We’ve been tracking the city government in Hudson over the last year. We sent questionnaires to every candidate for mayor and council. After reviewing the returned questionnaires, we chose candidates for endorsement that we believe will meet our goals of fiscal responsibility and accountability in government.

Our endorsed slate of qualified candidates in Hudson is as follows:
Craig Shubert, Ron Panaggio, Chris Foster, Skylar Sutton, and Beth Bigham.

Read their full questionnaire responses below.

Mayor of Hudson

As chairman emeritus of the Eagle Scout Association and a member of the City's Board of Tax Review, I am committed to and passionate about Hudson and its future. I will strive to bring out the best in our community and our residents in all that we do.

2. Please list your professional experience:: Diversified career portfolio in Communications (television news and print media), Marketing (consumer and durable goods), and Global Business Development (administration, finance, sales, marketing, operations, and logistics).

3. Please list your volunteering experience:: Member, Board of Tax Review, City of Hudson
Hospitality Ministry Leader, Saint Mary Catholic Church
Chairman Emeritus, Eagle Scout Association, Boy Scouts of America

Plus, numerous other roles with the ALS Association, Cleveland's Domestic Violence Center, and the Boy Scouts of America

4. Describe what qualities you think are most important to be a candidate for this office and explain how you’ve demonstrated those qualities.: The mayor must be a leader. And a friendly, approachable executive. As a leader, the mayor must set the tone and temperament of city operations that promote public health and safety, economic development, and financial restraint. As an executive, the mayor must listen to the concerns of the community and articulate those to City Council and staff. Additionally, the mayor must be an effective check-and-balance to Council's wayward actions. In the course of my media and business career, I have held various leadership roles in profit and non-profit organizations. My leadership style is professional, friendly, thoughtful, and considerate with open lines of communication. I can also be tough, but fair, in matters of principle.

5. Taking into account that your intended office is funded by taxpayers, please explain how you plan to make the office operate more efficiently.: The first tenant of good governance is listening to constituents. I will be an accessible mayor and residents will be able to voice their thoughts and concerns about proposed legislation before it is enacted. "Emergency" actions will be significantly reduced to ensure and open and transparent government. Residents will see their streets repaired and traffic problems reduced.

6. What are the top three issues you see in this race?: Fiscal responsibility and accountability, street repair and infrastructure improvements, and traffic congestion mitigation.

7. Government spending is a major issue in every community. Do you think Hudson’s current leadership is handling taxpayer money in a fiscally responsible way? Why or why not?: City leaders have squandered $30.0 million over the past 10 years. One third of that for the Youth Development Center property, which the city is now trying to sell because it failed to develop and execute a plan. Acquisition and renovation of the Pasco Building for the new City Hall represents another $7.1 million example of waste. A beautiful building, it is nearly two-thirds the size of the White House and double what Hudson needs. Renovation costs are roughly double the original estimate because of a pricey makeover of the president's office for the city manager and facility upgrades to glass walls and doors, instead of drywall. All of this while our streets and infrastructure are crumbling, and traffic snarls.

8. Are you for or against the City of Hudson’s Downtown Phase II development plan? Why or why not?: I have taken a neutral position on Phase II. More than 90% of voters with whom I have met want to see the area developed (better than an eyesore, they say), but opinions vary widely on 'what' should go there. Population density and traffic congestion concerns remain. The City has failed to deliver anything of substance to voters for its $10 million. A site plan sketch is not enough. The Windstream building is still an unknown as is a developer agreement. I believe the City needs to weigh alternative options because whatever goes in that 20-acre space will be there for the next 100 years.

9. Given the information available about the city’s chosen broadband provider, do you believe that taxpayers should continue to be responsible for the costs associated with municipal broadband access. Why or why not?: The City's expenditure of $3.85 million to deliver community-owned broadband service to 236+ customers is immoral when there are alternatives available. Velocity is struggling to stay afloat and the decision about incremental funding will come to a head before year's end. This enterprise is not sustainable with a payback of more than 60 years.

