 Senator Vanderpute, please give opening remarks. Good morning. This is San Antonio, I know we can do better than that. Good morning. Thank you very much. My thanks to the Asian American Alliance and to the Asian Chamber. I'm grateful to be here this morning and I think that this signifies so much that the first true mayoral forum is right here and sponsored by this very, very wonderful group. My name, thank you. My name is Leticia Vanderpute and for three generations our family has called San Antonio home but for six generations the San Miguel family has thrived in Texas. I'm a pharmacist and have been for over 35 years and a proven effective legislator for over 20. Pete and I and my husband is here today, Pete Vanderpute, husband of 37 years, have built our small businesses here. We have raised six children here and now we are focusing on six nearly perfect grandchildren and we have been able to be in San Antonio and so lucky that five of our six children after being away have returned home after college or working out of state back here to build their own families. I know that I can bring that type of leadership that I showed at the legislature to convene and my business experience as a small business owner, as a healthcare professional bring those leadership skills to City Hall. My vision for San Antonio is a bold one. It is one where every child and every neighborhood and every business owner, every family, every worker has a fair shot. It is one where we respect one another and that everyone has a seat at the table. I know that our best days of San Antonio are ahead of us and I also am so proud of the fact that we work together. I will use those sets that I learned as my family because we have a very large family. In fact, Pete says that we agree with each other louder than most families disagree. But it's about bringing everyone to the table. It's about cultivating that change and not dictating it. And let me make this abundantly clear. I will spend each day and each moment working to improve the lives of the people who live in this community. Of making sure that our businesses can thrive and that they're proud and we celebrate the achievement of our workers. I know with your support we can make San Antonio the next great American City. Thank you. I look forward to your questions and the participation this morning. Thank you, Senator Van De Pute, Representative Villarreal. Thank you. Good morning. I want to thank the Alamo Asian American Alliance for bringing us together today in this debate. I think any candidate running for mayor needs to answer a single question, a very important question. Why do you want to take on this large responsibility? For me, the answer is simple. I have a single heartfelt goal. That is to make San Antonio a city of opportunity for our children. I want our kids who earn a college degree to know that San Antonio is the best place to launch their careers. And those that acquire new 21st century skills to be able to get ahead here in our city. Everything I do as mayor of San Antonio will be focused on that single goal. For me, it starts with my own children, Bella and Madgos. I have this selfish goal. I want them to realize their potential here in our city. I want them to launch their careers, start their families here in our beloved city. How do we do this? Three things that I will focus on. Three objectives are number one, I will keep our finances as a city rock solid. Number two, I will focus our investments in infrastructure. Number three, I will be a mayor who is a partner with civic and community leaders like yourselves here in our city. On fiscal health, we have a triple A credit rating. We need to make sure that is protected because when we do, we can issue bonds at the lowest cost to invest in infrastructure. We can keep our taxes low. We have a growing population, fast growing. That means street repair, secure our water supply. Make sure that our parks are growing with our growing population. And finally, as a partner as mayor, I will be a partner to the commanders of our military bases because we need to make sure that they are competitive with others around the country, that they're best poised to expand their employment base. In education, I will be a partner with our principals, our superintendents, our university presidents because we know today in our economy, we will see advancement when our children grow in their mental intellectual capacity. And that's very critical. Finally, I will be a new kind of mayor. When elected, I will be the first with a background in economics and finance who can really bring to bear my skills and experience to move the needle on infrastructure investment and growing our economy. And I will be a mayor who builds and brings to office a governing coalition of the brightest, most compassionate, most dedicated citizen who want to move the needle on these objectives, regardless of party. And I will be a mayor of the city hall from partisanship in the rest of our country. Thank you. Good morning. If you don't mind, I'm going to sit here so I stay within the navigational beacons here of my statement. I'm Tommy Atkison and I'm running for mayor of San Antonio because it's time that we get back to basics and refocus our energy and our resources on the core functions of our city. Over the past few years, a lot of time and a lot of money has been expended on some important projects, but parts of these projects robbed resources from our core functions and kept us from really focusing on the things that matter most to San Antonio families. I'm a family man and my wife Karen and I are both small business owners. I was born at the Santa Rosa Hospital, but I was raised on the south side. I worked my way through the University of Texas at Austin, served three years as an investigator for D.A. Ted Butler, and graduated from law school at South Texas College of Law in Houston. I've represented San Antonio in the Texas House of Representatives for two terms. The Texas House gave me a chance to learn about the wide variety of issues like education, health care, and criminal justice. What