Education

The biggest issue for me in UA is preserving a good education system. Affordable senior housing would come next. At the state and national level I am most interested in health care reform.

I'd like to see UAPA modestly advocate for the school levy. If we are too obvious about our support it may taint the levy for the majority UAconservatives who might otherwise support it on behalf of their self interests. The council race maybe a tough choice for me.

Regarding the State and national situations: We are very sorely in need of major change. We need a revolution of sorts. The State of Ohio needs education reform desperately. Education funding is unfair and unequal, and nothing short of whoesale change will fix it. I have plenty of ideas for how to accomplish funding reform but the most critical part of the puzzle is convincing the citizenry that the status quo is unacceptable. Tying school funding to property values is inherently unequal and can only result in descrimination , perpetuation of prejudices, and the downward spiral of school districts in economically disadvantaged areas.....We need to ensure that our children will be able to hold their own against their own generation's rising stars around the world. Right now we're failing in that area and it has to be turned around by making them into creative and smart people who can innovate and excel in all areas of expertise. This can only be accomplished through education reform.

Difficulty finding useful election information

There is little information about where these candidates really stand other than letters to the editor extolling them and a few ansers to questions in the paper. It is hard for the average voter to really get a sense of their platforms and who is putting them forward from the brief bio's in the paper. Sometimes I can pick up the dogwhistles, but I do need some help in identifying those who do not share our vision of the city.

It is getting harder to make these decisions because there is noise and no substance to the partisanship.

I feel that there is less information about local candidates and issues for this election than in the past. I have been a member of UAPA since its early days and today (Oct. 16) is the is the first communication that I have had about this survey. I also see that I have missed an opportunity to hear some of the candidates speak and answer questions because I did not receive an e mail before the event. Am I off the list for some reason?

I need to learn more about the candidates. I do think the election is important and I need to find time to read more about the viewpoints of the candidates.

UAPA as a progressive voice

I am pleased that UAPA exsists. You have been very effective in representing some opinions other than the very conservative republican view. You are needed by those of us who do not adhere to that ideology. You are a breath of fresh air for UA. Other parts of the county are very capable of surpassing us in some respects. We need to be progressive to be the best we can be. Old habits die hard but they can stifle us if they are not beneficial.

wish I had more time -- have seen unusual number of yard signs re city council, am worried about moves by certain city council members to limit free speech, want to avoid trend in that direction on council, really want more info about potential city council candidates, love the direction UAPA is taking (getting involved in non-partisan efforts like cleaning up UA with the Sierra Club, sending out info on lots of local issues, playing a role in local elections), am extremely concerned about the state of the country but it would take days to address all of the issues. keep up the good work!

I support UAPA and hope that I can become more involved in the near future. UAPA is an important organization to counter the old-boy-OSU-republican-uppaUA mentality that rejects all that is new, innovative, and not home grown. And, the UA news is of no help except to the real estate brokers and their 10,000 sales teams. Are your sorry, yet that you asked.

The UAPA and other organizations are important since they have allowed like minded people to work together on issues. Previously, Democrats, liberals or progressives in UA felt so out of place that we were silent. There really are two sides and UAPA has made this viable.

It is important that UAPA endorse candidates if not "help" sponsor them. Without progressives on the Council, we will set the same old "look out for myself" Republicans that lurk in the shadows waiting to exploit government for profit. UAPA members need to support progressive candidates directly with funds. We cannot allow candidates to merely buy their way onto the Council.

I would hope that UAPA can define itself and the term Progressive. As a registered Democrat that believes in protecting individual rights, openess of government, and fiscal responsibility, I've had a serious problem finding a home within the Democratic Party. I don't like being labeled as a liberal and take serious umbrage when Democrats get elected and perpetuate the myth that Democrats haven't met a government program that they don't like and believe all problems lead to a government solution.

Thank you for being the voice of the JPFs (just plain folks) and for keeping the focus on the real issues.

Vision for UA

Upper Arlington needs sidewalks, bike paths and decent public transportation. I have never lived in a city of this type before that has entire suburban neighborhoods with no sidewalks. Also, we are far behind Dublin, for example, in having an extensive and safe bike path network. We need to lead in getting people out of their cars and using green transportation alternatives within the city limits.

For UA I believe that we should better support and promote COTA, a vastly underutilized service I believe we need to do a better job of promoting conservation and smart use of resources. We need to end the war in Iraq and spend those dollars in country. New energy and conservation technolog can fuel jobs and the economy.

Easiest way to see is to watch my blog which is fairly UA focused (www.elephantsonbicycles.teenymouse.com) but the development policies, historical preservation, transit issues (particularly the bike lanes that were openly opposed by some UAPA members), new urbanism, support of arts (I'm the current President of UA Friends of the Arts), support of library and schools, expansion of city services. I think it is important to build our progressive base here in UA because State and Federal politics are relatively out of voters control now (yes I believe that our voting system is fraudulent and Brunner/Dann have outright refused to investigate). I feel like local government is the only way to start getting control over our nation back.

Community center for the families, bike paths etc., and senior housing to keep citizens in UA! Be progressive as are the surrounding communities.

