackie Manz who each have 2 more years in their terms.  If Jeff Gudman is successful in his bid for State Treasurer, the new council will appoint someone to fill his seat for the remainder of his term.  

Four candidates out of seven Mayor/Councilor positions will be elected this November, making this election a crucial one for deciding the future of the city.  

What issues do residents care about, and what actions do the candidates propose?  General questions are below.  Specific questions for individual candidate will be printed later.

Check campaign contributions and spending on Orestar website.  Type in candidate name and check "Candidate" box.  After selecting the candidate from the search results, look for "Campaign Finance Activity" at the bottom of the page.  

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Questions for Candidates:

1.   What do you consider "core" or essential city functions and services? 
2.   How will you prioritize spending on essential and non-essential services?
3.   Do you believe you have a good handle on what the majority of citizens want?  What are
      the concerns most important to Lake Oswegans?   
4.   How do the concerns of the majority of citizens fit with your stated positions and goals
      for the city?
5.   The City Council has eliminated Citizen Comment from their regular meetings.  Is this a
       good or bad idea?  Why?  
6.   How will you find out what citizens want?  
7.   How will you assure that Stakeholder Advisory Committees (SACs) reflect differing 
      points of view and are a true reflection of the general population?
8.   If there is a conflict between the needs of businesses/developers and citizens/residents, 
      which side takes prescedent?  (Candidate may not use the word "balance" in response.)
9.   How important are property rights and personal liberty compared to what you consider
      "the common good?"  Give an example.
10.  What do you think is the most pressing problem in LO, what will you do to ease the 
       problems, and what will it cost?  
11.  What are the trade-offs between spending on your goals and raising taxes or 
       eliminating other services? 
12.  What is your budget for your political campaign?  Are you accepting money from
       businesses or individuals who might benefit from your decisions later on?  (Emphasis
       on might.). If so, will you recuse yourself from discussing and/or voting on these issues?  
13.  What does "quality of life in Lake Oswego" mean to you?