2016 City Council Candidates Questions. 1. Why do you consider yourself the best candidate for Mayor or City Council?

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Sharleen Marsh
6 years ago
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1 Candidate Name: Sean Garland 2016 City Council Candidates Questions 1. Why do you consider yourself the best candidate for Mayor or City Council? I am a PMP-certified Sr. Project Manager with the State of Oregon. The skills that I use to be a successful project manager are the same that I will bring to my role as Sherwood City Councilor. Being a project manager requires planning skills, exceptional communication, conflict resolution, and the ability to work with people across various teams and departments. I am fair, open-minded, and approachable. I do not bring any preconceived agendas or alliances to the Council, and am willing to work with the existing and future Council members in an agreeable manner. In my time as a resident of Sherwood, I have been welcomed by so many people in the community. I am committed to giving back to the community by working hard to maintain the values that we all hold. 2. What have you done in the past few years to support economic development in Sherwood? As preparation for serving as a City Councilor, I have met with many local business owners, community leaders, and member of our city staff. I have begun a dialogue with them, to better understand their thoughts and concerns. Reaching out to our local business owners and opening direct lines of discussion is critical to ensuring that the partnership between the City and business owners is a successful one. I have begun to solicit ideas from local business owners with regards to how to make better connections with the city, and will work to implement those ideas as City Councilor. 3. In terms of Economic Development in the City, what are the greatest opportunities and challenges over the next two years? We must manage the inevitable growth in population, and ensure that we have proper planning in place to accommodate the needs of those new residents. Sherwood currently has many of the amenities that people expect in a livable city, but we must also look ahead to avoid falling behind.

2 Sherwood has a major asset with our Old Town district. This unique business area provides unique restaurants, arts & entertainment, and community meeting centers. The City should look to further promote this area, both to our residents and also to visiting tourists to the Willamette wine country. Along with our local stores and restaurants, Sherwood must also continue to attract commercial and industrial businesses. While these businesses may not have major tourist appeal, they are vital to maintaining a strong business climate. 4. How would you capitalize on these opportunities and overcome these challenges? As a City Councilor, I pledge to open and maintain a dialogue between our local business owners, our city planners, the Chamber of Commerce, and our citizens. Sherwood is still a small town, but growth is imminent. With proper planning, forward thinking, and a solid partnership between city staff and business owners we can create an environment that is both friendly to new and current businesses and the citizens of Sherwood. 5. What should the role of local government be in regards to economic development efforts in Sherwood? I would like to encourage the City of Sherwood to create a permanent, full-time role of Economic Development Manager. This role would plan and create initiatives for growth, including grants for local businesses such as a Tenant Improvement Program, business assistance programs, and development opportunity strategy programs. In addition to economic programs, the city should create a formal discussion group with local business owners, to provide a direct line of communication to discuss ideas from both sides. The city of Beaverton has already implemented many of these ideas, and would be a good resource to use as a potential model for this initiative. In partnership with the Planning Commission, the City Council needs to have a forward-thinking approach to development. We need to be able to see the big picture, and be proactive in budget planning, outside partnerships and vendor relationships, and local utilities. 6. In your opinion what has been the biggest success of the City Council over the past two years? What has been the biggest failure?

3 A notable achievement of the current Council was their ability to join together quickly and take swift action in passing ordinances to prevent late-night protests in Sherwood. I was impressed by the ability of the Council to listen to the issue, work together, and create common sense ordinances that brought peace back to our town. The City Council also heard testimony from residents of the SW Fairoaks Dr. neighborhood regarding pedestrian safety when crossing Murdock Rd. Once again, working closely with city planners and staff, a new crosswalk was installed in short time. These examples show what the City Council can do at their best, when they listen to the citizens of Sherwood, and work together. With regards to failures, I disagree with the Council s decision to not hire a part-time Code Compliance Officer. This additional position, as recommended by the independent police study conducted by Matrix and approved by the Budget Committee, would have allowed our Evidence Technician to focus completely on law enforcementrelated duties. As our city grows, our Sherwood Police Department must be provided with the funding and resources to stay ahead of crime. This means a continued use of proactive policing, which allows our officers to actively patrol our city and enhance relationships with our citizens. 7. How would you capitalize on those successes and overcome those challenges? I would seek to build on the successes laid out by the current Council, as well as previous Councils, by continuing to listen to our citizens. While many issues are brought directly to the Council during the Citizen Comments portion of the meetings, I will strive to actively solicit feedback from citizens through various outreach initiatives. As a City Councilor, I will advocate for hiring a dedicated Code Compliance Officer, and allowing our Evidence Technician to move entirely into a law enforcement role. I will also advocate for the hiring of a second School Resource Officer (SRO) for our schools. Our schools currently have only one SRO to serve all of our schools. As we continue to grow, we will need to expand this coverage for the safety and protection of our students. 8. Do you support all of the existing partnerships the City of Sherwood has for example Sherwood School District, YMCA, TVF&R, and local non-

