Michael Glaspie, Candidate for Mayor

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1. Term Limits Committee – please respond by March 4, 2021

Last Summer a Term Limits Advisory Committee was named and then fast-tracked recommendations to the city council within only four meetings and over 13 hours of deliberation between July 14 and July 28. Do you have an opinion about this whole situation? Do you have an opinion about the outcome? Why or why not?

Since the committee reported that it had reached a consensus, the Council should have taken the recommendations under advisement.  The good thing is that whatever the final recommendation, nothing can be done without the ultimate approval of the citizens. I am comfortable with the status quo,  knowing the voters will ultimately dictate how long the Mayor and Council can serve.

 

2. Sales Tax – please respond by March 11, 2021

This past November voters passed a measure to increase the sales tax another ¼ cent to 8.25% for the funding of an Economic Development Corporation (EDC). Seemingly wild claims were made, selling voters on this. What are your thoughts on the EDC's purpose and the tax? Why?

The EDC establishes a group of Arlington citizens who are vested in our community to focus on assessing economic opportunities for the City and monitoring progress of those that have been approved. It adds a level of accountability to ensure the right resources have been invested in projects that benefit our City. There are well-defined guidelines that are used to determine the potential economic viability of a project for the City. If a project is approved, these guidelines provide a standard for measuring its success. The vast majority of the projects that have been approved by the City Council in the past have met and often exceeded the defined standard. This results in additional tax revenue the City can use to provide more services to our citizens while keeping our taxes low. We will have a group of dedicated citizens who are advocates for identifying the right economic opportunities in our city.

Finally, the additional 1/4 cent tax will provide more funds to fuel better services for our citizens.  Additionally, over 50% of this sales tax revenue comes from outside Arlington. This allows the citizens of Arlington to benefit from "other folks money" as we continue our trek to become the "American Dream City" for all.

 

3. Density – please respond by March 18, 2021

How do you feel about changing commercially zoned properties to multi-family zoned properties? What if the area already contains many, many apartments such as southeast Arlington in the Hwy 360 corridor? How do you feel about RMU (Regional Mixed Use) zoning and its potential 100 units/acre? Why?

I am reluctant to change commercially zoned properties to multi-family for two reasons.  First, commercially zoned properties have the potential for attracting businesses that would continue to diversify our tax base and provide more tax revenue to deliver even higher levels of service to our citizens while helping to lower homeowner taxes.  Secondly, we must be careful about apartment development because we have many apartments presently.  Any other multi-family developments need to be closely studied and justified for their need and fit for Arlington.  RMU's should lead to significant economic development in an area.  A development in such a zone should be carefully analyzed to ensure it addresses the needs of the area.

 

4. Transportation – please respond by March 25, 2021

VIA's December 2019 contract renewal has increased the geographical coverage area to 41% (and is available to 49% of the population) of the city. Meanwhile, the contract was to be paid at a rate of 53% by Arlington taxpayers (general fund), 31% by Federal Grant, and 16% by the people taking the rides. Currently CARES funds are paying for VIA, but that will eventually stop. When things return to “normal” funding, let's assume that the Federal Grant will cover 25%. At that time, what should be the pricing structure between the general fund and riders? Why?

This is a very thought-provoking question.  Before answering, I would like to make note of a recent conversation I had with a citizen who acknowledged the benefit of having a public transportation system but was concerned about the potential cost implications.  I agree with the need and have similar concerns about the costs.  I believe it is incumbent on us to define a cost structure that is not a burden on taxpayers.  The operation of the system should provide a return on the investment of any precious funds that are allocated to support it.  Additionally, we should exhaust every available federal and state resource to help fund a public transportation system.  At this point in time, I do not have a definitive answer to what the pricing structure should be.  To be sure, if I am elected mayor, I will assume a leadership role in expanding transit options, making sure that pricing reflects a return on taxpayer investment that our community can accept.

 

5. Corporate Welfare – please respond by April 1, 2021

The City Council has given away millions of dollars and/or potential revenues to companies to encourage development. At what point has there been enough encouragement and the taxpayers, and lowering tax rates, should become a higher priority? Why?

There are several tools the City uses to recruit and retain businesses to spur economic growth and create jobs for the citizens of Arlington. These tools are used to quantify these business opportunities and assess the probability of their success. Typically, an area to be developed has limited tax value whereas the development of these sites leads to enhanced value and significant tax revenue. The use of a tool such as an abatement will still leave significantly more tax revenue than the site remaining undeveloped. It boils down to a percentage of something is better than all of nothing. Additionally, it offsets the tax burden of the residential property owner. 

 

6. Communications – please respond by April 8, 2021

If a constituent emails you a question or comment on an issue about which you disagree and asks you for a response, will you respond to the constituent? Why or why not?

First of all, I value the input and perspective of each citizen. Because of the potential number of ideas that are being presented, I may not be able to answer each individual disagreement but would want to share why I might have a different perspective. We need the input of our citizens to define and resolve issues in our community. I plan to make myself available as much as possible to hear and respond to concerns.

 

7. Issue – please respond by April 15, 2021

What is the most important issue the city council is currently facing? Why?

The most pressing challenge is to get this pandemic under control and eliminate its impact on our community.  This challenge is closely tied to getting our economy thriving again to grow and expand.  This provides great opportunities for all and positions us to be the vibrant community to live out our individual dreams.  It is important to rid ourselves of the pandemic to establish some sense of normalcy.  Our economy must recover and grow for us to sustain a great quality of life.