Government should not be subsidizing cost of building workforce housing

David Herman (Courtesy photo)

Editor's note: The Rochester Voice asked candidates for mayor and City Council to respond to a series of questions. Below is the submission from David Herman, who is running for a Ward 3 Seat B council seat. Don't forget to vote on Nov. 7.

Name: David Herman

Occupation: Retired

Question 1. What moves could be made to make Rochester government more transparent?

One move towards transparency would be to post a transcript of the meeting along with a video recording of the meeting. All meetings should be public except those that are dealings with issues that are recognized as needing to be private.

Question 2 Do you believe the unassigned fund balance is an appropriate place from which to draw funds for capital improvement projects and reserve accounts?

The unassigned fund balance is an appropriate place from which to draw funds for capital improvement projects and reserve accounts. All of these transfers should be approved by the city council.

Question 3 Would you ever consider expending a portion of the unassigned fund balance to significantly reduce residents' tax burden?

A portion of the unassigned fund balance should be used to reduce the debt burden of the city and capital outlays that are unexpected. Our student's education progress has decreased. So, I expect that the city will need to spend some of these funds to remedy this problem.

Questions 4. What do you think needs to happen to reduce the number of homeless persons living in Rochester?

This issue must be solved at the state and national level. Just solving it at the local level will just draw more homeless people to the city. Temporarily, the city should work to provide for their safety and health of these individuals.

Question 5 What is the number one problem when focusing on the continued re-emergence of the city's downtown.

The city needs to focus on obtaining a balance between the needs of the business owners, the citizens to have a place to gather, the traffic flow, the environment, and the attractiveness of the area.

Question 6 Explain your position on affordable (workforce) housing, including to what degree should government be subsidizing the builders' cost of construction.

The government should not be subsidizing the builders' cost of construction. The city should be encouraging affordable housing in every neighborhood. Home ownership should be encouraged. The permit process should be efficient.