Candidate Q&A: Rick West

What makes you the best candidate for City Council?

I have experience in both the public and private sectors. I have the ability to lead, to form consensus, to be decisive, and to be compassionate.

What should be the city's top priority now, and how can it be achieved?

To exercise fiscal responsibility in a prudent, enlightened, and educated manner. We can achieve this by holding all elements of city government accountable through vigilant planning and monitoring of city revenues and expenditures.

What do you think will be the city's most pressing issue in 10 years, and how can the city prepare for it?

Like most cities in this country our most pressing issue continues to be an aging infrastructure. The wise way to prepare for it is to provide incentives to schools and city departments to save portions of unused funds that could be earmarked for our future capital budget.

How do you respond to complaints that city leaders put developers’ interests ahead of residents’ needs?

Developers do not create a demand for housing in Chesapeake. The demand is a result of an increasing job base and the quality of life we have to offer. It is up to us as city leaders to ensure that quality of life in protected by planning and budgeting for the growth that we hope to achieve.

Cite one vote by a majority of City Council that you disagreed with in the past year and why.

The City Council failed to fund adequately public safety positions and salaries.

Should the city and state raise more money to pay for transportation projects? If yes, how?

Yes, there are numerous economic and safety benefits that accompany many of these transportation projects. We should mandate our state legislators to find a way to support these projects. A failure to do so is both unwise and shortsighted. It will take great leadership at all levels of government to reduce regulations, bureaucracies, and the overall size of government. Until we accomplish this we will continue to experience shortfalls in revenues for needed projects like transportation.