Posted by Scott on September 25th, 2010 |
0 commentsChandler Council candidate questionnaire: Kevin Hartke
Name: Kevin Hartke.
Birth date: 54.
Family: Lynne Hartke, wife of almost 29 years; children, Nathan (daughter-in-law, Rachel), Aleah, Katelyn and Zachary.
Hobbies: Hiking, camping, swimming, triathlons, Sudoku puzzles, meeting people.
Where did you grow up? St. Louis, Mo.
What is your favorite spot in Chandler? Downtown Chandler. I love the shops and ambiance in our city.
Why did you choose to live in Chandler? How long have you lived in Chandler?
We moved to Chandler 25 years ago from the Midwest. We were invited to Chandler to interview for a job. We loved Chandler then and have not stopped. We saw it as a great community to raise our family and to invest our lives.
Have you ever been charged with a crime – felony or misdemeanor – or been a party in a civil court action? If so, what was the outcome? No.
Education experience: B.S. in biochemistry from University of Missouri/Columbia; M.A. from Fuller Theological; conversational Spanish classes offered at Chandler Gilbert Community College.
Professional experience: Public servant. I oversee a faith community, making sure that we are fiscally sound and able to meet people’s needs in the church and greater community. My leadership has greatly increased in our community in directing For Our City, Chandler. This is a faith initiative that provides coordination and collaboration among faith communities, non-profits, the business community and the city.
Political experience: Former Chandler City Council member.
Current occupation: Pastor at Trinity Christian Fellowship for 25 years.
Current or previous posts to Chandler boards, commissions, task forces, etc. Current: Commissioner, Planning and Zoning Commission, one and a half years; chair, Chandler Complete Count Committee for the 2010 Census, 1 year; director, For Our City Chandler, one and a half years; Chandler Coalition on Youth Substance Abuse, two years.
Past: Chair, Human Relations Commission, four 4 years; Chandler Charter Review Commission, six months; Leadership Board of Arrowhead Meadows, Chandler’s first recognized traditional neighborhood, three years;
Downtown Redevelopment Committee (precursor to the DCCP), 1 year.
Why are you running for the Chandler City Council? I am a public servant/leader and understand the importance of having good and accountable leaders with vision, experience, wisdom, consensus-building abilities and a work ethic to help lead Chandler during these challenging times. I have not slowed down in leading and serving since I stepped down from City Council a year and a half ago.
What are your top three priorities if elected? Promote economic development; ensure fiscal responsibility; and protect Chandler neighborhoods.
Why are you the best person for City Council? I have devoted the last 25 years as a pastor and community leader to serving Chandler. I have the experience, temperament, vision and skills to serve on the City Council. I was honored to be selected from a field of great leaders by the City Council in January of 2008 to serve when a vacancy occurred by Councilmember Martin Sepulveda’s departure to Iraq with the National Guard.
My recent leadership with chairing Chandler’s census committee helped make Chandler one of the most responsive cities in the entire county, bringing $400/person/year for the next 10 years to Chandler and increasing our national and community political representation.
As a planning and zoning commissioner, I work first hand with the business community that is working in Chandler and wanting to come to Chandler. Besides making wise decisions for Chandler, I often work with developers outside the planning and zoning meetings to offer suggestions to improve their projects.
As the director of For Our City, Chandler, I work closely with the mayor and city staff to plan events, projects and initiatives. I am great at collaboration and consensus building. Currently we are building a volunteer force around education, improving neighborhoods and providing essential needs within our community with resources provided from the community.
I like people and have made it my life’s work to be a problem solver.
What are Chandler’s strengths? What are its weaknesses? Strengths: great employment base; excellent schools; young community, desirable area of the Valley; Chandler Fashion Center; still retains a “town” feel with our downtown. Weaknesses: vulnerability with the rest of the state to have severe downtowns because of the tax structure and recession.
What are your thoughts on the budget? What would you have done differently? I would have worked earlier to make across-the-board cuts in salary and benefits and led by example from the top down. Budget forming is painful during recessions. I think it was wise to offer another round of an early retirement package.
Do you think Chandler is a well-run city? Why or why not? Yes, I do. We have excellent people on staff. We still have a rainy day fund that we can be use to get us through this recession and invest in our future. We have one of the lowest tax rates and are one of the most efficient cities in regard to employees/services.
Do you think Chandler is on track to be sustainable beyond build out? Why or why not? Yes. We have great employment bases with the 9 square miles surrounding the airpark and the South Price Corridor. Our economic development team takes this quite seriously. Jobs will bring further residential that will complete our buildout. Jobs and people will bring great retail. The general plan that was passed in 2008 is well thought out. It will increase density to give us a stronger downtown, protected employment and adequate retail.
What effect, if any, do you believe Senate Bill 1070 will have on Chandler law enforcement and economic development? There are still a lot of questions with what SB 1070 will look like in its enforcement and processing. The initial confusion has created a lot of fear. I do not anticipate that our law enforcement will operate much differently. This gives them another tool to utilize in enforcing the law. There is a lot of rhetoric and posturing inside and outside of our state that will subside as we put this into effect at the end of July without stepping on civil rights.
How would you rate Chandler as a regional player? Could it do more or less? Could it learn from other municipalities? No city is an island. We are affected by what happens at the legislature and how other communities strategize their development. We work well with other municipalities through the League of Towns and Cities, Greater Phoenix Economic Council, the chamber and make sure that maximum benefit comes to Chandler and its community. There are always opportunities to collaborate and broker our combined influence to benefit our community.
Chandler has done well with sharing resources and costs with other communities, such as the water treatment in south Chandler with Gilbert and law enforcement initiatives. This is a win-win for both our cities.
Are Chandler’s economic-development competitors within the region or outside of Arizona? Both. Texas continues to dominate the competition for the types of jobs that we are pursuing. Our recovery is slower than Colorado and other states in the western region. This is hurting us.
Any business that comes to the Valley is good for the Valley, Chandler as well. Obviously we would like companies to find a home here. But if a major company lands in a surrounding city, we will receive benefit from that with residents, retail and related employment that will want to be near a company that lands in another community. We have a fantastic economic development team that is working hard for Chandler to attract the big companies but also the medium and smaller sized employers. They do this day in and day out.
Cite a vote the council took in the past year that you disagreed with. How would you have voted and why? I would have focused more CIP funds to south Chandler, specifically roads. We have parks that are on hold to be developed as well, but these require greater resources that come out of ongoing monies from the General Fund.
Cite a vote the council took in the past year that you agree with and state why. I think that investing in the business science incubator, Innovations, was a great decision. When I was on council I supported the incubator project ardently. It will be a major player in assuring our economic base of the future as well as putting us on the map nationwide as a progressive and innovative community for attracting a brain trust that will develop businesses in Chandler.
Where do you see Chandler in five years and what role would you play to get it there? I believe that Chandler will rise from the current recession/depression quicker than surrounding communities. We will have a thriving downtown, the Innovations Incubator will be spinning our new companies that will largely stay in Chandler. The Airpark area and the Price Corridor area will attract new employment, particularly in the area of biosciences and solar. Our CIP will be improving roads and finishing parks in south Chandler.
I will work hard to attract businesses and keep us efficient as a city. I will make sure that we have the resources in place to continue to attract jobs. I will keep our proverbial feet to the fire to keep us on track to solidify our future.
If elected, how would you handle a constituent’s call to complain about a matter? When I served on council previously, I answered phone calls and e-mails, attended public meetings and met with constituents to listen, clarify and find solutions. I did this with businesses and residents. I will do the same. That is the sacred trust placed upon public servants.