From Deseret News archives:

Candidate questionnaire — Leslie Benns

Published: Friday, Sept. 30, 2005 1:42 p.m. MDT
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Question 1: Mayor Rocky Anderson has said the city needs to increase its 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: We managed to add ten new police officers this year without raising taxes. I would hope we could add ten per year to get us closer to the needed level. Right now, the police are receiving more than double the number of calls per officer than they did thirty years ago. This is resulting in diminished services. If we want to increase those services, we will have to be willing to pay for that.

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?

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Answer: I'm excited about the LDS church's recent development plans in downtown and look forward to seeing the plan in full. I believe we can satisfy both the needs of the non-LDS convention goers and residents while at the same time honoring the flagship role the LDS church plays in this community. I would also like to see the development of the proposed culture block south of the LDS-owned property as well as full transportation services including light rail, automobile with accessible and affordable parking, as well as busses and taxis in that area so people can take advantage of the employment, retail, entertainment and residential opportunities. I'm committed to a community that works for everyone.

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?

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