FredEx Asks, Mayoral Candidates Answer
Join us for the mayoral debate on Aug. 21 at Frederick Community College, starting at 7 p.m.
The Frederick Extra asked all candidates running for Frederick city mayor and board of aldermen to answer five questions. Below are the mayoral candidates responses, minus incumbent Randy McClement. McClement acknowledged receiving the questionnaire, but did not participate.
Candidates received the following questions on Aug. 10.
1. Top three reasons you want to serve, or continue to serve, the city as an elected official.
2. What role should the city play in working with the county to plan for city school construction?
3. How can the city improve the lives of its young people, particularly those who are homeless and at risk?
4. Talk about the importance of diversity in the ranks of city employees, including the police department.
5. Choose one of the story topics below and tell me how can the city can improve on the issue highlighted in the story(ies.)
Democrats
Jennifer Dougherty
Email: JPD1492@gmail.com Website: jenniferformayor.com Facebook: jenniferformayor
Top three reasons you want to serve, or continue to serve, the city as an elected official.
1.To lead our City to reach its potential – finish big projects and refuse to ignore small problems
2. To improve services to our residents and businesses – building a more responsive police department, adding bulk trash pickup, improving technology to simplify services, and fighting blight
3. To make budget decisions that reflect the wishes of the residents – improve tax differential with county and avoid wasteful spending on Hargett Farm development
What role should the city play in working with the county to plan for city school construction?
I will create a transparent system of tracking school demographics, planning forecasts, and County school construction plans. We will fight for timely investment to avoid excessive over-crowding or unsafe schools. I will work with the County to embrace new strategies to accelerate school construction and modernization by using other under-used space (like aging retail centers.)
How can the city improve the lives of its young people, particularly those who are homeless and at risk?
Everyone wants the same things – a safe, clean and thriving community. We can, however, be more progressive with young people by designing a summer jobs program for high schoolers, activities in Baker Park like movies with themes for costumes, and restoration of the Education Commission (which I created in 2002) to address issues facing City students.
The best strategy to address at risk and homeless students is to have FCAA, FPD, Department of Economic Development and the Mayor’s Office work in coordination with existing non-profits like SHIP (Student Homelessness Initiative Project) and Blessings in a Backpack. We can stretch our investment of Community Development and City taxpayer funds by allowing non-profits to provide services when they are already set up for the programs rather than creating another City program.
Talk about the importance of diversity in the ranks of city employees, including the police department.
The City workforce needs to reflect the City’s population. I am proud to have hired and promoted several African Americans to management positions - the first Chief Officer, the first minority in the police command staff and the first African American woman to serve in management in the Office of the Mayor. I also hired an Asian-Canadian as Director of Engineering.
None of those people work for the City now and there is very little evidence that hiring or appointments to volunteer Boards and Commissions reflects any effort to create diversity. During my term (2002-2006) we worked with the Human Relations Commission to adopt strategies that allowed the FPD to improve the hiring of minorities. The challenge remains to prove to prospective recruits that the City government is open, inclusive and progressive. As Mayor, I will lead by example and hire the best candidates who reflect our City in every regard.
Choose one of the story topics below and tell me how can the city can improve on the issue highlighted in the story(ies.)
This may be the first election in recent memory that incumbents and challengers alike are not calling for additional police officers. That does not mean that our police department is in all of the right places. Mullinix Park is a great example of ignoring the data and that has to change. Nearly 1,000 calls for service (the FPD had about 70,000 last year) resulted in a heated community meeting with the elected officials and police.
Obviously, the use of the Neighborhood Advisory Councils is a good way for residents to make their case, this case shows there was a breakdown or worse – a lack of trust that their problems would be addressed.
I will use the NACs and repair the relationship with the residents who feel let down. The FPD will be more visible in all parks.We will install cameras in strategic locations to improve awareness.
I want to have a base of operations on Carroll Creek for the FPD. The Police kiosk will be a physical presence for officers, a place to re-charge segways, monitor CCTVs, an info booth for activities along Creek, and possibly a public restroom.
Finally, the residents at Mullinix have suggested the City invests in additional park amenities to make it a destination for all young people. Working with the Rec Department, I know we can make simple changes quickly and develop a good plan for more costly changes.
It is unbelievable that the City has not invested in the needed updates to make online submissions work. Transparency in awarding bids has always been a hotspot for local governments because of the risk of the “appearance of favoritism”. The award of this bid shows the failed process is also costly city taxpayers thousands of dollars.
Our Budget and Purchasing managers will publish a list of respondents to bids in order to confirm receipt of bids as a first step. We will not publish details of the bids. Obviously, some bids contain subjective criteria, so awards may not always be as simple as price, but the lack of City service on this example proves we need a better checklist.
If elected, I will instruct my Public Information Officer to supply the media and public adequate responses as quickly as possible. The law allows the City to take time and charge money for copies, but it’s not always necessary. My record in City Hall is clear, I directed my staff to be responsive to any question from the media and a “no comment” or “unavailable for comment” line in a story was not our way of doing business. Finally, I would restore weekly news conferences for routine updates and questions.
