League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area Education Fund
	Hamilton County, OH November 5, 2013 Election
	Candidates Answer Questions on the Issues Member Council at Large; City of Deer Park

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area and asked of all candidates for this office.     See below for questions on Qualifications, Basic Services, Budget, Citizen Engagement Click on a name for candidate information.   See also more information about this contest. 1. What are your qualifications for office? Answer from Shawn C. Gavin: For 10 years I have worked hard to bring about positive changes for our city. In 2009 I was elected to 2 year term on city council. As a member of the finance committee I led the efforts to initiate a balance budget. In 2004 I was appointed to the Chamberlin Park Board where I successfully led the efforts to improve and revitalized the Days in the Park Festival. I served on the 2008 Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee whose goals were to "lay out a path to fiscal responsibility, to maintain and enhance citizens' and business owners' quality of like, to preserve the many traditional neighborhoods that exist in the city and to place Deer Park in a competitive position." 2. What services do you believe should be considered basic and essential for the City? Answer from Shawn C. Gavin: Public Safety (police, fire, emergency medical) Public Service (streets,snow removal,park maintenance) 3. How would you balance the City Budget? Answer from Shawn C. Gavin: As a candidate for Deer Park City Council my number one priority is Fiscal Responsibility. Next year, in 2014, our city begins operating with a budget deficit, spending more money than we collect in taxes. If our general fund continues to operate in the red beyond 2014, our city will be forced to raise taxes and begin cutting police and service department personnel. Without an immediate and diligent financial review of our city's revenues and expenses, money that would have been used for matching grants and street repairs will disappear. It's going to take real courage; hard work and strong leadership to implement common sense fiscal policies that will get our city back on track. If city council does not refocus its efforts on becoming good stewards of our city's finances, it may risk sending our city over the proverbial fiscal cliff by 2017. 4. Citizen engagement is important to the health of local government. In what ways do you support citizen engagement? (No candidates submitted answers to this question) Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. Word limits may apply. See individual questions for specific word limits. Direct references to opponents are not permitted. Please edit your work before submitting. We are unable to provide spell-check at this time. The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.