Thursday's Internet Edition, October 05, 2006.

CAMPAIGN 2006
Candidates attend on-air forum

By Rachael Ackerman

Herald Editor - It was time to be put on the spot, on the air, for the six Galt City Council candidates as the League of Women Voters hosted their annual candidates forum on Saturday, broadcasting live on Channel 14, the government affairs cable channel.

Responding to questions asked by local media representatives, the panel addressed issues concerning the voters of the city in a round-robin format, rotating which of the six would answer each question.

In their free statements, one before questions were asked and one after, candidates were allowed to present themselves to the audience.

Candidate Don Haines opened by saying he does not feel that the citizens of Galt are being heard by council and that he has ‘great concerns’ that the city is being pushed a direction not consistent with the desires of the people.

Marylou Powers opened by saying she has a ‘proven record’ of good business practices and that she is not afraid to ‘get her feet wet’ over critical issues facing the city. She said she wants to see growth occur in ‘logical order’ and at a pace where services can keep up with demand.

Andrew Meredith said he came home from serving as a soldier in Iraq ‘intent on making a difference’ in his hometown. He said he wants to give a ‘voice’ back to the regular citizen and will have an open door policy for all to take part in moving the city forward.

Incumbent Darryl Clare asked for the voters to allow him to continue all of the good work started in his first four-year term, saying he will continue to make public safety one of his ‘main focuses.’

Incumbent Randy Shelton also cited public safety issues as his number one priority, saying he hopes to continue bolstering the police department and the safety committee he started when first elected four years ago.

Incumbent Tom Malson said, in addition to continued focus on public safety issues, he would also make getting the city’s infrastructure, water, sewer and roads improved, and to keep the city at a manageable 3.5 percent growth rate.

When asked about the city’s general plan, each was ready for answers to three separate questions. Do you favor the Del Webb project? Why has the general plan update taken this long? Do you support the urban reserve designations for up to 3,000 acres of land identified in the city’s proposed expanded sphere of influence?

Malson and Clare explained that the update process had been lengthened in order to conduct a series of at least 16 meetings where the public was invited to contribute. Malson said that the laws involved in updating a city’s general plan have changed in recent years and that making decisions without all of the information the long process has produced would have been irresponsible.

Clare said that, all through the process, ideas and alternatives have been continually reduced to the point of having the working option before council at this time.

Meredith said he feels qualified to jump into the general plan update process because he will listen to what the citizens want done; he said that current council’s continued push for the Del Webb project to the north and west of current city limits is a ‘pretty good’ indication that council is not listening to the majority of people who responded against the project in a survey issued by the city.

Shelton and Powers agreed with the city’s proposed sphere of influence, saying they felt the city should bring in all of the land possible in order to maintain control of its development and to keep Sacramento County or the city of Elk Grove from taking over development control of the acres surrounding the city.

Shelton also agreed with assigning land use designations to all of the land in the proposed SOI, saying he would listen to the landowners about what they would like to see done with their properties.

Haines opposed the SOI, saying the city does not need that much land and that it should focus on securing the proposed retail corridor down Highway 99 north of Twin Cities, just not all the way to Arno Road. He said the city should leave a buffer between Galt and Elk Grove, not assigning land use designations for anymore of the land than can be planned for and used in the next 20 years.

Meredith said he agrees with some of the SOI expansion, saying he agrees with the Highway 99 corridor retail strip, but that he wants to see a more permanent greenbelt between Galt and Elk Grove.

The panel unanimously agreed with continued creation of gang and drug task force and police department programs.

Each cited the success of the reinstated Special Team Enforcement Program (STEP) and each said more should be done at the community and education level to further ebb the tide of increasing gang activity in the city.

Meredith said he was opposed to recent developer fee deferrals for a new cinema complex, saying that council could have, and should have, used those fees to hire additional full-time police officers.

In terms of economic development, each candidate agreed that the city needs a greater retail sales tax base; they differed, however, on how to get it.

\Powers said the city has to ‘bump up’ its business opportunities in order to provide more fire and police for continued growth. Clare said his number one concern for the immediate future is to create a general plan that will create economic sustainability within the city after growth and developer dollars cease to flow.

Haines and Meredith questioned whether or not the city’s existing small businesses could survive if a big box retailer, such as Wal Mart or Target, located in town, saying there would be definite benefits to having such a discount retailer that would have to be carefully studied, to ensure there would be no retail overlapping, and that a proposal would have to be weighed against the impact that type of business would have.

Shelton said he would have to see a big box development package and determine if it was a good one, and whether or not the people approved.

In closing, each candidate described why voters should choose him or her for council in Campaign 2006.

Haines said that, if the people re-elect sitting council members, the SOI will expand and the population in Galt will rise without proper services and infrastructure in place to handle the growth, saying this election cycle would have impacts on the future of Galt for many years to come.

Powers said she would endeavor to see the city grow the ‘way everyone wants to see it grow,’ and that her number one goal would be to increase the tax base in Galt for better services and infrastructure all around.

Meredith promised a speedy end to the growth issue, saying the general plan update focus needs to be put back on a 20-year plan, not as he described current general plan update proceedings as a 100-year plan, and that he would always base his decisions on the voice of the people who elect him.

Clare described achieving his first term goal of extending Galt’s name, needs and voice at the regional level, citing conferences and regular contact established with both the state and federal offices that represent Galt on broader issues of governance and finance, particularly related to the city’s C Street overpass situation. Per Clare, Galt is now ‘in the room and represented.’

Shelton pledged dedicated service to continued public safety improvements and improved infrastructure to support the necessary growth Galt is facing.

Malson thanked everyone for his first four years of service, saying he takes the responsibility very seriously and would like the opportunity to continue the projects council has worked on thus far in forwarding the city in all areas.

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The Galt Herald
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604 No. Lincoln Way
Galt, CA 95632
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Last updated on 25-November-2006