1. What is the single most important issue in your ward?
2. What is the best thing to happen in your ward in the past five years?
3. What is the worst thing to happen in your ward in the past five years?
4. How does the continuing decline in population affect your ward?
5. What does the City of St. Louis do well?
6. What must the City of St. Louis do better?
7. Do you support city-wide historic preservation review?
8. Do you support Great Streets projects such as South Grand between Arsenal and Utah, an effort to make city streets more pedestrian friendly?
9. Do you support the City of St. Louis re-entering St. Louis County as an independent municipality?
10. Whether or not the city re-enters the county, should"county" offices be appointed rather than elected?
11. Twenty-eight alderman once represented 856,000 city residents. Today, 28 aldermen represent 319,000 residents. How many Alderman do you believe are needed to represent the residents of the City of St. Louis?
12. How can you/the city support small business development and expansion?
13. What role do large employers play in our city?
14. What should St. Louis do to retain large employers and encourage others to relocate here?
15. What is the proper use of tax increment financing (TIF)? Is there a proper use?
16. Is eminent domain ever warranted?
17. Do you support local control of the city police department?
18. Do you support Prop E and the continuation of the 1% city earnings tax?
19. Does the earnings tax provide a substantial disincentive for businesses and individuals to locate in the city?
20. Should the city eventually abolish the earnings tax?
This is a public call for candidates in contested races in the upcoming April 5, 2011 general election to answer questions important to residents of the City of St. Louis and nextSTL.com readers. The 20 questions above were posted Monday, March 28. Responses by aldermanic candidates will be posted on nextSTL.com prior to Tuesday, April 5. Responses will be received until Sunday, April 3. Responses that omit any questions will not be posted. All responses should be sent to [email protected].