Hudson City Council Ward 1

2. Please list your professional experience:: I am currently the Director of Employee Relations - Manufacturing Operations for MTD Products in Valley City, OH. I have been in HR and Labor relations for the last 24 years. I have experience negotiating complex contracts with unions resulting in win/win outcomes. Prior to working in HR I worked as a general manager of a freight terminal after having been successful as an outside sales rep.

3. Please list your volunteering experience:: Junior Achievements, North Coast Job Seekers, American Corporate Partners, 91.3 the Summit and St. Mary’s Church in Hudson.

4. Describe what qualities you think are most important to be a candidate for this office and explain how you’ve demonstrated those qualities.: I think good public representatives need to be inquisitive, collaborative, able to express their ideas in a cogent and compelling manner, approachable, good listeners and have a strong desire to serve. I have consistently demonstrated these qualities as a business leader and manager. As an HR and Labor professional i had success negotiating union contracts and settling grievances. As a sales rep, I learned the importance of listening and working to meet a clients needs through respectful negotiations. My volunteer work speaks to my desire to help others and serve the great good.

5. Taking into account that your intended office is funded by taxpayers, please explain how you plan to make the office operate more efficiently.: I believe in fiscal responsibility which is the judicious use of limited resources to address the common good. I plan to be more transparent and accessible to residents and to hold public employees more accountable to using tax dollars in more prudent and responsible ways. I am highly opposed to the city being invested in broadband. I will respectfully challenge the manner in which the city manager allocates resources to invest in projects that don't appear to address the basic needs of the residents.

6. What are the top three issues you see in this race?: Velocity Broadband, Phase 2 development, Infrastructure /roads

7. Government spending is a major issue in every community. Do you think Hudson’s current leadership is handling taxpayer money in a fiscally responsible way? Why or why not?: NO. The Government Owned Broadband is a reckless pursuit of something that the residents don't want or need. General funds that should be directed to road repairs are being diverted to prop up this losing initiative. Also, the cost overruns on the new city hall have not been adequately explained. It is apparent that the council has simply trusted the city manager to run things with little accountability and they are now making excuses instead of being outraged.

8. Are you for or against the City of Hudson’s Downtown Phase II development plan? Why or why not?: I do support the second version with less density although I am concerned about how the Public/ Private arrangement is structured and what the financial obligation of the city will be as this project starts to develop. We need to hold the contractor responsible for providing accurate cost estimates but the bottom line is we need to start generating revenue from this project as soon as reasonably possible.

9. Given the information available about the city’s chosen broadband provider, do you believe that taxpayers should continue to be responsible for the costs associated with municipal broadband access. Why or why not?: I believe I essentially answered this question when I answered question 7, however, I think we should look at all the options available to divest ourselves of this boondoggle before any further damage can be done. This is a perfect example of the city council being to lazy to really understand what they were agreeing to when they voted to go down this path.

Hudson City Council Ward 2

Name: Chris Foster
Email: cfoster@cfoster.com
Office sought: Hudson City Council Ward 2

1. Please share pertinent background information about yourself:: I am a nearly lifelong resident of Hudson, having moved to Hudson in 1969 at the age of one. I was raised in Hudson schools and raised 3 children in those same schools. Over the course of my life, and 29 year marriage, my wife and I have lived in four homes in Ward 2. I attended college in Germany thanks to many years in German class in Hudson schools and several German exchange programs with our sister city in Bavaria. While there I earned a double major in Int'l Business and Int'l Marketing , and double minors in Accounting and Classic Germany Literature, over 3 years taking as many as 24 credit hours per semester to graduate in 6 total semesters. Throughout those years I worked part time cleaning windows at a department store, mornings and weekends, to make ends meet.

2. Please list your professional experience:: I hold a Bachelors of Business Administration in International Business and International Marketing. Additionally I am a Cisco Certified Network Professional in Routing and Switching, a Cisco Certified Design Professional in Wide Area Network Design, a security specialist, and hold high level certifications from Microsoft. I am a business owner, running Group Interest Enterprise Media (www.gie.net). We are a media business focused on business to business markets. I employ over 100 business professionals operating in 20 industries. My business was selected by Publishing Executive Magazine as the best media company to work for in the US.

