The Island’s CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE

Name: Jeff Mitchell

Age: 49

Occupation: Journalist, Communications Consultant, Sunshine Task Force

member

Relevant experience: I have spent the majority of the last 20 years working
as an award-winning government or politics reporter for newspapers and
online news services across California.

Why are you running for this office?: I am running to restore transparency
and openness at Alameda City Hall. For far too long our City Hall staff and
some members of our existing council have kept you in the dark about
mistakes, lawsuit settlements and full-on debacles like the AP&T telecom
collapse. I am running to see a comprehensive Sunshine Ordinance
adopted. I am running to stop the expensive political witch hunts and
finally, I am running to begin the process of finding Alameda a permanent
city manager.

Why should we vote for you?: Because I want to return City Hall to the
hands of its owners -- the residents of Alameda. Transparency and
openness should be the norm, not the exception at City Hall. As a veteran
investigative journalist, I have the know-how to ferret out both wrongdoing
and wrong-headedness. As a member of the Sunshine Task Force and as
an experienced open government advocate, I have the skills and the
experience to change the culture of secrecy at City Hall. I believe that we
can and must do better and I am prepared to help lead the way.

What do you feel are the roles and responsibilities of the office you’re
seeking?: The first role of the City Council is to set policy and to be zealous
advocates for the citizens of Alameda. Because the council directly hires
and supervises the City Manager and the City Attorney, getting the right
people into these key posts is critical. While it's important that the council
not micro-manage day-to-day activities of the staff, it's also important for
the council to carefully monitor governmental operations and not be
afraid of stepping in when necessary.

What do you think is the most pressing issue you would face if elected and
what would you do to address it?: I think the two most important issues
facing Alameda have to do with our fiscal sustainability and the
redevelopment of Alameda Point.
In the area of city finances, make no mistake, we’re in a tight squeeze.
Pass-through funding from Sacramento is shrinking while our costs and
demand for services continue to grow. We have to make sure we
maintain our fiscal house and not go the way of Vallejo. One element of
our money troubles involves how we will face and resolve the $75 million in
unfunded public employee pension and health care obligations that
we’re on the hook for.

The second most pressing issue is the redevelopment of Alameda Point.

For 13 years now existing council and staff have botched any movement
forward on this vital property. In my opinion, the only way we will be able
to pay the Navy’s $108.5 million asking price, the estimated $400 million in
vital infrastructure repairs (roads, water and sewer lines, etc) and the
estimated $100 million in public amenities will be through the use of
private investment capital managed by a master commercial developer.
Municipal self-development, an idea being promoted by some
candidates and a few senior staff members recently, is pure political feel-
good folly. There are no viable examples of a city redeveloping a former
military base on its own.

What do you think needs to be done with Alameda Point – and what steps
would you take to make that happen?: We need to carefully pick out a
quality master developer and private capital financier who will work with
the community -- ones that gets we’re not just another cookie-cutter
community which can be steamrolled. It would be my hope to move
forward with a Peter Calthorpe-like, transit-oriented development plan. I
also think any project approved must also come with a serious and
effective traffic mitigation plan. No project will get my vote without such a
traffic management plan in place well ahead of time.

What steps would you take to bolster Alameda’s economic base?: I would
seek to change City Hall's attitude toward business in Alameda. We need
to become business savvy in our planning, regulatory, permitting and
inspection procedures. While doing streetscape and facade
improvements, conducting "visioning" studies and landing companies like
VF Outdoor for Bay Farm Island are all great, we need to realize that the
heart and soul of our city's economic engine lies with the small start-up or
the mom and pop operation. While running for council I have heard
nothing but one nightmare story after another about how City Hall treats
our small business operators and this needs to change if we ever hope to
recruit quality businesses to the city.

Questions have been raised about whether the city is transparent enough
in conducting its business. Do you think this is an issue and if so, what do
you see as being specific problems and how would you seek to resolve
them?: This issue goes to the heart of why I am running. We must break up
the culture of secrecy at City Hall and return the place to the hands of
Alamedans. The first thing I will fight for is the adoption of a
comprehensive Sunshine Ordinance. This ordinance will make it the law for
our government to operate in the open.

Secondly, I would fight to bring in the kind of senior staff that embraces
the public process and transparency in all operations. I also think the way
City Council meetings are conducted needs to be changed and
refocused less for council and staff convenience and more toward
accommodating the public. For instance, why is that important public
hearings are regularly held past midnight? Why is it that the public
comments section is found at the bottom of the council agenda instead
of at the top? I would also fight to adopt a standing rule to never begin a
new business item on the agenda once past midnight. If that means the
council needs to start meeting earlier or even once a week, so be it.

Pensions and retiree health benefits will be a huge financial issue for the
city. How would you address it?: First, I would work with and not demonize
our employee unions. Second, I would want to consider all viable ideas,
but I would likely explore the idea of the city adopting a two-tier system
whereby new city employees pay an increasing share of their health care
and retirement benefit costs. As to tackling the existing $75 million in
unfunded health and retirement obligations, I would likely pursue the idea
of the city selling a series of municipal bonds. While the debt service on
these bonds would not be insignificant, the sale would make city finances
more stable and more manageable.

Would you seek to preserve Measure A or amend it and if you’d amend it,
under what circumstances would you do so?: Measure A has done great
things for Alameda. I would only support amending Measure A for the
redevelopment of Alameda Point and then only if the question was first
put before and approved by the voters of Alameda.

How are you financing your campaign and to whom are you reaching out
for money?: I am accepting donations from a growing group of
concerned Alamedans who tell me they are tired of many of the current
incumbents and that they want new blood and real leadership on the
council going forward. I will not accept any donations from developers
nor will I accept a predominant amount of contributions from off-island
sources.