The Mayor should declare a temporary moratorium on residential demolitions until the Board of Aldermen have a chance to evaluate the legislative guidelines that exist. A possible solution is to withhold the Demolition Permit until the last Planning Commission approval is issued to prevent a tear-down without knowing exactly what is coming. Legislative restrictions could limit a 10% size increase in size over the average size of homes on the block or simply deny demolitions (with rare exceptions) and only allow additions.
Given the impact of storms and impervious surfaces, the City must also evaluate the possible impact of converting a 2000 sf house into a 3500 sf house, the stormwater run-off is a real issue in the downtown and cannot be ignored.
Michael O’Connor
Email: moconnor1966@comcast.net Website: oconnorforfrederick.com Facebook: Michael O'Connor for Mayor Twitter: @CitizenMOC
Top three reasons you want to serve, or continue to serve, the city as an elected official.
1.Frederick is a wonderful place to live, but...despite Frederick’s progress, there is no cohesive vision for our future, and that makes our road ahead unfocused. Modeled on our approach to public safety, budgeting will be goal-based, problem solving, and community-oriented: Spending decisions will be aligned to a sound citywide strategy.
2. Local government represents the greatest potential to positively impact the quality of life of our residents, our neighbors, our families, and our future. We will make Infrastructure Investments: We need a transportation system emphasizing pedestrian safety, walkability, and bicycle connections. Parks maintenance, senior and youth recreation, sustainability, and public art must be priorities.
3. My commitment to engagement, stewardship, and community is clear, and my nearly 30 years of civic, business, media, and non-profit leadership, uniquely qualifies me to serve as Mayor.
With you and for you, we will Move Frederick Forward Together! Human Capital is a priority: City employees do a great job. We should emphasize recruitment, training, and retention. We also need improved community engagement, through 21st century technology, social media, and public information, that connects residents with City Hall.
What role should the city play in working with the county to plan for city school construction?
Good planning, communication, and advocacy. The City’s adequate public facilities ordinance (APFO) requires ongoing attention to ensure it is continuing to meet City needs while not creating undue pressures on school capacity. Among the reasons Frederick will stay a desirable place to live is the high-quality education our students receive.
When our residents have concerns about schools, they reach out to any elected official they can, regardless of jurisdiction. Regularly scheduled meetings between the Mayor and County Executive, and the Alderman and County Council are important, along with meeting with the Board of Education. I’m proud of the City’s advocacy regarding the Frederick High School, Lincoln Elementary School, and North Frederick Elementary School construction projects during my terms. To help move the new Butterfly Ridge Elementary School sooner, the City donated land to FCPS. Among the benefits the City derived will be the inclusion of a gymnasium adequate to support City-run Parks and Recreation programming. These are the kinds of partnerships that must continue, on behalf of our share constituents.
How can the city improve the lives of its young people, particularly those who are homeless and at risk?
To address this problem, we need to address the impacts of poverty and homelessness in our community. Two paths are required: provide direct services to those in need and address systemic conditions to reduce low income and vulnerable populations. Supporting year-round shelter housing is an example of needed direct services, which I helped champion. We need to extend these opportunities for families and youth.
Hosting a summit of human services providers to address access to education or treatment could create systems improvement. With my leadership, the City is now committed to supporting the strategic plan for the Frederick County Coalition for the Homeless. Our biggest obstacle to connecting people effectively with needed services, many of which exist, is coordination. More permanent supportive housing, with wrap around services, and expanded job opportunities, will decrease the number of people, especially young people, who lack stable permanent housing or who are homeless and on our streets.
The next step on the continuum is meeting the need for housing affordability and availability for young wage earners, those who have overcome economic hardship and those who have not. We have great partners, with organizations like S.H.I.P., and assets like our Parks and Recreation department, to create positive opportunities and alternatives. Tasking someone with youth services and developing a youth advisory team would have additional benefits.
Talk about the importance of diversity in the ranks of city employees, including the police department.
Our City workforce needs to look like the community it serves. So, we must redouble our efforts to cast the widest nets in recruitment. With the hiring of a Director of Human Resources now completed, development of a diversity plan will finally get the attention it deserves. We have focused on being an employer or choice, building competitive pay and benefits to match public and private sector peers. Budgeting for training has been one of my budget priorities and is also one of the best retention tools we have. It builds confidence for employees that they can progress in the organization, which furthers our attractiveness to potential hires.
In our police department specifically, we will continue to promote diversity in recruitment and hold our department and its officers to the highest standards of conduct. We recently modified the promotion process to ensure all officers through the rank of lieutenant have a clear and equal path to merit based promotions. Our community-oriented policing approach, including involvement with the Neighborhood Advisory Councils, support and promotion of National Night Out activities, operation of a Citizen’s Police Academy, and Coffee with a Cop, are aimed at increasing community trust and interaction. My hope is this approach will inspire new interest in law enforcement careers across Frederick’s diverse neighborhoods.
