Northern Solano County Association of REALTORS®
Candidate Questionnaire
Local Council Elections, November 2014
Instructions: Please answer each question to the best of your ability – feel free to cut and paste in this document to allow more room, or use additional sheets. Please include a biographical statement, ballot statement, or any additional information that will give the committee a clearer picture of you. Please return by email or fax no later than Wednesday, September 10th. Return to:
Fax: 422-9140
Email:
1. Candidate Name: Brian Thiemer (see more at Thiemer4Fairfield.com)
2. Office Sought: Fairfield City Council
3. Years in your community: 5
4. Occupation: Supply Chain Analyst
5. Why are you running for Council/Mayor?
To contribute to a community that I can proudly and safely raise my family in without saddling my kids and their kids with oodles of debt.
6. Have you ever held elective office, or been a candidate for elective office? Never been a candidate for elected office. What boards, committees or groups have you served. I am on the Executive Committee for the California State Libertarian Party.
7. In your opinion, what is the single most pressing issue facing your community today, and how do you propose to resolve it?
I feel people are giving up on Fairfield; younger folks don’t want to stay around, and older folks and businesses are making exit plans as well. By restoring faith and value in our core municipal services, people will start feeling confident in investing physically and emotionally in Fairfield again.
8. What is your vision for your community for the next 4 years? In 20 years? What would be improved, what would remain the same?
I would like to stem the ‘cratering’ of our town where we are expanding on the outskirts while our core (Texas Street) is left behind with empty lots and underutilized properties. Reinvigorating a classical ‘Main Street USA’ would form the new ‘spine’ of Fairfield. Utilizing existing (but under capacity) infrastructure like our Fairfield-Suisun station would complement this vision.
9. What would you consider your community’s greatest successes in the past five years? What would you identify as its greatest failures?
We weathered the financial downturn ‘adequately’.. it could have been worse. I feel redevelopment was a major failure in comparison to all the idealistic vision it was marketed with. We have empty weed strewn lots that used to provide some value to the community; now are just a liability to the city coffers.
10. What would you consider your most important contributions to the community to date? What have you done to make your community a better place to live?
I have focused on my neighborhood by building relationships, helping out our neighborhood watch, helping out needy home owners by fixing fences and/or pruning yards. Knowing who is part of the neighborhood, and who isn’t, builds closer communities, and I feel it is something that should be replicated in all of our neighborhoods.
11. Should your City grow? If so, how? If not, why?
Our city should grow organically, as people are drawn to Fairfield for affordable housing, pleasant weather, and proximity to so many attractions, and entrepreneurs risk their property and capital to build homes and businesses. I would try to encourage infill along the Texas street corridor, by offering reduced / eliminated fees for building and business permits.
12. A fair number of local residents commute to jobs outside of their community, and outside the county. What would you do to improve the availability of good paying jobs locally?
I would market Fairfield as an oasis in California’s inhospitable business climate. I would campaign to have Solano county break off from Plan Bay Area and create “Plan Solano”. Bringing control back to local government would give us more flexibility and independence to woo manufacturing and agriculture to our county and towns.
13. What role do you believe the City should play in regional public policy issues?
We should focus on maintaining local control of municipal issues. We can cooperate with others in the county / region, but not surrender our rights and autonomy to intermediate organizations.
14. Traffic in and around the area has increased in recent years. What do you see as the cause, and how would you propose to improve mobility in the city or the region?
Aging roadways have not been maintained, and new roads/ passageways have not been built, although new construction has paid development & impact fees to finance them. Infrastructure has been neglected for other projects. I would move to make gas and vehicle tax revenues dedicated solely to transportation expenditures, instead of the general fund.
15. What should the city’s role be in owning and/or selling real estate?
The only property the city should buy is property needed for vital public use activities like roads, parks & schools. The city should not be involved in speculative building projects commonly found in redevelopment districts.
16. What role should local government play in private property rights?
They should respect them.
17. From your perspective, should eminent domain be used by local government? If so, how should it be employed? Would you favor joining with the City of Richmond in trying to form a JPA to condemn "below water" mortgages?
Eminent domain should be used only for public use projects, like roads, schools, and parks. No, municipal government should not be involved in trying to rescue or bail out homeowners from unfavorable mortgages. That is not in the scope of government.
18. What role do you believe the city/county should play in increasing the availability of housing for residents of varying income levels?
By removing as many non value added permits/licenses/fees/restrictions from the building process, affordability and availability should increase. The market will thrive and react quicker to organic demand for housing at all pricing levels.
19. What changes, if any, would you make in the manner in which city government spends tax dollars?
I would move away from the General Fund model and migrate to a user fee model. For instance, all vehicle and gas tax revenue is kept in a street maintenance fund. That way, citizens have a clear idea of how much is going to services they want and expect, and politics will not create winners and losers as competing interests fight over their share of the general fund.
20. Why do you consider yourself the most qualified person to hold this position at this time?
I’m an analytical person with backgrounds in finance and operations management. Not taking contributions from organizations allows me to be independent and focus on advocating for the people of Fairfield. Being an ‘outsider’ , I am not tainted by group think and can bring a different perspective
21. Have you received any major endorsements, if so, from whom?
Not yet, still working on them.
22. Are there any other issues that you consider important for improving the quality of life of city residents?
Residents of all demographics need to be involved in the community; whether it be cleaning up their neighborhood, or attending governmental meeting to campaign for needed improvements. As apathy sets in, our community will continue to wither.
23. Are you interested in a campaign contribution from the Association? I would be honored, but have made a promise not to accept contributions from unions/businesses/PACs. I will graciously accept contributions from individuals.
24. Campaign Committee Name: Thiemer for Council 2014
25. Address: 1206 Truman St.
26. Campaign Committee FPPC #: 1367717
27. Campaign Committee Treasurer: Brian Thiemer