really sets me apart in this race is my local service here at home as the precinct for Bear County Commissioner for 16 years. In that role I represented about one fourth of the population of our county and around 45% of its total area. In that office I gained invaluable experience in the areas that really matter to San Antonio taxpayers. Investing in infrastructure projects that create local jobs, recruiting large employers like Toyota, investing in public safety to reduce crime, and reducing response times for EMS and fire. Also while in office the county has established from ground zero a library network and as well as an animal control department. I have a proven track record and the knowledge that only comes from local experience. I'm ready to lead on day one. I plan to be a stay at home mayor. I will not be traveling around the country giving speeches or looking down the road at the next office. My commitment is to be here physically, mentally, and emotionally. I will spend every day thinking about how we can solve San Antonio problems and creating new partnerships so that we can get the best and the brightest San Antonians working together to address our shared challenges. Thank you for having me here today. I look forward to visiting with each of you after today's forum. Thank you candidates for those opening statements. I think it should be recognized that you should all be applauded for your many years of public service. I think sometimes that kind of goes unrecognized so thanks a lot for being there for the citizens. We will now turn to the questions that will be presented today. The reminder is that you will each have two minutes to respond to the question. The first question will be sent to Representative Villarreal and it's in the area of economic development. Small businesses comprise over 90% of San Antonio's employer firms. As the new mayor, what actions will you take to help and promote the success of small businesses? We need to get the fundamentals right. We need to keep our taxes low. We need to keep our regulations sane. And we need to help our small businesses have access to capital. That last part is very critical for our small businesses. We have actually some successes to build on here locally. We have the LIFT Fund, formerly known as Axion Texas. This is the nation's largest micro lender in our country. Giving out loans to small businesses, helping them thrive. We need to be partners with LIFT and help our small businesses have access so that they can make the important investments and bring to life their business plans. They have the work ethic, they have the business plans. What they mostly need in our city is access to capital. The LIFT Fund is currently delivering on that. I will be a supporter of that organization. I will recognize that they are already existing partners in running cafe commerce. That's a great program that is helping hundreds of small businesses in our city that needs to continue. Ultimately, when I pursue economic development opportunities, I'm always going to keep in mind that employment in our city, over 80% of it, is being generated by small businesses. While I will be leading an administration that is going to aggressively pursue big employers like the next Toyota or the next Rack Space for our city, I am also going to be very cognizant that it's our small businesses that grow here, that thrive and employ so many of our fellow neighbors that need a city that gets the fundamentals right. Low taxes, sane regulations and access to capital. Thank you. Senator Vandepie. Thank you so much. You know, I see people in this room today, and I have met young people who began their own businesses. People like Terry Narazaki, who left the corporate world to live her dream and start a business two years ago. Those of us who have worked for other folks, we think we have tough bosses. But the day you become a small business owner, you're the toughest boss you will ever have, because every single penny, every bit of that bottom line translates back to your family, and you treat your employees as family. And I know that, having owned a pharmacy and medical clinic, and we know that and owners as a small business of flag company here in San Antonio. The number one thing we can do for our small businesses is make sure that you have a city hall that is working harder than you are. When we have the types of infrastructure needs and improvements, we shouldn't have a street closure that damages a business so bad and constant delays, or for businesses now that want to expand, and they have setback after setback, different inspectors. So first of all, get the job you're supposed to be doing now and get it done right. Needless delays, endless bureaucracy. When all we want to do as small business owners is open that door, flip open that close to open time, open up that computer, and it is about our families, it is about our employees. You get that right, and then the overall picture is to understand that the city is a very large purchaser of services. We need to make sure that everyone gets a seat at the table, that the opportunities are there for in-city contracting, whether that's CPS, SAWS, and all of our agencies, that they're given a fair shot. Thank you. Thank you very much. I have been the principal leader in the county's initiative that led to the creation and successful implementation of the county's small minority and women-owned business initiative. Obviously, there are five members of the court, but there was very little being done when I got to the court there in the year of 1999. It was a shadow of what it is today. It is much more robust. Since its inception, Bear County has achieved a 29% small minority women-owned business participation rate for all county contracts, and has maintained a 28% MBE and a 30% SBE rate. Eventually, this included all county tax abatements and funding entities and facilities for the county. Now, this is compared to when only a few years ago, just as the city was making plans for a 2012 bond issue, only 19% of city construction contractors were women minorities owned small businesses, and