4 profit organizations? I strongly support the existing partnerships, and would encourage continued support of these partnerships by way of City Councilor liaison assignments to these groups. I fully support the upcoming school bond measure (Measure ) as a way to maintain Sherwood s excellent public schools. The schools are currently at capacity, and the impending growth to our population necessitates a new high school along with a reorganization of the current facilities. I support a continued partnership with the Sherwood Regional Family YMCA. The YMCA is a vital part of the Sherwood community, through its various sponsorships, family events, teen center, and commitment to helping our citizens lead healthy, balanced lives. While I look forward to reviewing the results of the independent study, I would also contend that we as a community need to appreciate the qualitative value of the YMCA, which is something that cannot always be viewed in terms of finances alone. 9. How will you support those relationships with the various groups? It is my belief that we need to ensure that open lines of communication are established and respected with the various groups. These lines of communication may come in the way of appointed liaison positions for City Councilors, open houses, or monthly meetings. While these groups may not be major sources of revenue for the city, they bring value that cannot be measured in dollars and cents. I understand the need to monitor the city budget closely to ensure that tax revenues are being spent wisely, but we cannot make decisions based solely on the bottom line. 10. How will you best represent the residents of Sherwood? As a Sherwood City Councilor, I pledge to be honest in all of my actions. I will bring a balanced and neutral attitude to the Council. I am open to discussion on all topics, and will listen carefully to both sides of the discussion prior to any decision. As a Sherwood resident, I understand the issues that we face here. Decisions made by this Council will affect my family and I as well. Therefore I am committed to putting in the time and effort to ensure that the interests of all Sherwood residents are being considered. I will bring an open door policy to my role as Councilor. I will be both receptive to comments from citizens as well as actively seeking input and feedback on issues. 11. How will you best represent the business community?

5 I will be open and approachable to members of the business community. In speaking with local business owners, I received feedback that they do not feel like they have a strong relationship with the current Council. I will make every effort to connect with these business owners to listen to their concerns. The business community in Sherwood is an important factor in what makes Sherwood one of the top cities in Oregon. We need to ensure that we can attract and keep dedicated business owners to our town. To achieve this, we need a solid dialogue between us. We need to continually review our System Development Charges (SDC) to ensure that we are providing an optimal environment for local businesses to come to Sherwood. 12. What specific message do you have for the Sherwood Business Community? If elected as a City Councilor, I will be accessible to hear your ideas and concerns. Much of the charm and livability of Sherwood comes from the business community. The citizens of Sherwood have embraced a buy local approach, and I will work to strengthen that effort by working closely with the Sherwood Business Community, as well as the Chamber of Commerce. I want local businesses in Sherwood to be successful. I want local business owners to feel appreciated and supported by the City, and I will be an advocate for our business community.

6 13. What are your position on the following measures? Measure Description Approve Oppose Sherwood Bonds for Safety, Curriculum, School Dist. Improvements, Reduce Overcrowding X City of Revision to Sherwood Charter Sherwood Regarding City Budget X City of Revision to Sherwood Charter Regarding Sherwood City Recorder Reporting Structure X City of Revision to Sherwood Charter Sherwood Regarding Mayor and City Council X Compensation City of Revision to Sherwood Charter Sherwood Regarding Mayor's Term of Office X City of Revision to Sherwood Charter Sherwood Regarding Ordinance Adoption X City of City Tax on Marijuana Retailers' Sales of Sherwood Recreational Marijuana Items X City of Prohibits Certain Recreational Marijuana Sherwood Facilities in Sherwood X 97 Oregon Imposes a 2.5 percent gross-receipts tax on certain corporations ringing up more than $25 million in Oregon sales a year. X 14. Will you attend the Voters 2016 Forum on Wednesday, October 5th from 6:00pm to 8:30 pm in the Sherwood High School Commons? Yes

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