League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Santa Clara County, CA November 6, 2012 Election
	Jeannie Bruins Answers Questions Candidate for Council Member; City of Los Altos

The questions were prepared by the Leagues of Women Voters of Santa Clara County and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. What experience related to city government would you bring to the City Council?

I bring Experience, Leadership and Integrity. I have a wealth of experiences to draw from. Sixteen years at HP managing worldwide responsibilities in the Customer Support Organization. Managed process engineering, sw development, education development & delivery, and multi million dollar budgets. Sixteen years of leadership roles in many local non-profits, serving as Treasurer, Vice Pres., President of organizations such as Community Services Agency, Friends of Stevens Creek Trail, MVLA High School Foundation, LAEF and more. Two years on the Planning Commission plus 3 years as co-chair of a City Council appointed task force.

I will bring fresh ideas, a willingness to listen, and an ability to make decisions is a fair and open way.

2. What concerns are of particular importance to the city and how would you address them?

Effective, Meaningful Community Engagement - We need to improve our outreach to the community at large. I want to begin by leveraging the informal neighborhood groups that exist and encouraging the development of others. This would allow the City to reach out and invite input on projects, encourage neighborhoods to share ideas and solutions, strengthen our ability to respond in case of an emergency, etc. There is a plan to overhaul our website, but we need a process that involves a cross-section of our community to define the user needs and wants. Imagine a website where you put in your address and push pins come up showing you were projects are located. You then click on a pin and project info pops ups. The opportunities are plentiful.

Vibrant Business Districts - Economic vitality is important in all our districts and, for some, social vibrancy is equally important. Our downtown serves as the heart of our community. We need a vision and master plan that includes our downtown, community center, and civic center. I support a community-wide planning process that allows us to define and protect our village character, enable economic vitality and social vibrancy -- a process that enables us to envision the possibilities and develop a roadmap to achieve the outcome we want.

Safe, Convenient Streets - We need transportation solutions that serve multiple generations and all modes of transportation. I am committed to a neighborhood-focused approach that involves stakeholders early, from problem definition through to solution identification.

Fiscal Accountability - Prudent financial management is required to balance needs and desires as well as immediate and long-term priorities, all while ensuring a balanced budget. Quality of public service for residents, maintenance of community assets and infrastructure, investments in our future, protection from economic downturns, must all be considered.

3. How would you balance the needs of the city as a whole with groups’ interests?

As a member of City Council I will strive to make decisions that are in the best interest of the city as a whole. I am committed to keeping an open mind, evaluating every idea on its merits, and examining the cost-benefit analysis.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. Please answer each question in no more than 400 words. 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: October 24, 2012 19:25
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