only 13% of all city contractors were women minority owned small businesses. Now, I think that's completely unacceptable, and if the county can do it, so can the city. As your next mayor, I will continue to be a champion of small and minority businesses because they are job creators and a significant part of the backbone of our economy. And it's plainly the right thing to do to ensure that everyone gets a fair shake at doing business with our city. The Swimbies need a champion like me, especially in 2015, because the city is most likely gearing up for another bond issue in 2017, and projects will likely be decided based on some decision made next year. Next question will be presented to Senator Bandapute initially. As San Antonio continues to grow both in population and geographic area, what are your top three priorities to address basic city services? Thank you very much. For the citizens and the people who call San Antonio home, the most important thing is the safety of its citizens. We want to make sure that as business owners, when they shut their businesses at night, they don't dread receiving a call in the middle of a night that someone has broken into their businesses. We want neighborhoods where our children can play in the front yard. We want to make sure that this is the city that protects its children, but that also realizes that our economic vibrancy is tied to small business and those opportunities. Focus One will be public safety and infrastructure. We need to continue that. We have a strong fiscal profile in a AAA bond. We are blessed. In other communities across this state, they do not own their own electric or their water company. The citizens of San Antonio own those. But we need to make sure that that infrastructure and planning for transportation, that public safety, that we just stick to the basics. For my three priorities, it's also to work with our leaders here to make sure that we've got that educated workforce. We can't hire those trained workers unless they've gone to those wonderful schools. Those three priorities, public safety, infrastructure, and our educational level all tie in to a bright future for San Antonio. I think that the first thing we all have to reach for is public safety. If you don't feel secure in your homes, then it's not much of a home. Unfortunately, there are neighborhoods that have been left adrift and in my opinion have not yet gotten the emphasis they need. Coming from the neighborhood movement, if you will call it such, I founded my own neighborhood association about 36 years ago. I'm still an officer in it because I need to have an assurance that that place is going to continue. There's probably about 500 neighborhood associations throughout San Antonio. I thought it was interesting in the 2020 report that they were listed number three behind two other groups. I thought, wait a minute, let's start with the neighbors here. If you have a good neighborhood, you've got security well underway. But you do need a great police force and you need a great firefighting force. And that should start with settling the dust on this silliness going on, on getting to the bargaining table and resolving our differences. I did it as a family lawyer for about 36 years and I will tell you some of the most warring, most hateful people walk through our courthouse but you get them into a room together with the fear of having to go in front of the judge if they don't resolve it, things start getting settled. Neighborhoods, public safety, transportation, obviously must be dealt with and I have been behind several efforts to try to get funding but I have opposed toll roads as the first source of funding. There are other ways to do it first. That's what we need to do and that's what I'll be fighting for as your mayor. Thank you. So the question was, how are we going to make sure that we can deliver on basic services? At the top of my list, when I think about basic services is in fact police and fire protection. That is the first obligation of our city government and we need to get that right. We are in a dispute right now between our city government and our police officers union and firefighters union. That needs to be settled. We need a new contract that is nationally competitive that attracts the best talent in public safety and keeps them here but it needs to also be financially sustainable. Public safety costs cannot run faster than our revenue. That is important because our city has other responsibilities. We have library services. We have parks. We have waste control. We have road repair. We have all these other basic services that over time if we don't get this contract right are going to be crowded out and pushed off the budget. And so this is the single most important decision facing City Hall today. If it is not resolved, I will be the mayor that is focused like a lightning beam on this, like a laser beam on this issue, making sure that we get the parties to the table and that we recognize we truly have common ground here. We have two fundamental interests. One is getting right on public safety, attracting the best talent. But number two is making sure that our finances are kept rock solid because we have a fast growing population that needs road repair and help getting unstuck from traffic and all the other concerns that any major city has. Thank you. Commissioner Atkinson, you'll be given the opportunity to respond first to the next question. Over 900 convenience stores in San Antonio are owned and operated by Asian-Americans. How would you ensure credible and equitable law enforcement across all ethnic communities? Well, I think it gets right back down to making sure that we stabilize the San Antonio Police Department and the San Antonio Fire Department. I think we have one of the finest police departments in the country, bar none. I think it's generally been well compensated and I think that they bring a lot of credibility, not only to the scene of the crime, but also to the contracts process. I think that we have overstated, part of the problem with the Fire and Police Contract, in my opinion, is that