League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Santa Clara County, CA June 8, 2010 Election
	Jim Cogan Answers Questions Candidate for Council Member; City of San Jose; Council District 9

The questions were prepared by the Leagues of Women Voters of Santa Clara County and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. What experience related to city government would you bring to the City Council?

I have served my community in City Hall as a Council Assistant and Chief of Staff for ten years. I have worked with countless groups, neighborhood associations and residents to cut through the red tape of City Hall in order to find a solution to their particular problem.

2. What concerns are of particular importance to the city and how would you address them?

The budget deficit, economy and potential loss of critical services are the biggest concerns that I have heard from voters.

San Jose is a City of two budget deficits. There is the current fiscal year deficit and the ongoing structural deficit. Both have been caused by San Jose spending beyond its revenue. We must focus on providing our core competencies and ensure that the inevitable cuts are in non-core services, just like we all do with our home budgets. Everyone agrees that closing our budget deficits requires concessions from our employees. I believe that we need to use strategies that are likely to work and not doomed to fail. We need to take a collaborative approach rather than the current adversarial approach that will likely end in a stalemate and loss of core services.

We must invest in economic development and streamline our processes to make San Jose the best City to do business in and with.

3. How would you balance the needs of the City as a whole with groups' interests?

As a Councilmember, my job will be to support groups' interests that are aligned with the interests of the City. For example, I am supported by the Police and Firefighters, because I do not support laying off firefighters and police officers. Public Safety is always the number 1 priority of voters and reducing our force will only increase response times and put residents at risk. This is unacceptable to me.

4. How much money do you expect to raise/ spend on your race, and how will you assure voters that financial contributions will not affect your decisions/positions should you be elected?

I am still raising money and will likely finish having raised $60,000 to $65,000.

Communication and Accountability: A key part of my platform is working to improve communication and accountability by developing neighborhood associations. These associations will provide a critical and missing link in keeping City Hall accountable to the needs of our neighborhoods.

I am already doing this work as the President and co-founder of the Erikson Neighborhood Association. Our association has become a model of success, helping to catch two suspected auto-burglars, reducing the incidents of graffiti and keeping City Hall accountable for promised road improvements to Branham Ln. I am consulting with other neighborhoods to help them replicate our success.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' responses are not edited or corrected by the League.

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: May 12, 2010 21:38
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