3. Please list your volunteering experience:: My company donates nearly 10% of profits to charity. One of the larger recipients of that is the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, Harvest for Hunger, and the May Dugan Multi Service Center. Not only do we donate money, but we routinely volunteer at all of those centers sorting and handing out food, and delivering needed supplies to peoples homes. I have been a runner for many years, and cyclist just recently. I run in the Akron Marathon to support Akron Children's Hospital, the Cleveland Marathon in support of the YMCA and other charitable organizations, and cycled 193 miles over a weekend for the Cleveland Clinic Velosano event raising thousands of dollars myself for cancer research.

4. Describe what qualities you think are most important to be a candidate for this office and explain how you’ve demonstrated those qualities.: You need to know the history of Hudson. I have lived in this town most of my life. I remember when we were a village and township, and the promises that were made during that merger, many of which remain unfulfilled. I remember when we bought the Youth Detention Center property and why we bought it. Today Hudson has a robust environmental program but you need to know our history of dumping from our sewage treatment plant into streams surrounding us. It cost the city millions in penalties. You need to know the residential needs for a huge area in the city. If you name the ward 2 precinct, I have probably lived in it. You need to know the people. Between going to school here myself, the connections you making in school raising three children here, years of golfing at Lake Forrest Country Club, years of being members of the Congregational Church or growing up in the towns Methodist Church... I had no idea how many people I knew until I started knocking on doors. It has been a wonderful experience.

5. Taking into account that your intended office is funded by taxpayers, please explain how you plan to make the office operate more efficiently.: City Council is, essentially, an unpaid position. The stipend hardly covers gas you will use over a year driving between city meetings and to residents homes. Yet in addition to normally scheduled council meetings I intend on taking Friday off from my work schedule and working on Hudson City issues alone. I am a business owner, a father, a husband, a beekeeper, marathon runner, farm owner, I grow my own hops, I make my own cheese, I raise 500sq feet of fruit and vegetables in our greenhouse... I can do a lot with a day.

6. What are the top three issues you see in this race?: Faith in city council. The city has lost faith in councils honesty and no longer believes our council listens to its' constituents.
Fiscal constraint. We have become wasteful with taxpayer dollars and manipulative in our reporting to the residents.
Focus on infrastructure. We have been spending on 'wish list' items and forgotten that our city is responsible for the needs of its residents. We need to focus on our infrastructure first before building niceties for people visiting from out of town.

7. Government spending is a major issue in every community. Do you think Hudson’s current leadership is handling taxpayer money in a fiscally responsible way? Why or why not?: Our civic leaders have not been good stewards of our tax dollars. Our very own city recently promoted our new Town Hall project as coming in on budget. Yet when we bid the job we found out it would cost us at least $2 million more than anticipated. The bar was raised to the quoted levels, and thus the budget was re-set at the higher level. That doesn't mean you came in "on budget". It means you moved the goal posts.

8. Are you for or against the City of Hudson’s Downtown Phase II development plan? Why or why not?: I voted against Phase II simply because it was too big. I still believe it remains too big for the city. I do believe in developing that land for something other than a salt dome and bus depot, but I would like to see more green space in it. I would like to see half the office space. I would like to see a real density of 5 units or less per acre of residential development. Currently it is over 10.

9. Given the information available about the city’s chosen broadband provider, do you believe that taxpayers should continue to be responsible for the costs associated with municipal broadband access. Why or why not?: We are losing thousands a month in real dollars. The city says it is break even and in some months is profitable. That is true on a profit and loss statement, however when you are building a business that needs massive capital expenses which are not reflected on a profit and loss statement, you are still going to run out of money. We are nearly $4 million in the hole now. We have seen the available capital diminish by over $450,000 since February and the fund has $130,000 remaining as of this moment. That sounds like imminent bankruptcy. We should not be in this business. Given my background in business and technology, I am uniquely qualified to assist us as a community with this problem.