we have not had, except for the last several months, a stay-at-home mayor. We've got mayors that want to be somewhere else, but they've got to get there first, so they have to do their homework. They have to run around the country making speeches and they have to play the Washington scene, and that's fine and well and I'm proud of all those who serve in Washington, but quite frankly, the job's here. If the mayor's not in the room, the city manager takes over. If the city manager takes over, the mayor and the council are the bosses. Now they need guidance, they need professional assistance, and they should take it, and I'm one as a lawyer that believes in good professional guidance, but I will tell you, we cannot allow the mayor to be off gallivanting around while the city is adrift on such an important contract as Fire and Police to help our service station owners across the county. Representative Villarreal. Thank you. The question was how are we going to ensure that public safety and police protection is implemented in a way that all parts of town and all ethnic groups have protection? And I think it, for me, it really is an issue of community policing and ensuring that our police force is growing with our growing populations, so that we have the person power to deploy police officers so that response times are reasonable and nationally competitive across the board, every region of our city. I'm a big believer in community policing because before I ran for the Texas legislature 15 years ago, I was the vice president of my neighborhood association, and I saw firsthand how important it was to know who your neighborhood police officer was and to have them show up to your neighborhood association meetings and to really understand who the business owners were in your given corridor. So I think that's really important, but that is only possible if we have the person power that is adequate for our large city. And so that's why we also need to get right this contract with our police officers and our firefighters. We need a budget that is affordable and that can grow with our growing population. Thank you. Thank you very much. And what the question is posed is a very, very important one and takes to heart what the makeup of San Antonio is. We're a very old city, almost 300 years old. With rich diversity, we have been known as the city that welcomes its arms to all immigrants. We know that in our heritage. Think about the areas of town that welcomed German and Irish and Italian. We're a community, like my family, of Tehanos, of people who were here way before we were the state of Texas. The Asian community, the Indian community, the Filipino community, is a vibrant part of the city. Business owners, families. With respect to criminal justice, criminal justice, both from the enforcement, the prosecution, and that community policing must be colorblind, must absolutely respond in a manner that we are all citizens of this city. Now there are perceptions, and they are so. With that, the proud men and women and our police forces and our fire department need to understand that there are cultural differences that can be our strength. I know this firsthand, working in a very diverse community as a business owner, understanding those traditions, understanding that our newest business owners and those that have that family work ethic are the strongest. They have their businesses open seven days a week, and we need to make sure that all of our law enforcement treats all of our citizens with the same respect and dignity. Representative Diaria, how you will have the first opportunity for the next question. As mayor, what will you do to increase the engagement of the Asian community in educational initiatives? Great question. I believe that the most effective mayors in our country are those that recognize they can't act alone. They act most effectively when they're in partnership with other organizations, with civic leaders, business leaders in their community. And so in the area of education, we will continue what was started originally under Phil Harberger and then Mayor Castro of reaching out to civic organizations and cultivating youth leadership programs, like the one that is a part of the Asian American Association here in San Antonio. I'm going to brag on my wife, Jean Russell, who is a part of helping this organization form their youth leadership program. That needs to continue. And these kind of initiatives, should never be sort of government acting alone. It should always be in partnership with your civic groups. That the concern of education is an interesting one. In our community, it is the top priority in every group, in every part of town. And the mayor is seen as the leader of our city. But the mayor actually has no formal authority over this area, has no formal authority over our schools, over our universities. And so it's really essential that if anyone is going to move the needle on education out of the mayor's office, it has to be through this approach of partnership. The program that is currently taking place, which represents, in my part, the most exciting thing on the local scene is something called San Antonio Works, SA Works. And it is industry led, very important. It's based at the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. And it is the creation of summer jobs, internships, apprenticeships for high school students, college students, and even adults who want to learn by doing, who want to acquire new 21st century skills. And we know that they acquire them best, not just in the classroom, but in the workplace. I will push that. Thank you. Thank you very much for that thoughtful question. I readily admit, I'm the daughter of a retired school teacher. I'm the sister of a retired school teacher. 