Choose one of the story topics below and tell me how can the city can improve on the issue highlighted in the story(ies.)
Given my background in media, and a career focused on keeping the public informed about the important decisions in local government, how City Hall communicates with residents is critical. I will create a Community Outreach office to do several things: refresh the Neighborhood Advisory Councils, to improve participation, and more importantly increase the impact of community voices in the decision-making process; increase participation on and with our standing Boards and Commission to bring historically underrepresented neighborhoods and populations, hindered by time, economics, or language, into the process; and embark on developing the use of 21st century technology to transform everything from how we vote to how we use our website and social media, and communicate in real time, 24 hours a day, with our residents about projects, permits, code enforcement, police, etc.
Our directors and managers are the content experts and we need to make them available to the public and offer the support necessary to make them confident in that role. We will develop a process to take City Hall out of our building and put it in communities around the City on a regular basis, so the public knows we are accessible and transparent, and not just because we say we are.
Republicans
Shelley Aloi
Email: Friendsofshelleyaloi@aol.com Website: aloi4mayor.com Facebook: friendsofshelleyaloi Instagram: aloi4mayor
Top three reasons you want to serve, or continue to serve, the city as an elected official.
1. My life purpose is serving others and I’ve done that naturally over the last 30 years.
2. I enjoy solving problems, especially when it involves helping others, and have been on the leading edge of innovative work in a variety of fields. For example, my group at Ft. Detrick took the first pictures of the AIDS virus when little was known about the disease. I was a STEM educator before it was called STEM and worked on a private research project that received a US Government patent. During the recession, as an analyst in the banking industry, my team led the way in keeping thousands of families in their homes. Finally, when I served as Alderman, we took brave action to solve the problems with pension and healthcare. It was this action that led to the recent increase in the City’s bond rating.
3. Over the last five years, I’ve up-leveled my own leadership. I am a member of the John Maxwell Leadership Team (JMT), a certified Business and Life Coach, and a Success Coach. My colleagues at JMT are transforming governments around the world, and I will bring these leadership tools to the City of Frederick.
What role should the city play in working with the county to plan for city school construction?
There is one school system, called Frederick County Public Schools, a single Board of Education, and one budget which is already funded by every taxpayer in the City and the County. This basic understanding that City and County schools are part of the same entity is foundational to addressing the issue of school construction.
City leadership in cooperation with County and State elected officials and staff play an important role in planning for the future of schools. This means working collaboratively to solve the issues of school construction. When I was Alderman, we led by example and provided the land to build Butterfly Ridge, currently under construction.
How can the city improve the lives of its young people, particularly those who are homeless and at risk?
The City can lead in connecting young people with available resources through communication and advocacy, as well as the Mayor playing an active role as a spokesperson for youth. I’ve been a youth director, educator and mentor and in my role as Mayor of the City of Frederick, I will take this initiative. This includes creating an environment where young people are welcome, have a sense of place, and know they are valued.
One way to do this is by removing the obstacle of youth sports paying fees to use City fields. Another is by promoting mentorship, connecting youth with senior adults as well as promoting those in our community who serve at-risk and homeless young people.
For example, the Student Homelessness Initiative Partnership serves the physical needs of at-risk and homeless youth. Through New Horizons they also help with academics and other needs.
Secondly, the Mental Health Association has begun educating the community on the topic of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE’s) and the long-term impact of those experiences on lifetime productivity, relationships and health. I am already taking an active role in promoting ACE’s awareness and see this as a game changer, not only for youth, but also for other people who are homeless in our community.
The City can also work with other stakeholders to create an environment for more affordable housing and a path out of homelessness. I am a board member of the Religious Coalition and we are having conversations about a long-term and coordinated community effort to improve lives and provide a path out of homelessness.
Talk about the importance of diversity in the ranks of city employees, including the police department.
I’ve traveled to over 20 countries of the world, often serving in humanitarian aid endeavors and working shoulder to shoulder with the local people. Those experiences gave me both an appreciation and an understanding of the value of diversity.
On one trip, I felt what it was like to be “the only one” when I was alone on tiny Orchid Island off the coast of Taiwan with no one else who looked like me or spoke my language. I also remember the feeling of excitement when I ran into another American, and though we’d never met, we immediately connected and began sharing stories of family and home.
On another trip, I experienced a clash of cultures when our American method of construction did not align with the much slower local way of building. I came to realize that these people valued relationship above everything else and seeing their contentment changed my life.
I tell these stories because they demonstrate the importance of diversity in the ranks of City employees. When we meet “the other” face-to-face, when we learn their stories, we often find that we are more alike than different.
It is this valuing of “the other” that diversity in the ranks of City employees will bring to those who serve and are served in the City of Frederick.
Choose one of the story topics below and tell me how can the city can improve on the issue highlighted in the story(ies.)
The City can improve on communication by being more open and transparent. One way to do this is to have a weekly press conference. Another is to allow the press access to the Mayor and other City employees.