Hudson City Council Ward 3

No questionnaires received from either candidate, endorsement made on publicly available comments.

The material below is from the League of Women Voters Questionnaire and Mr. Sutton’s website.

Name: Skylar Sutton
Email: Skylar@SuttonForHudson.com
Office sought: Hudson City Council Ward 3
Training/Experience Project Management, Business Analysis
Education Bachelors of Science in Business Management (Operations Analysis) - University of Akron, Masters of Science in Information Technology (Artificial Intelligence) - University of Michigan

Velocity Broadband ($3.8M To Date)

As an IT professional, I recognize that high speed connections are important now and critical for the future. Having said that, internet connectivity is a 21st century utility… and Hudson still hasn’t completed the build out of it’s 18th century utilities. Much of Ward 3 still does not have water or sewer service, or adequate storm water management.

Similar to water and sewer, the city has ignored the eastern side of town, and it is unlikely that Ward 3 will ever get Velocity service.

Moving VBB accounting to a dedicated set of books was a step in the right direction, but the financial statements fail to reflect the millions of dollars spent from the general fund. Any future expansion should be denied unless it can be self-funded by VBB, with a priority on eastward expansion into Ward 3.

Downtown Phase II

I did not support the initial DP2 plan, and I challenge the notion that it should have been our top priority. The former YDC property has the potential to generate far more tax revenue than the DP2 property ever could, and should have been council’s primary focus.

While I think the “scaled back” DP2 plan is moving in the right direction, I still believe it is too dense and does a poor job at blending with the historic neighborhoods. I would rather see a focus on small lot “empty nester” housing in this area, and move all “Class A office space” discussions to the YDC property. Unfortunately it may be too late for that.

Hudson City Council Ward 4

My career has afforded me the development of skills in both the financial and business aspects of public service as well as in the ability to skillfully advocate for the citizens that I represent. I am a wife of 21 years to George and mother of two children who attend Hudson schools. Our family is invested in this community. Over the years, I have been an active volunteer in classrooms, with Hudson sports teams, on Hudson Community First Advisory Board and as a member of Leadership Hudson Class of 2018.

2. Please list your professional experience:: Healthcare Consultant/ President, Owner
Feb 2015- present: Medical Prophet, LLC
• Assist with strategic planning for healthcare facilities relative to construction projects and Joint Commission compliance and accreditation
• Deliver planning and risk management services to identify, monitor and mitigate healthcare construction project infection control risks
• Support continuous training and education for healthcare design and construction clients related to regulatory compliance
• Provide management and documentation of regulatory compliance throughout construction stages
• Collaborate and create construction critical-path schedules for client projects

Nurse Practitioner
Feb 2018- July 2018: Assurance Health / Psychiatric Management Services
• Provide psychiatric evaluation, medication management and treatment to adult patients both in the acute-inpatient and the extended-care environment.
• Service line was discontinued and outsourced in July 2018 for fiscal business reasons

2017 Speak Now for Kids Family Advocacy Day, Project Lead:
Feb 2017-July 2017: University Hospitals/Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital: Government Relations
• Acted as clinical expert and chief liaison among hospital staff, patient/family and Children’s Hospital Association in preparation for Washington, DC meetings with legislators and staff members on Capitol Hill
• Participated in the establishment of goal-setting and educational-needs assessment of participants and target audience
• Assisted with development and distribution of “talking points” and advocacy issue content
• Instructed and provided tools to optimize family engagement and to ensure positive experience

Part-Time Faculty
Spring Semester 2017: College of Nursing: Kent Campus, Kent State University
• Instructor of Health Care Policy & Delivery Systems: NURS 30070: Writing-Intensive
• Taught and facilitated relevant and timely health policy discussion groups, evaluated and modified online content, provided feedback and resources to enhance students’ writing abilities