31 years in kindergarten. My sister is a saint. When I married Pete Vanderpute, he was a high school band director. Our family are full of teachers, educators, law enforcement, and veterans. But one thing I do know is our family is no different from all the families that I know are here today. And that our dreams and hopes for our children is that they have better opportunities. And that begins with the solid education. My history, my leadership at the legislature has always been to convene to use that power and I would use it as mayor to convene to collaborate with our educational leaders. And that starts from our very youngest until post-graduate to make sure that all of our children in San Antonio have those opportunities. And yes, we can do much. But we've got to want to. My grandmother only had a third grade education, but she always gave us those those little pearls of wisdom and we honor our elders. She used to say which means if you know what you don't know, you know we live in a very complex world. We don't know everything. But as mayor, I would know how to convene, how to get the smartest people in the room so that we can collaborate and have an educational status for the children in this community that would lead to a productive workforce and a strong economy. I am the proud grandson of a third grade educated sharecropper in the dust bowl of Oklahoma. My father's father. My mother's father was a 1903 grad from MIT with his degree in mining engineering. The very great contrast in the lives that they both lived and it was determined by education. No less so as it determined today by your education. Your education in the skill sets of those who are educated in this community determine where we go. The county should play a role in health and justice. The city should play a role in making sure that we are a facilitator, a catalyst for education. I don't think we should replicate what the public education system or the other educational systems do. I think we should be helpful. We should facilitate. We should not duplicate. We should make sure that we're there to be their partners and make sure that they have neighborhoods where people can actually learn without being under such a state of duress owing to either drive-by shootings, drug dealing going on in the neighborhoods or all kinds of other nonsense that tears at the fabric of neighborhoods and I think debilitates a child from being able to learn when they do go to school. So I think the city when it's doing its job right sets the foundation for how education can really take place. The next question will initially be addressed to Senator van de Veut. Would you be committed to appointing more Asian-Americans to serve on the board and commissions of the city? Absolutely. And that's because there are so many people in the Asian community that are so well-qualified. You see, it's not about filling a certain group but it's about understanding the greatness and the skill set, the passion and the knowledge that's right here in our Asian community. Tapping that expertise and coming and asking our Asian community to sit at the table where decisions are made and that means in task force that means on planning and zoning commission that means not just in neighborhood groups but in groups that will understand that we're all in this together. You know, I have worked for 34 years with amazing Asian-American healthcare professionals that I was taught by some of the best of them. I have had my small businesses located next door to Asian-American small businesses. And for me it's not about seeking them out. They're there and anybody who thinks that there is not capacity in the Asian-American community to fill those slots hasn't really looked at our Asian-American community and the absolute strength that they bring to the city of San Antonio. I believe that the best thing that we can do to support Asian-American inclusion is to continue with the strength of the program that we started at the county that can be replicated at the city small minority women-owned businesses making sure that they're a part of the boards and commission structure making sure that they're in there. Many of these folks have come from a great aspirational quest for a much, much better life and they have brought that ingredient, that dynamic to America that oftentimes I think among Americans can be lost because we've become somewhat comfortable. We have become somewhat dormant with respect to what we really could be doing with ourselves and this injection of the new dynamic of people coming from diverse areas across the globe can indeed lift up this country, this community and that's exactly why I thought the small minority women-owned business initiative of Bear County was so critical to our well-being and I believe it will be to the city. The county has led the process pretty much let's let the city take its proper role in making sure that everybody's included in their quest for the American dream. The Asian American community is aspirational, entrepreneurial and above all else it values education and we see that in the ranks of our doctors, scientists leaders in IT in terms of entrepreneurship we see that in terms of the hotel industry, convenience stores from big to small and everything in between Asian Americans are leading companies and advancing new ideas to strengthen our economy and so absolutely I am dedicated to finding the best and I know that will be found in the Asian American community to sit on the most important boards of our city planning, zoning board of adjustments but also SAWS and CPS so my commitment to you is to make sure that we appoint Asian Americans in all of these important boards. Thank you for your responses candidates. The next question will be addressed to Commissioner Atkinson if you were the mayor today how would you handle and resolve the police union contract situation? First of all thank you for that question it's a very important issue and one that has dragged on for far too long much longer than it should have without the active presence of the mayor at the outset the city manager apparently thought to fill the perceived void of leadership and took a very adversarial position with the public safety associations from day one that was a major mistake. These men and women in uniform are our friends our families and our neighbors not our enemies when San Antonio families are in a crisis a child ingest poison a worker on a job site gets