Texas Conservative Review 2019 Runoff Candidate Questionnaire
by Gary Polland on December 2, 2019 at 11:05 AM
Below are the questions we asked City of Houston candidates and give a letter grade based on their responses. In some instances there was no response, like Sylvester Turner, who doesn't want your vote.
- Do you support ending all diversions from the "Rain Tax" infrastructure fee and pledge to use those funds specifically for infrastructure and flood control as intended?
- Do you support adding a minimum of 1500 new police officers to the ranks of HPD?
- Will you support implementation of "Proposition B" and give firefighters their raise that voters approved?
- Have you ever filed for bankruptcy, either personally, or for a business for which you were a principal or executive?
- Do you support a requirement that contractors hire vagrants and/or the homeless for work on city contracts?
- Do you oppose homeless encampments on city or state rights of way?
- Would you support privatizing city services, such as street repair, if it were determined that private contractors could deliver those services at a lower cost while maintaining or improving the quality of those services?
- Do you believe that governent should be more aggressive in its use of eminent domain?
- Do you support a requirement that the City not raise taxes without a supermajority of at least 60% of City Council?
- Do you support ending the HFD "All Hazards Response" policy?
- Do you support adopting a defined contribution pension plan for all new municipal employees, excluding police and fire fighters?
- Do you support establishing an independent commission to identify ways for the City fo eliminate waste, fraud, abuse, incompetence and operating efficiencies?
- Would you support a waiting period that would exclude a donor to any Houston mayoral or city council candidate from receiving a city contract, as either a primary contractor or subcontractor, for a period of two years from the date of the contribution?
- Do you support the consolidation of City functions with Harris County where practical?
- Do you support ending race and gender based affirmative action programs and replacing them with a need-based system?
- Do you support the right of City Council members to add items to the City Council agenda if approved by a majority of members?
- Do you support lifting the city revenue cap which limits the growth in city revenues to the combined rates of inflation and population growth?
- Would you support the elimination or sunsetting of tax increment reinvestment zones (TIRZs) in areas that are not economically disadvantaged?
- Do you support zero-based budgeting, which would require city departments to justify their budgets on an annual basis?
- Would you support a budget amendment requiring that all revenues above projected levels be used to pay down city debt?
- Do you support compliance with federal law and cooperation with federal law enforcement including ICE?
- Do you support capping residential property tax appraisals at a maximum 5% increase per year?
Download TCR 2019 Runoff Candidate Questionnaire Results.pdf
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