| 1. Should local taxing bodies have input on the ITEP program? Why or why not?
| Absolutely, local taxing bodies should have input on the ITEP process as these local taxing bodies are impacted by revenue provided and removed as a result of ITEP decisions. |
| 2. How should law-enforcement agencies be held accountable to the city and its residents?
| Yes, Law-enforcement agencies are required by the plan of government to protect and serve the public. Therefore, they should be held accountable to the city government and residents of East Baton Rouge Parish. |
| 3. How do you plan to address the discrepancies of public investment around the city, including economic investment, access to primary health care in north Baton Rouge, and issues of blight?
| As a mental health provider, I fully support the expansion of the number of physical and mental health beds across our parish. These investments should be located in areas of most in need. I also support small business development programs targeting areas of our community where job are needed, by offering incentives to businesses to locate and hire in underdeveloped areas and ensuring that small businesses have access to city contracting opportunities. I also believe the City should create a mentor protege program that matches small businesses with larger businesses for mentoring and growth opportunities. |
| 4. How will you address parish-wide flooding?
| As a Candidate in District 4, I fully support the full completion of the Comite Diversion Canal Project. I also will hold city government accountable for ensuring that drains, canals, and ditches are cleaned and maintained on a regular basis. Lastly, we must utilize the data collected in the Storm Water Drain/Water Management Plan to make decisions as it relates to our drainage system and how and where we build and where water flows.
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| 5. What steps would you take to ensure adequate oversight of agencies with dedicated funding to prevent overspending of taxpayer dollars by those agencies?
| There are currently auditing and review processes that are performed in City Government by the Finance Department to ensure that tax dollars are spent on the designated purposes, as outlined in the budget or as determined by the ballot language. These dollars should only be spent for those purposes. |