seriously injured a grandfather has a heart attack a business gets robbed these are the folks that we rely on to come to our aid. They are not civilian employees and should not be treated as civilian employees. The threat to the physical health and psychological health of first responders is not comparable with clerks and white color workers in any way, shape or form. To be clear public safety costs do not take up 66.4% of the budget. They take up 66.4% of the general fund which is a smaller fund that makes up less than half the city's budget and the actual percentage for public safety costs in the overall budget is about 30%. The solution to negotiations is very simple and it's very easy. Bring in a federal mediator to determine which set of actuarial numbers should be used to make cost assumptions then we can compare the competing proposals on an apples to apples basis. It will also get us out of this lengthy legal process that we have already spent $1.5 million in taxpayer money on. As your stay at home mayor I will be there to ensure that we resolve this once and for all. We need to first get clear on what the costs are for public safety. There are four components and we need to make sure we look comprehensively at all parts of the costs. Number one, salaries. Two, healthcare. There's been a lot of talk about healthcare pension costs and the healthcare bridge component. As a council and as a mayor leading our council I will make sure that we look comprehensively at these costs and ultimately we meet the bottom line requirement of ensuring that these costs do not rise faster than our revenue. We need to get this contract right. It can be a nationally competitive contract. It can actually be a contract that's better than any offering to any police force in the state of Texas. But it also needs to be financially sustainable. And so one thing that I will do is see the role as mayor as the chief explainer and not only be a part of the negotiations and making sure that both groups focus on a fundamental interest of public safety and financial sustainability but also go around our city presenting to neighborhood groups so that we can build the public will to get this contract right. And that means keeping public safety priority. Having a contract that's nationally competitive so that we attract the best talent and keep them. But also that that contract be financially sustainable. And that means that any contract with any group bankrupt us as a city. Thank you very much. I've been waiting for this question and that's why I made sure not to answer it in previous questions. You know I think both of my colleagues here have focused on the nuts and bolts. They focused on numbers. We don't need an explainer. We need a leader. And the first thing you do is you can invite people to the table where there has been hurt and there has been distrust so much so that there is no respect. I'm hoping with all my heart that Mayor Ivy Taylor and the current council are able to use before these elections that window of opportunity to sit down and to bring people to the table. Because it's in the best interest of the people of this community. But if not the first thing I would do was to make sure that we re-establish that trust. Yes it's about process. We all know the sacrifice of the men and women who are our first responders. And I readily admit I am the proud niece of a now deceased very respected police officer and still have family on the force. Those families need to be compensated appropriately. They need to be well trained and they need to have the best equipment. But I know as mayor of San Antonio I'm the best at bringing people back to the table and establishing that trust. To get to that sweet point that we honor and we make sure that they are compensated but we also make sure that costs are appropriate. You know we shouldn't be even arguing about this. Which should have already been done but it isn't. What our real focus should be is on our neighborhoods and expanding and making sure that we have the right response calls. San Antonio is growing soon to be the fifth largest city in America. We should be focusing on police and fire and in our new areas making sure that every neighborhood is protected. As mayor I'll make sure that we get this contract done. The first question I have from the audience. I'll address it to commissioner Atkinson. How will you balance the needs of the inner city with the suburbs, ex-verbs and annexed areas? Well first of all they're all in it together. When we set the tax rate for the county and I'm sure when the city sets its tax rate they set it for the entirety of the county or the city. And I have noticed over the years that if the older areas, first of all all areas that are newer old, the new ones, let's just take them for example, they're going to be old someday. I would hope that the past is not prologue. That we actually have a prospect and a hope that they will not have to experience the degradation, the demise, the kinds of deterioration that has occurred in aging neighborhoods for the most part in this community. If the values of the older communities go down, the pressure on city councilmen and commissioners is to raise rates. Yes they can cut the budget, but they're going to raise rates. So if we keep values strong in all neighborhoods the newer ones will not have to receive the brunt of the demise of some of those older neighborhoods. So we're really literally in this all together when it comes down to property taxes and how the rates are set. How will you balance the needs of the inner city with the suburbs, ex-verbs and annexed areas? That's a very important question as I have traveled around this city I've really come to appreciate how much we've spread out and in some cases it feels like we're more than one city. We need to grow in a way that unifies us, that ties us together. I'm really proud of some infrastructure projects that I think are really just great common sense, we're accomplishing multiple goals at once that at the top of my list is the Howard Peak Greenbell. It is giving us an opportunity to be better