Councilwoman, Ward 4
May 2016-current: City of Hudson, OH
• Provide fiscal management and budget approval
• Collaborate with fellow members in the legislative process and determination of policy
• Responsible for the appointment of city officials and members to various citizen boards, committees and commissions
• Serve as Board of Directors of all City of Hudson activities, legislation and actions
• Assist in local economic development opportunities
• Address and resolve resident issues
• Communicate ideas and vision to members of the community and to outside constituents

President/Owner
February 2015-June 2017: Medical Prophet, LLC
• Advanced Molecular Diagnostics distributor (genetics testing and predictive analytics)
• GeneID Sales Leadership Committee member
• Established vision, strategic planning and branding of Medical Prophet
• Led and established all business development policies and procedures, with training and implementation of policies across the sales force
• Managed distribution team in multiple locations across various states
• Led product selection, sales team selection and growth, revenue forecasting, and management of sales revenues and payments
• Provided essential start-up operations and ongoing financial controls
• Formulated competitor details and market analysis
• Created extensive market and product research of current and potential future products and services

Nurse Practitioner
March 2012-May 2017: University Hospital System: Streetsboro Urgent Care
• Provided holistic patient education and relevant anticipatory guidance
• Provided chronic disease management and diabetes education
• Offered strategic planning and best practice improvement opportunities for optimization of resources, staff, quality indicators and maximization of revenues and profits
• Communicated medical and patient care information, billing and provider data through and across a large health care network
• Provided comprehensive urgent care medical services to local community
• Performed DOT, bus driver, pre-employment, sports, and ROTC screening physical exams
• Conducted work-related injury exams and treatment, provided ongoing coordination and follow-up through symptom resolution or referral
• Provided clinical supervision and teaching of licensed and unlicensed clinical personnel
• Maintained and promoted client relations through efficient, skilled and compassionate care
• Served as clinical preceptor for Kent State University Nurse Practitioner students
• Participated in regulatory compliance and quality reviews

Nurse Practitioner
March 2010-November 2011: Access Medical Center: Urgent Care and Family Practice
• Provided comprehensive medical care spanning all ages including assessment of patient complaint, physical exam, evaluation of lab work and imaging modalities, supported patients with active listening, educated patient and family members, and made referrals to specialists
• Offered and developed strategic planning and vision, in concert with the owner/manager of the facility, utilizing medical expertise and experience in order to maximize efficiencies and profits
• Offered preventive health care exams and age/condition appropriate screening tests as indicated by evidenced based guidelines
• Performed DOT, school, city, camp, preoperative, and workplace physical exams
• Managed chronic illnesses in accordance with current evidence based treatment guidelines including diabetes and hypertension management
• Educated clients regarding weight loss and provided individualized treatment plans to reach
• Coordinated workplace injury evaluation, treatment, and management
• Provided clinical direction and leadership, while serving as a clinical resource for office staff
• Developed and managed work schedule for providers
• Offered and implemented new revenue streams and patient care opportunities

Nurse Practitioner (PRN)
November 2009-November 2011: Coastal Carolina University, Student Health Services
• Performed screening physicals, provided patient education, and administered urgent medical care to the college student population

Nurse Practitioner (PRN)
October 2005-October 2006: DHEC, Waccamaw, Public Health District
• Provided comprehensive care in the Family Planning Clinic
• Offered focused evaluation, education, and treatment in the STD clinic

Nurse Practitioner (PRN)
March 2005- September 2005: DHEC/APP II, Greenville, SC
• Provided comprehensive medical care in both a Family Planning and STD clinic

Nurse Practitioner
July 2001-May 2004: Carolinas Center for Advanced Mgmt. of Pain, Greenville, SC
• Evaluated and treated patients with chronic pain including patients with neurological pathologies and psychological comorbidities
• Partnered with managing physician to establish strategic plan and revenue improvement opportunities
• Offered education and treatment with multiple pharmacologic agents and/or therapies
• Initiated referrals to in-group anesthesiologists for selective nerve root blocks, epidural steroid injections, facet injections, neuro-ablation procedures, spinal cord stimulator trials, and intrathecal infusion pump implants
• Calculated intrathecal medication adjustments and refilled infusion pumps via sterile technique
• Served as patient liaison between multiple professionals including case managers, attorneys, primary care providers, workers’ compensation personnel, etc.

