MARTIN KAMAAL
What do you think are the most pressing issues in your community?
The most pressing issues in our community are ultimately fiscal in nature. There are a number of things that we must address in order to overcome our fiscal challenges. Our city’s budget is already lean, with very little left to cut. In the short term, we’ll need to be exceedingly frugal and find ways to more with less.
MARTIN KAMAAL
What do you think are the most pressing issues in your community?
The most pressing issues in our community are ultimately fiscal in nature. There are a number of things that we must address in order to overcome our fiscal challenges. Our city’s budget is already lean, with very little left to cut. In the short term, we’ll need to be exceedingly frugal and find ways to more with less.
These efforts aside, the best opportunity to turn the ship around is a sales tax increase and generating revenue from the emerging local cannabis industry. We’ll need to be proactive in engaging our community about the benefits of a proposed sales tax increase as well as what the harmful alternatives of bankruptcy and disincorporation entail, and that they’re not to be taken lightly.
What do you believe the primary responsibility is of a city council member?
The primary responsibilities of a council member are to share information with residents, solicit feedback and listen to their concerns and ideas. We also have to be relentless, resourceful and resilient advocates for their interests within the city, and for our city within the county of San Diego.
What do you most hope to accomplish if elected to represent your district?
I hope to play a role in improving the health of Lemon Grove residents. One of my priorities is public health/safety. There is a strong link between the health of a community, its productivity and economic impact. I’d like to bring a “Health in All Policies” approach to our council’s decision making. “Health in All Policies” is based on the recognition that our greatest health challenges, chronic illnesses, homelessness, obesity, spiraling health care costs are highly complex and linked. Promoting healthy communities requires that we address the social determinants of health, such as transportation, education, access to healthy food, walkable space, economic opportunities, and more.
JENNIFER MENDOZA
What do you think are the most pressing issues in your community?
The most pressing issue in my community is balancing the budget while continuing to provide the same level of services to our residents.
What do you believe the primary responsibility is of a city council member?
In addition to the responsibilities we are tasked with hiring the city manager and city attorney, setting policy for the city and approving the city budget, our primary responsibility is to listen to our residents and business owners about the priorities that most concern them.
What do you most hope to accomplish if elected to represent your district?
I hope to guide our city toward increasing economic development, which will create a more vibrant community.
In turn, that will bring more income to the city to fix our streets, improve public safety and build a community that we are all proud to work and play in.
TERESA ROSIAK
What do you think are the most pressing issues in your community?
The most pressing issues in our community are balancing the budget and stopping the use of emergency reserve. As of last Tuesday, the city council has used $1.1 million of the city reserve with no plan of how to pay it back. This has to stop.
What do you believe the primary responsibility is of a city council member?
The primary responsibility is to serve the residents and make good decisions for the residents, and to use the tax payers’ money wisely, responsibly and with transparency. Transparency means that the residents know what is happening – if that means showing them an itemization of the budget. That is their right. They need to know where every penny is being spent and why.
What do you most hope to accomplish if elected to represent your district?
I want to balance the budget for Lemon Grove, get them back where they are not in fear of bankruptcy or disincorporation and to clean up Lemon Grove so we can get business to come to Lemon Grove. We are not business friendly. Lemon Grove is not clean. We need to clean it up, help the homeless, bring in services so that these people are no longer homeless or have to be on the streets of Lemon Grove.
Jerry Jones was contacted for comment but did not respond.
