League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area Education Fund
Hamilton County, OH November 3, 2009 Election
	Joe Harten Answers Questions Candidate for Council Member; Village of Newtown

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. What are your Qualifications for Office? (50 word limit)

I have lived in Newtown since 2001, and have served on the Planning Commission since 2005. In 2008, I served on the Citizens Finance Committee to explore ways to address Village budget issues. I understand local government through my experience consulting with jurisdictions across the country.

2. What plans do you have to address your top three priorities? (100 word limit)

I will work with other members of Council and Village staff to bring a more thoughtful approach to Village issues. Many Council controversies over the past several years could have been mitigated or avoided by obtaining more input from residents and businesses, and by spending more time in research and preparation before rushing to pass a resolution. In addition, I intend to explore all opportunities to share services and responsibilities with other local jurisdictions; Newtown does not have the resources to be completely self-sufficient in every area.

3. What two actions would you promote to enhance city revenue or decrease city expenditures in order to balance the city budget, given the current economic conditions? (100 word limit)

1) explore opportunities to join together with other jurisdictions to provide necessary services 2) promote Newtown's location and demographics to attract businesses to the area

4. What steps should the local government take to ensure that the quality of rental property meets minimum legal standards? (100 word limit)

Happily, the quality of rental property in our Village is quite high. To maintain our strengths in this area, the Village should continue to support our building commissioner and law enforcement in following up on complaints with existing properties, and in enforcing codes and ordinances in the development of new properties.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. Word limits apply for each question. Direct references to opponents are not permitted.

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: September 29, 2009 11:19
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