November 2nd you will be able to vote for TWO City Council candidates

Question #7: The Cities of Bell, Maywood and Oxnard have been under scrutiny recently. What measurers can the city council take to avoid corrupt practices in city government?

David Lugo: I believe the City Council should adopt a Code of Ethics policy if one is not already in place that would give parameters on what is expected of each Council person and explain the consequences if they should not comply with those codes. Second on matters where outside bids are taken for certain projects in the City of Fillmore and one has business partners or friends in that company or has worked for that company in the past they should be excluded from that process. We as a small city for the most part have very honest people serving our community and that is what makes Fillmore a great place to live but we can not ever under estimate the things that are going on around us so we must police ourselves every now and then and not be afraid to question on things we don't feel right about, community involvement is the best way to prevent corruption also I think. "Your Voice"

Alex Mollkoy: I believe that the city council must continue to work jointly with the city departments to make public information more open and accessible to the citizens of Fillmore. We need to continue with internal and external audits in order to keep our system of checks and balances in working order. More than ever before, information is available online at the city’s website and at City Hall. I commend everyone involved with disseminating the information on-line and at City Hall. I believe that we can still increase the flow of available information and make it more easily accessible to all. The city council must continue to encourage the citizens to become more proactive in the processes of city government; this too is part of our checks and balances system. In order to avoid corrupt practices in city government; we must as the city council strive to work together with one another and all the city departments to create an honest open environment with which we can all co-operate for and in the best interest of the public.

Brian Sipes: To prevent corrupt practices it is critical that the community stay vigilant to ensure our tax dollars are spent wisely. It is also important to have trust in your City Council members and know who is funding their campaigns. I encourage all to contact the City Clerk’s office to view campaign finance reports to determine who their candidate is working for. This is the people’s government, not special interests.
I have been a proponent of having the municipal budget online for public review. This is now possible and I urge all citizens to review the budget and salaries of employees and elected officials. If elected I would go further in empowering the citizens. I would create a citizen task force committee to go through the budget. This process would give our community the ability to offer solutions for potential cost savings in difficult economic conditions.
As a private citizen, I have attended all public budget meetings and workshops. For many years I have been an advocate for accountability and transparency. If elected, I will continue to support allowing five full minutes for oral communications. I would also like to propose an annual “Town Hall Forum" that would be primarily focused on a Q&A session with our elected officials and City staff members. The public would have the opportunity to express their concerns and suggestions pertaining to City issues.
If entrusted to be a City Council member, I will never forget who my employers are. They are the voters and taxpayers.

Adrian Grimaldo: Everybody needs to vote. Each and every individual has to take responsibility for his or her actions. To lay lame and forget about this process only makes it easier to pass unethical agendas. It's through the peoples' vote that makes all the difference. A better future starts with a better understanding of city issues, processes, and development. Bell occurred because the community gave up their civic duty to vote. If you care about your future, then you will register to vote and do what is right.
I propose having a new website built for Fillmore residents. Imagine hopping onto your computer and being able to instant message council members or city employees on the fly. This network will list a schedule of passed agenda's, future city events and current developments. This system will be an open source network where people can blog solutions. Every department will be responsible in addressing blogs on their development keeping the community informed. We will then be able to keep e-files updated and hopefully give the people a better understanding of what's to come. It's time to tear down any communication barriers that are left. Bell happened because people of power abused their privileges. The only way to stop this from happening again is to get involved. Make a difference this November and do your civic duty and vote!

Patti Walker: The cities of Bell, Maywood and Oxnard have been under scrutiny recently. What measures can the city council take to avoid corrupt practices in city government?
It’s important not to do business behind closed doors. For instance, a builder requests moving his buildings closer together so more units can be built, which is an amendment to the Zoning Ordinance. The request needs to come before the Council to debate in public the pros and cons of the amendment. Staff implements policy measures set by the council; staff does not make policy.
Making policy available for the public use is important. As I’ve seen in similar sized cities, I’d like the planning guidelines displayed in pamphlet form for easy access and made available through the City’s website. These guidelines outline the various department’s required expectations. Making them available precludes problems and questions from delaying a project. Having the information available allows someone looking to build a porch for instance, to be able to walk up to the display, find the packet of information relating to porches and get on with the project.
It’s extremely necessary to have legal counsel that’s informed on not only the law, but fully engaged with the matters being debated under City Hall’s roof. A city attorney cannot be asleep at the wheel. Their presence is required to assure the goals of the council are legally meet. The attorney needs to have a solid working relationship with the manager who is the one individual charged with bringing the policies forward.
Close examination of City Hall should not be feared but welcomed. Each one of us, regardless of position, needs to follow the law.