Paso Robles City Council race: 4 questions for the candidates

Three candidates are running for two four-year seats on the Paso Robles City Council.

Incumbents Fred Strong and Steve Gregory are being challenged by Kevin Kreowski, a former business owner and retired U.S. Border Patrol agent who ran for Pismo Beach mayor in 2014 and lost by two votes.

Strong is running for a second term. Gregory was appointed to the City Council in 2014 to replace Steve Martin when Martin was elected mayor.

All three candidates were asked to respond to four questions, but, regrettably, Kreowski declined. Here are the responses from the other two candidates:

Q: What is the most important issue facing Paso Robles, and what would you do to address it in your first six months?

Gregory: Repairing our roads. We have a number of streets in disrepair that need attention, and we don’t have funding to repair them all this year. I will continue to direct our staff to apply our half-cent sales tax to repair our streets. And I will work with our city manager to accelerate our repairs this year by using the half-cent sales tax from the next fiscal year in addition to our current funds available.

Strong: I’m already addressing local control of transportation. I am, and have been, transportation committee policy chairman for the National Association of Regional Councils. I helped pass the FAST Act and recently introduced a measure to replace all transportation-related sales taxes and weight fees with a single fair tax on actual use of transportation infrastructure. Proceeds would be fairly apportioned to infrastructure jurisdictions. I’ve been championing local control over many issues for over a decade.

Q: Do you support the scheduled water rate increases, and why (or why not)? How do you respond to residents who want to vote separately on infrastructure projects and how to pay for them?

Gregory: I do support the scheduled water rate increases. We can only charge our citizens for the actual costs to provide water. It is against the law to charge more than it costs us. We are also having to replace a nearly 100-year-old water storage tank on the west side which is reflected in the new water rates. The City Council must make those tough decisions to keep our water system viable and safe, based on advice from staff, outside experts and members of the public. We did hold public hearings to discuss the projects we need to build and repair. We also will do all that is appropriate to reduce costs during the entire five-year period.

Strong: Yes. We’ve been deficit spending annually in the millions. We must break even on actual costs. We want input that is fact-based and knowledgeable. I want that as the elected representative of the people. I spend an average of 220 hours a month on these issues. I would be delighted to have other knowledgeable people spending appropriate time to help make decisions. That is why we hire experts to advise us before deciding these things.

Q: Do you think gang-related crime is a problem in Paso Robles? If so, what specifically should the city do now to address the problem?

Gregory: I believe there is a gang presence here in Paso Robles, and it is imperative that we counter that presence. However, I think our police chief and his department are doing a great job of keeping the gang activity to a minimum. As a matter of fact, the gang activity has reduced over the past couple of years. We also learned that the county Sheriff’s Department is adding another full-time staff person to help deal with the gang issues in the North County. In all likelihood, that officer will work out of our safety center here in Paso Robles.

Strong: Less so than in most jurisdictions. We have been addressing this effectively for decades. We have had multiple special task forces within the public safety network staying on top of symptoms, causes, developing solutions and implementing them as resources are available. We’re addressing drugs and graffiti as elements of this potential problem. There are those creating fear of a problem that is as under control as our laws allow. All citizens have equal rights until they break the law.

Q: If Proposition 64 passes and recreational marijuana is legalized, should the city regulate marijuana sales and how?

Gregory: Our City Council has decided to use the public process to determine those regulations if and when this proposition should pass. We will have public hearings and workshops to discuss all of the regulations and policies for uses and sales inside our city.

Strong: This is a complex issue due to various uses of the substance. Medical use is distinct from recreational use. We must have protection for the health and safety of our residents. I believe local health and safety controls are better than state controls. I’ve been actively protecting that for a number of years and will continue to do so. We’ve already provided for knowledgeable citizen input to the council on aspects of this, depending upon the voters’ decision in November.

This story was originally published October 7, 2016 at 5:14 AM with the headline "Paso Robles City Council race: 4 questions for the candidates."