1. What do you think the Asheville Police Department should do to improve community policing that would enhance the safety of communities vulnerable to hate crimes (including race, gender and sexual orientation)?
I do not support entertaining a special category of rights for groups of similar individuals. I only support the protection of individual rights. It is the proper role of government to protect individual rights, including property rights, and the safety of all citizens of Asheville without regard to their membership in any special elevated group. However, local law enforcement must be trained to fully understand what this means in the daily discharge of their duty. It means a dispassionate and vigilant pursuit of peacekeeping and equal treatment and protection against harm regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation or any other differentiated segment of society.
2. Would you support eliminating automobile traffic from one of Asheville’s major downtown streets and converting this street into a pedestrian mall (similar to the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, CO)?
This is something I would support but we don’t have the money. We would need to accommodate parking in surrounding areas and pay for construction, signage, traffic studies and staff time. The schedule just for repaving streets extends 81 years. New sidewalk construction is being entirely financed by debt.People prefer driving automobiles over other modes of transportation and paving streets would be my priority in the near term. If Asheville could outsource a majority of basic city services through a public/private partnership form of government, the efficiencies and savings gained would then allow us to move to second tier priorities. And I would favor the use of any surplus funds for a pedestrian mall only upon consensus from the whole community through a referendum process.
3. If elected, what are the three most important things you want to accomplish during your four year term on City Council?
1) To maintain consistent and vigorous control of over-regulation; 2) to reduce the size and scope of local government to its essentials; and 3) to encourage city government to move toward the use of private industry in providing services, leading to better services, greater responsiveness and lower costs.
4. Who are the five largest contributors to your campaign thus far, and how much did each contribute?
I have filed with the Board of Election as a campaign that will not spend over $1,000 and the contributions I receive are not subject to campaign finance disclosure or public review.
5. Do you support President Obama’s initiative to build the foundation for a green energy economy, tackle the issue of climate change and protect our environment? Explain why or why not.
The theory of global warming has been proven false and, either way, I would not support any initiative by the any government to interfere in the economy. So-called “green energy” has not been proven viable, cannot drive the energy marketplace and is not demanded by consumers. We live in a modern global industrial society and our current energy needs demand the use of oil, which is plentiful and cheap for the long term. Until an alternative can be developed by the private sector without forcible taxpayer subsidies, we must and should rely on oil. Environmental protections under prevailing conditions will require maximum economic freedom and continued technological advancement and this will only be achieved by free minds and free markets, not by government mandates, redistribution of wealth and special interest lobbying.
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