RN – Staff ED nurse
August 1999-November 2002: St. Francis Health System, Greenville, SC
• Triaged, performed and coordinated emergency nursing care of fast track, intermediate, and critical patients
• Contributed to successful Joint Commission survey

Graduate Research Assistant
September 1999- May 2000: Clemson University, Clemson, SC
• Assisted with research data input and analysis using Excel and SPSS software

RN – Staff ED nurse
July 1998 - January 2000: Anderson Area Medical Center, Anderson, SC
• Provided emergency nursing care in a Level 2 trauma center
• Maintained ACLS, PALS, and TNCC certifications

Clinical Research Coordinator
November 1998-January 2000: Hilltop-Medquest Research, Anderson, SC
• Initiated chart review, enrolled patients in pharmaceutical research studies, performed patient assessments, documented and reported adverse events, and coordinated follow up with Principal Investigator

RN – Traveling/Contract RN
January 1998-May 1998: Providence Hospital, Columbia, SC
• Managed post-cardiac intervention patients Providence Hospital, Columbia, SC

RN – Staff Neuro- Trauma ICU
January 1997-December 1997: Greenville Memorial Hospital, Greenville, SC
• Coordinated care of neurovascular surgical and trauma patients at a Level I Trauma Center

EDUCATION / TRAINING

2018-2019 Kent State University/Turner School of Construction Workshop Series
• Member of the nine-month series cohort group, a supplier-diversity initiative

2014-2016 Kent State University, Kent, Ohio
• Master of Business Administration; Healthcare Specialization
• Magna Cum Laude
Fall 2015 International Healthcare Study
• Global experience in multiple international healthcare organizations understanding the business model, practice processes and procedures, healthcare leadership skills, and international healthcare issues and opportunities
• Review of efforts to improve working conditions for healthcare staff
• Policy and strategic healthcare briefing
• International Committee of the Red Cross – Geneva, Switzerland
• Doctors Without Borders – Geneva, Switzerland

• International Labor Organization – Geneva, Switzerland
• World Health Organization - Geneva, Switzerland
• Global Fund – Geneva, Switzerland
• Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development – Paris, France
• Sanofi, S. A., Paris, France

1999-2001 Clemson University, Clemson, SC
• Master of Science; Family Nurse Practitioner
• Magna Cum Laude

1992-1996 Kent State University, Kent, Ohio
• Bachelor of Science in Nursing
• Cum Laude

3. Please list your volunteering experience:: COMMUNITY SERVICE

• Hudson City Council Ward 4 Representative
• Current Hudson Planning Commission Liaison, Former Park Board Liaison, Former BZBA Liaison
• Leadership Hudson Class of 2018
• Hudson Community First Advisory Board Member 2017-present
• Volunteer Camp Nurse: Camp Fitch YMCA 2017-2019
• Evamere School; weekly classroom volunteer (2014-2015)
• East Woods School; classroom language arts volunteer (2014)
• Cub Scouts, Hudson, Ohio Pack 3321; Awards Advancement Coordinator (2013)
• McDowell Elementary School; Weekly Math Tutor in 3rd grade classroom (2012-13)
• North Myrtle Beach Primary School, Parent Volunteer 2009-2011

4. Describe what qualities you think are most important to be a candidate for this office and explain how you’ve demonstrated those qualities.: The qualities of Accountability, Availability/Responsiveness and Honesty/Transparency are key attributes that are critical for high-performance in this role.
Through my relentless pursuit of fiscal responsibility, tireless advocacy on behalf of my constituents, and open collaboration with citizens and staff- I have demonstrated these qualities.