Kingsdale - make a decision. Walkways, restaurants, housing, small businesses, place for teens (bowling? billiards? ice skating? movies?) Housing - need for affordable senior housing, the council that approved the five story thing at Kingsdale should be chastised, need to have an intense debate about tearing down or McMansioning older homes, etc. Council - need a recap of members' votes on these issues. Going green - we need a strong grass roots movement here. Council needs to be shaken up with new members but who should go?

Locally I am eager to see the city move forward with its proposed development plans (e.g. Kingsdale, the rec center concept) and will vote for the candidates who share that view. That may mean, however, that I will secondarily further the political career of a serious Republican - something that may haunt me in the future. ;-)

UA needs to continue its unique setting as a community that values quality over short term budgeting, in schools and city services. We NEED a rec center for teens and seniors!

First of all, all incumbents on UA council who are running again should be defeated. Our City council has dropped the ball on numerous issues, I don't want those people making decisions again. Here are some very important local issues: 1. Our current leash law is totally ineffective and puts dogs running wild in our parks while childred are playing and people are walking aroung. 2. How come we are the ONLY big suburb of Columbus that does not have a recreation center? Maybe it's because the current council members have tried to secretly do some stupid things only to be found out later. The city in general has a bad taste for anything related to "rec centers". That must change.

Spending and Taxation

Regarding the school levy, while I have been, in general, very supportive of the schools in our community, the additional tax burden of the proposed levy will simply be too high for my family. Therefore, I may unfortunately be forced to vote against the levy in the coming election.

A big issue for me is the fact that property taxes are increasing at an alarming rate and are already threatening property values by forcing people to leave UA and/or preventing new families from buying in, no matter how good the schools are.

I grew up here and am raising my kids here in the same home. The schools are fantastic. I would not want to live anywhere else. I get angry that council is desperate to be competitive with other suburbs and will spend us into oblivion to "stay on top." I think that it is getting increasingly less affordable to live here and that living here is expensive but worth it. The council needs to be more frugal with our money. I wish I knew more about the new candidates. The only bad thing about U.A. is too many Republicans! I'm glad there is UAPA and admire their energy for progressive issues. I'm very upset about the state of this country and hope for a strong smart leader and more Democrats in Congress in 2008. We need to get out of Iraq ASAP!

Economic Development and Zoning

I don't remember reading enough about the planned skyscrapers on Tremont Road. There should have been much more discussion with citizens about these plans. I am horrified that these condos were built. Why were so many of us shocked at seeing these go up? I would recommend dismissing this planning committee and appointing a new one.

I work in Dublin. Everyday I watch more and more businesses moving to Dublin and I wonder why we don't zone for business development. If we do not change, we will not be competitive with nearby communities. We can't stay the same.

I think more work needs to be done to move the city toward reasonable tax based development. Political andcivic leadership should be working on this. The naysayers can't be allowed to dictate the city's needs.

Current Council and Candidates

While I respect candidates who look to promote fiscal responsibility during their terms of office, if elected, I was not pleased during the last election when Wade Steen, who has a checkered political past, and Frank Ciotola, who talks almost exclusively about protecting business owners and little about community services, were elected to City Council. I have been too busy with my charity to follow the new cast of characters, e.g. Erik Yassenoff, but look forward to hearing about them on October 24th.

PROGRESS! vocal minority that simply opposes everything is detremental to the long-term health of the community... we need a few leaders who are bold and can drive the change!

The City Council has appeared self serving and short sighted in recent months/years. I want candidates without a personal agenda. I do not want a one issue candidate. I want candidates that can work WITH our city employees not run them off.
UA has some fundamental problems in terms of tax base and infrastructure that are not glamorous. They are hard to get people interested in them but they are the foundation of everything else. We don't need to have one of everything new and shiny, but we do need to be innovative in the areas that matter. We need to be asking probing questions of the public officials and reporting the answers and the facts on issues such as the school levy, about which the wingnuts from both extremes will be inundating us with bull. This is where an objective report would be worth its weight in Hannah Montana tickets. The press seems incapable of doing this, so who is left???

Council must be open to the citizens, I know we have sunshine laws, but the council seems to make decisions on their own too many times. We need people who are open and honest.

Greater numbers of UA citizens need to be surveyed to find out what they think. At present, it seems that minimal effort is made to gather this thinking and too much reliance is placed on inputs from a small number of citizens who tend to favor what City Council wants to hear, or else they just ignore thinking that runs counter to what they want to hear. The Kingsdale Center and its lack of business enterprises is one example of bulldozing actions on the part of City Council. Their 'vision' just doesn't match well with the interests of businesses that could be attracted to the Kingsdale Center. Some positive actions appear to be taking shape due to City Council yielding somewhat on their 'vision'.

Hot issues

The recent law outlawing "sex-offenders" from working, living, breathing or efen thinking about UA is a prime example of a pandering, insular view of life in the burbs. We all know that the vast majority of sex crimes on children are committed by family members or close friends - maybe we should get on the strip club bandwagon, also.

Those particular council members who attempted to rid ua of past sexual offenders and the library censorship issue was such fundmentalist paranoia neo conservativism in my backyard and consequently, I really want to know who i'm voting for this election.

I would like to know more about this "small vocal minority" that has been mentioned in the editorial SNP and what kind of influence they have over city council and why. If there are ethical issues that need to be exposed I would like to see that surface and be resolved.