Jeff on the issues!

By Jeff Haferman

Let Monterey Be Monterey!

PUBLIC SAFETY: The first responsibility of government is to protect the public. We must ensure that our public safety agencies are properly funded, staffed, and equipped so that they can respond quickly when called to action. Many residents are concerned about recent criminal activity and graffiti on Alvarado Street and in certain areas along the Recreation Trail. By revitalizing the downtown area so that it is more family-friendly, we can reduce the extent of the problem and free up precious law enforcement resources for assuring safety in our neighborhoods.

NEIGHBORHOODS AND GROWTH: The City of Monterey is defined by its neighborhoods and its commercial use areas, each with its own unique character, history, and priorities. Residents and business owners alike must respect what make Monterey special while balancing and preserving the rights of property owners to improve their property within the established laws and guidelines. We cannot afford to sacrifice what is special, scenic, and distinct about Monterey to short-term commercial or residential development interests.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING: Affordable housing is a necessity to retain a viable workforce and support an aging population. The most logical place for affordable housing is on the former Ft. Ord, but other options such as the "Traditional Neighborhood Design" approach, where living space is constructed above existing commercial buildings, parking is provided, and traffic impacts are minimized, should be pursued. This can be accomplished by setting aside a portion of the existing hotel tax + no tax increase is necessary. The resulting fund could be made available in the form of low-interest loans to those willing to build affordable housing projects.

SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES: Some mistakenly think there is nothing the City can do to help our schools. However, education is the key to our future, and improving our school system must become a top priority of our City Council. We have formed successful partnerships with the military in Monterey, and we must do likewise with our local school system. Likewise, we have to make support of our libraries a much higher priority; as we cannot ever lose sight of our fundamental responsibility to educate the youth of our community.

LOCAL ECONOMY: Our local merchants need to attract both visitors and residents in order to grow and thrive which means the revitalization of our business districts + Old Monterey, Lighthouse, and North Fremont + must be given immediate attention by City government. We could create vibrant and flourishing open-air shopping/restaurant with clean pedestrian friendly walkways and café courtyards. We can re-configure traffic and parking on Alvarado Street so that shoppers and diners have a greater opportunity to browse, shop, and eat. The result will be an economic engine that will keep our town attractive and affordable for generations to come.

TRAFFIC AND PARKING: Getting around Monterey has become frustrating for visitors and residents alike. There are delays for motorists and disturbances to residents as a result of "cut-through" traffic in our neighborhoods. In addition, we simply don't have enough available parking. In business districts, such as the Lighthouse corridor, merchants suffer when customers have difficulty reaching their shops. The solutions to these problems are simple: encouraging use of our public transportation system; better planning and engineering that would improve the timing of traffic lights; reconfiguration of certain streets; traffic calming strategies in residential neighborhoods; signage to redirect traffic away from sensitive areas or on to better flowing routes; and non-rush hour deliveries for large trucks. I will see that our Traffic Division takes the lead in developing long-range solutions and strategies, instead of simply reacting to individual resident complaints.

CITY BUDGET: We must find new and innovative ways to reduce wasteful City spending so that essential services + public safety, roads, parks, libraries + are not severely impacted. The proposed new $13 million government office building is an example of wasteful spending. Much of the necessary office space could be provided by constructing a much smaller building and reorganizing existing space at a fraction of the cost. The City must become more aggressive in contracting out services to local businesses, and the extremely generous pay and benefit packages offered to top administrators must be re-examined. Annual events, such as the Fourth of July party, should seek at least part of their funding by forming partnerships with other cities, and city-subsidized operations, like the Sports Center, should be managed to become fully self-supporting. Finally, we can take an "e-government" approach by providing more services online for the public, such as building permit and planning department applications, that would result in cost and time savings for all of us.