stewards of our environment and it's performing the function of flood control. That Greenbell will literally tie us together when we connect it to the San Antonio River and then build out the creek ways inside of that loop. And so these kind of projects that bind us together I think VIA has a solid plan creating bus terminals on the outer ring that have ramps that feed onto our highways so that there is high bus capacity bus rapid transit moving every 10 to 15 minutes along the most congested corridors that is a great way of solving the problem of traffic but also better connecting our different parts of town. As mayor I'm going to be prioritizing projects like these that accomplish multiple goals and in the end tie us together as one community. Very much. When I hear questions posed like are you going to focus as mayor on the decade of the downtown and look at downtown and not pay attention to our suburbs or our areas outside the city limits. I often think that it's a question posed to me as a mother how do you choose one child over another. You don't. You understand that the strength of this city and the strength of a family is investing in the key parts of all of our city. Having said that we know that our industries and so many of our visitors come to the downtown area. We know that's the face of San Antonio but we also know that there are neighborhoods and needs all over this city. You know San Antonio we are a great city. We're going to be the next great American city and it's like asking if you can do things and comprehend in a way that are projects that are mutually exclusive they're not. Why is it that we think that it's north versus south or inner city versus suburbs when one portion of this city is at its potential we know that other parts benefit. As mayor I would look at the strength of our city council members they know their districts better than anyone else they visit the people they live in those neighborhoods and tap the expertise of our council members our neighborhood groups our industry leaders in those areas and make sure that our city is focused on the needs of all communities. That includes downtown but it also makes sure that as mayor you should be looking at everything. Again you don't pick and choose one child over another the strength of one the next question from the audience will first be submitted to representative Villarreal. What are your plans to ensure small business priorities including deterring minimum wage increases and organized labor initiatives that deter minority small business owners from creating and sustaining jobs. It's important to first recognize that the mayor and our city council do not have the authority to increase the minimum wage in the private sector and that is a state issue it should stay at the state it's also a federal issue it's not a city hall issue and and for good reason we actually have many cities within our local economy and so the idea of changing the wage structure artificially by one local government I think what we'll end up seeing is businesses locating just outside of city limits inside say the city of Balconies Heights or Castle Hills in order to avoid this manipulation of the wage structure and so as mayor I'm going to focus on things that are inside of my toolkit. Number one we need to keep our property taxes low. Number two we need to make sure that our utility rates are affordable we need to keep regulations sane and finally we need to advance programs that provide access to capital to our access for capital to our small businesses. The Lyft Fund is a great example Cafe Commerce is a great example where small business owners can go to find a mentor help in sharpening their business plan and that much needed ingredient in that is capital. Thank you and I will absolutely admit that I have a bias toward small business. My record as a legislator has been that I have authored bills for small business absolutely because I know that that has been where so much of our employment and our growth has. As mayor I would make sure that we listen to the private sector to set a wage on the private sector is not in the purview I believe of city government. However if the city has an incentive program where there is money to attract new business or what I would like to see is investment in the current businesses that are here so they can expand or those arrangements that include tax abatements that it is in the right of the city to look at those businesses which are getting a tax break from the city and ask them for a certain wage level and just like you would ask the number of jobs. So while it is not for the blanket but for the private sector I think it is totally appropriate anybody who wants to receive a tax break the city ought to negotiate the types of jobs and the number of jobs and at least a livable wage for those folks that are going to receive that break. For small businesses we need to make sure that you have a city government that works and I could tell you story after story of people that I admire and respect who have left the community because they felt they could not expand their current business and it would be the delays it would be the bureaucratic red tape I think the city has gone really to great lengths now with that city one stop with that but we need to make sure that we have a process that understands that business when it comes to business time is money and I would be a great advocate as mayor for all of our small businesses. The best thing I think we can do for taxes and for the cost of doing business that is driven by government is balance the budget and at the county what we did in my 16 years is about 6 of those years we lowered the tax rate and the rest of the years we retained the tax rate so I think that's an important goal for a city or a county is to try to hold the line on more spending at the county we have what I consider to be a flattened hierarchy I don't think that's the case at the city but I think it could be more the case at the city I don't think that we need to engage in some of the profligacy that some of us have seen over years and it can