5. Taking into account that your intended office is funded by taxpayers, please explain how you plan to make the office operate more efficiently.: I dedicate time to studying both the problems and the potential solutions that impact our community. In addition, when called upon to make decisions and choose one path over another, I hold the interests of my fellow citizens in high regard. To my knowledge, I’m the only city council member who has put together a ‘Citizen Advisory Committee’. This group was formed because citizens asked for it. They have advised me on such topics as an ‘ERP system’ that city staff wanted and which would cost over $500k. With their input and my advocacy, we saved the citizens of Hudson almost half a million dollars on that one item alone. In the end, staff was able to find a solution that fit their needs for a tenth of the price.
In addition, I prefer to utilize a framework when making complex decisions and have encouraged my fellow council members to work in those terms as well. For example, evaluating policy or strategic decisions within a framework of cost-benefit analysis, ROI, resources/capabilities, and/or SWOT analysis allows me to go back later and “tell the story” of why we did what we did and explain the outcomes that we were driving towards. This also helps to keep council on the side of objective facts and not get lost down the trail of personal politics.

6. What are the top three issues you see in this race?: It will be imperative for those elected in November to work to restore the public's trust. We can do this through a reset of council priorities. We must return to excelling at what a municipal goverment is designed to do: such as maintenance of our roads, provision of public safety, and maintenance of our infrastructure. Again, the issues boil down to the Accountability, Fiscal Responsibility and Transparency of our leadership team.

7. Government spending is a major issue in every community. Do you think Hudson’s current leadership is handling taxpayer money in a fiscally responsible way? Why or why not?: I believe our current council has signficant room for improvement. Currently, we’ve got a voting majority on council who have said yes to nearly every expenditure that the staff and council can dream. They have taken us down a number of poor investment choices (Velocity Broadband), extravagant City Hall renovations, approval of Phase II before having any of the financial obligations determined and not to mention against the voting public's wishes---all with road improvements and maintenance items considered as an afterthought. The staff have recommended that council accept their plan of using long-term debt to fund road re-pavement and maintenance. Issuance of long-term debt is typically reserved for capital projects---like the building of a brand new road---not the repaving of a road. The poor condition of the roads is a perfect example of where misplaced priorities have led us. I believe we could trim each budget line item by 5-10% (excluding police and safety services) and see negligible negative outcomes while being able to use this savings to properly fund our road repairs and maintenance without having to issue more debt. The City Manager recently admitted that staff has never considered cost reduction as an option.

8. Are you for or against the City of Hudson’s Downtown Phase II development plan? Why or why not?: Like many in our community, I am excited to see the industrial-looking bus garage, salt dome and HPP building relocate from our downtown area. The voting public recently advised against proceeding with this development as described on the ballot language. After the public vote, city staff and council did collaborate with residents to make positive changes to both scale and density of the project. However, the vote to approve this development was prematurely brought to council.

I voted 'no' to the Downtown Phase II residential part of the project. There are a variety of reasons for my vote, but a key concern is the lack of a developer/financial agreement between the city and Testa developer. The terms and conditions, guarantees of performance, risks/exposures have yet to been realized. This leaves a large gap of risk that I, operating as the taxpayer's representative, am simply not comfortable in advancing. Although I am pro-development and want to see the opportunities that exist in our city be capitalized upon, this must be done in a way that makes the most sense and provides the largest benefit to all tax payers and citizens. If this is to be done, it is critical that we work in concert with the consent of our tax-payers and also with the preservation of the historic heritage and feel of our town.

9. Given the information available about the city’s chosen broadband provider, do you believe that taxpayers should continue to be responsible for the costs associated with municipal broadband access. Why or why not?: No, I do not believe it is in the taxpayers best interest to continue to subsidize Velocity Broadband. I have been a vocal opponent of this from my first days on Council. Historically, in other municipalities and as has been shown in our case, there is little to no possibility of a positive financial return on our investment. Technology advances quickly and the latest tech today becomes obsolete tomorrow. Private markets with large resources that can scale and spread costs over a large market are best positioned to invest in a rapidly changing technology field. Further, I simply don't believe a government entity, at any level, should compete with the private market.