Candidate questionnaire — Carlton Christensen

Question 1: Mayor Rocky Anderson has said the city needs to increase it's police force by 90 officers by 2010. In order to do that he will need the City Council to allocate the funding needed for these new officers. Adding that many more officers will be wildly expensive for the city and may require tax increases. As a council member will you support adding so many more officers to the force? Would you support tax increases for more police officers?

Answer: I would be willing to add additional officers but it may be unrealistic to do 90 by 2010. However I think it is an admirable goal and worth working towards it. If in multiple years, no progress could be made in achieving that goal, I would be willing to consider raising taxes, but only after I felt that prioritizing spending couldn't achieve the same goal.

Question 2: Downtown remains a concern for many residents. Do you feel the city is doing the right things to help revitalize downtown? What would you do as a council member to help downtown?

Answer: I think we are heading in some good directions and frankly, it will be an ongoing effort. Our downtown has more going for it than many in the U.S. and there are many aspects that we should feel very proud and comfortable in the direction it is going. I think we've made some good progress with the addition of the Gateway and many other projects. We are fortunate to have institutional investors, like the LDS Church that are committed to making it better and who are willing to invest private dollars for the benefit of the general public.

Question 3: One of the biggest issues in District 1 is the neighborhood conflicts that arise between Spanish-speaking immigrants and long-time locals. Do you think the city is doing enough to help solve this problem. As a council person how would you help solve this issue.

Answer: There is always more we can do and the city has a significant role, but not the only role. As a council member, I believe that we could better use our resources in being more collaborative to other state and local agencies, including the school district to better achieve the goals that need to be obtained. The area in District 1 has a long history in welcoming different groups to the United States, from post World Ward II with those coming from Europe, to the 70's with those coming from Asia as refugees from the Vietnam War. The demographics will undoubtedly change but the situation is not much different than the German population that came to the U.S in the 19th Century and the issues that accompanied them. Today 40% of Americans have German heritage and we are all the better for it. I believe the same will be true for the Spanish speaking immigrants of today. They have and will continue to contribute much to our community and we should work together to make that a more positive transition.