SF.Elections.FrankMontano

Frank Montano Candidate for Mayor For the purposes of this forum, sponsored by Voices of Santa Fe, candidates were requested to focus on the core issues they believe are facing Santa Fe. Additional comments sent by the candidate on their background, motivation, etc. are found after the section on Core Issues. Core Issues Water and Growth Santa Fe continues to attract more and more people. This growth has not been managed adequately. And by the year 2040, Santa Fe will not have enough water to serve it's citizens unless we act now, planning for both the short- and long-term. My proposals: Strongly emphasize water conservation. Act to encourage water harvesting and drought-tolerant landscaping. 25% of our city's water (40% during peak seasons) currently goes to landscape watering. Work with the federal government to secure new water supplies for the decades to come. Establish a water budget to match building permits to available water supplies, as a reasonable short-term approach. Provide for affordable housing as growth does occur, so we and our children can continue to live here. Ensure that infill development follows a master plan, working with those affected and ensuring that developments actually meet zoning requirements. Annex and master-plan large packages of land, rather than annex piecemeal, so that sprawl is limited and so that city residents can be involved in the planning process. My record: Consistently supported water conservation measures. Introduced the ordinance requiring water collection systems for new residential and commercial construction. Insisted on cleanup of the Baca St. well by PNM. Pushed for a new, functional city water billing system. Co-sponsored the original ENN ordinance requiring neighborhood notification and involvement in zoning and development decisions. Water Housing and Jobs We must ensure that Santa Fe remains a place where we and our children can afford to live. This means support for affordable housing and development of well-paying jobs. My proposals: Annex land for planned development of a mix of housing, along the Tierra Contenta model. Ensure that development provides for a mix of owned and rental, a mix of income levels, and facilities for people to work, shop and play near where they live. Emphasize "economic gardening" - helping existing businesses in Santa Fe to create quality jobs, instead of trying to bring in large subsidy-hungry employers from elsewhere. Keep infrastructure requirements for new developments up to date with current technology. My record: Helped originate and sponsored the Tierra Contenta concept of planned private development for a mix of incomes. Introduced the Housing Opportunity Program, requiring an affordable housing component in all new developments. Sponsored the Economic Incubator, which provides office space for startup businesses. Pushed for increased city funds for economic development. Co-sponsored the proposed Living Wage ordinance, to begin the process of ensuring that jobs here pay enough to live here. Communications, Cooperation and Leadership What exists now is lack of leadership from the mayor and a revolving door for city managers. Santa Feans deserve better than this from their city government. My proposals: Encourage professionalism and continuity - hire qualified people and hang onto them. Hire the next city manager according to qualifications and hiring criteria developed by the entire council, and expect the manager to do the job for 4 years. Emphasize improved communication among mayor, council, manager and staff, leading to better city employee morale. Encourage city/county cooperation, including regular meetings between the two governments at all levels. Make public safety a priority by hiring the 18 police officers that taxpayers voted to fund, but that have yet to be hired after more than two years. My Record: Supported improved wages and benefits for city employees to attract the best people to city government. Supported unionization of city employees for as long as on council, even before the 1995 state mandate. Created a cooperative atmosphere as chair of city/county Extraterritorial Zoning Authority, leading to passage of the Mountain Ordinance which preserves scenic and environmentally sensitive ridge-tops and escarpments from development. Co-sponsored allocation of tax revenue for hiring of extra police officers and supported building and staffing the south-side fire station. Youth, Social Services and Education The mayor must lead efforts to preserve and enhance the quality of life here in Santa Fe. This includes providing for our seniors and our youth and making sure such services are available in the rapidly-expanding parts of the city. My proposals: Build a new senior center on the South Side. Establish a daycare center for children from low-income families, currently being planned in cooperation with St. Elizabeth Shelter. Build the long-promised new public library in the southwest region of the city. Hire a full-time lobbyist to fully take advantage of existing state and federal programs. My record: Consistently pushed for funding for youth, social services and education. Led council in supporting and building the Genoveva Chavez Community Center. Sponsored the creation of the transit system and consistently supported since. Secured funding for property for new Youth Consortium, to consolidate and promote youth programs. Sponsored the original skateboard park. Introduced bond issue for land for La Familia Medical Center, and supported funding increases for the center's operation. Co-sponsored dedication of part of gross receipts tax for school programs and supplies. Further Comments by the Candidate Today, our Santa Fe is at a crossroads. We must both maintain those aspects of our city that we love and plan thoughtfully for our immediate and long term needs. Frank Montano For Mayor Dedicated & Ready to be Santa Fe's Mayor Frank's experience makes him uniquely qualified to be Mayor of Santa Fe. His ability to listen to citizens and work for their well-being is what will make him a great mayor for Santa Fe's future. A Santa Fe native, Frank is the son of E.A. and Lila Montano. He is a graduate of St. Michael's High School and attended the College of Santa Fe. A local businessman, Frank owns Fiesta Tours. Frank has served Santa Fe as a City Councilor, representing District 3, since 1990. He has served as Mayor Pro Tem and was chair of the Extraterritorial Zoning Authority for 5 years. He has chaired the Finance Committee and presently serves on the Ethics and Rules Committee. Frank Montano will bring integrity, honesty and caring to the office of mayor. He understands the needs and concerns of our residents. No matter the difficult choices ahead, Santa Feans will always know where Frank stands. Frank Montano for Mayor, P.O. Box 2984, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87592 Telephone: 913-1016 Email: Frank4Mayor@aol.com We will continue to update our information on the candidates, and plan to sponsor additional dialog, and possibly interviews for this election. If you would like to assist in keeping these pages updated, organize candidate meetings, or have other ideas for supporting democracy in our local community, please contact The Global Dialog Project at valor@global-dialog.org