The following is City Council District 3 candidate Berkley Blanks's complete response to our survey. Click here for the list of questions.
Berkley Blanks
• Date of birth: July 21, 1950
• Profession, or former profession if retired: Director of Security / American Hebrew Academy / Retired Greensboro Police Officer
• Previous political experience, if any: Past president North Carolina Law Enforcement Ass., Member NC Private Protection services Board since 2003, Currently Chairman Of Board past 2 years, Candidate for Guilford County Sheriff / 2002 and 2006
1. Greensboro has taken positive action to curb air pollution, but we must continue to look for areas of improvement. A recent study found that the average driver spends in excess of 40 hours per year sitting in traffic. We know that vehicle emissions are a major contributor to air pollution. Are we as a city doing all we can to eliminate traffic congestion? A car that is sitting still is getting “0” miles per gallon. Are all of our 4 way stop signs necessary? It’s a small thing, but it adds up. Are we utilizing mass transit to its fullest extent? (102)
2. They are all pieces of the puzzle…for example; new roadways should incorporate designated lanes for cyclist. This would eliminate retrofitting in the future as we have done along Spring Garden Street, Florida Street, and other locations. Bus service is based upon demand…but there is more we could do to promote bus patronage, especially in light of $3.00 per gallon gas. Light rail travel is difficult to justify due to the initial expense. We need to insure that alternatives such as “PART” are being fully utilized before we move on to bolder projects. (93)
3. Continue to recruit high tech and service industry jobs to the area. The mortgage crisis should be a concern for council members. Can we attract an entry level and mid level work force if we do not have affordable housing? (41)
4. Incentives must be considered on a case-by-case basis. I am not opposed to incentives, but the taxpayers should be assured of a return on their investment. Recent cases, such as Dell in Winston-Salem and Google in Lenoir appear to have been poor investments. (45)
5. By facilitating a qualified work force through education, affordable housing, and making Greensboro attractive to business and workers alike. (20)
6. More study needs to be applied to this issue. The motive may be good, but what happens when the small businessman is forced to move because he cannot afford the workforce? Is it better to make the federal minimum wage or risk being laid off? More information is needed. (50)
7. Take a look at our reservoirs. We are barely capable of supporting the water demands we have now. Annexation cannot be viewed as simply a means of increasing the tax base. We must put the potential new citizens first. Can we provide quality services in return for their tax dollar? At this point I say we cannot. The police force is spread too thin now. Fire is required to have a short response time to maintain accreditation. We should move cautiously in this area. (85)
8. I am not convinced the Heart of the Triad concept is beneficial to Greensboro. How are we going to require something to happen in an area which we as Greensboro do not control? There are too many variables to make it viable. I'm not a fan of the Domain mindset .It benefits developers but is a nightmare for the landowner and homeowner. (64)
9. Let the ongoing investigations be completed before rushing to judgment. It appears to be a complicated issue that requires thorough investigation. The City Council should release all pertinent information to the public that does not involve personnel issues in order to gain their trust. (45)
10. I do not support a public panel with subpoena power. The current system of internal investigation and the city Human Relations Committee works well. The citizens are well served by this system. (33)
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