happen at the county too but the city has got to be able to be the master of its own destiny by maintaining its budget I believe that when we look at issues that really drive taxes up at the county we attacked the incredibly out of control jail population with a 75% recidivism or return rate to our jail we attacked recidivism reduced recidivism keep people working if they've committed a crime they're going to pay a price for it but for God's sake do not willy nilly just throw every person but for the grace of God go us into that den of iniquity that crime school which is every jail and every prison around we need to keep people on a track of functionality and of work and of sustaining their family and their community and not coming back to our jail the city plays a role in that that is one of the ways we can help reduce the cost of doing business at the city given the time that we have one remaining question this will be presented to senator vandepute initially what is the state movement to a livable wage with county employees what in your opinion is a livable wage in san antonio what as mayor is your position on livable wage thank you very very much as a small business owner as a mother and as a legislator I have watched this debate and the tensions what is really a wage that is adequate I can tell you that most people will tell you across the country that when the federal government even in its dysfunctionality sets that rate it set it at 725 I will also admit that I'm old enough that the first time I had a job I was lucky enough to get a dollar 25 an hour it was wonderful in the discussion of a livable wage I go down that I-35 corridor and you know how I know what the wages are I know all of us love our san antonio restaurants have you ever gone by the bill millers and you see starting wage right whatever the wage is here in san antonio the bill miller sign in austin which is 88 miles away is always a dollar more 88 miles that's the difference and if you think of employers like the millers they need to pay the wage to attract the type of workforce that they need I think we all ought to have a livable wage and our families live in dignity but if you ask me right now what is that level or what should the city do that is a discussion I think for all of us but the decisions within their own family businesses need to be made by the business owners commissioner adkins as a person who has met a payroll for the last 36 years I would insist on being the master of my businesses own destiny what the city does is the city's call and should be done very carefully after much discussion debate deliberation and forethought for the future but with respect to what the businesses do they have got to make those calls themselves I have set wages for the last 36 years and I just cannot imagine how somebody could come in to my office and tell me how I need to be doing setting the wages so business should have their own prerogative in that regard and when it comes to the city of San Antonio I think we should have a well paid workforce but that is something that has to be discussed over time and deliberated on very carefully thank you so as I heard the question what should be the living wage for employees of city government is that accurate yes and I think the standard should be we shouldn't have city employees who are carrying out this mission of providing public services while also qualifying for food stamps and I believe there's been work in estimating what that number is and it's somewhere around 11 dollars and 50 cents an hour and so that's important I think our city government I want us to have employees who are proud to go to work whose sons and daughters when asked where do your parents work they're proud to say for the city of San Antonio and for that employment to be enough to provide for them and their families and without having to be on food stamps that's important and as mayor I will make sure that happens and I will also have an eye on the organizations that receive subsidies from our city and that also contract because it ultimately isn't going to do us the right as a community if we simply just contract out these jobs at starvation levels so that's important and I think it's something that we owe to our city employees who do some of the most challenging jobs for all of us thank you for your efforts and responding to the questions both the ones for the final exam and also the pop quiz at this time I will give you an opportunity to share closing remarks with the audience the first candidate will be Representative Villarreal thank you since last May I spent my time sitting and listening to our fellow neighbors across the city and across the political spectrum I have been focused on pursuing one office and one goal that is to make San Antonio a city of opportunity for our children to do this we need a mayor that is forward looking that embraces innovation and completely lead in a non-partisan way for the last eight months I have been building a governing coalition that has included the brightest, most dedicated compassionate San Antonians regardless of party because if we want to realize the prosperity for our families and our city we are going to need to be non-partisan that's important and I have covered for the last 15 years if you look at my long track record you'll know that I have always gone up to Austin to solve real problems facing our families and our businesses not to just give speeches in Austin I will take that spirit that approach to leadership to city hall my vision for San Antonio is crystal clear in fact it started forming before I took the long drive to Texas A&M I remember being on a service call with my father who is an AC repairman we were working on somebody's unit and at one point he turned to me and said well Mike you are going to go off to college be the first in our family to earn a degree and then you are just going to keep on going what he was telling me was that I would be successful in college and then there would be greater opportunities in other cities for me and he didn't expect me to come back home I don't want this for our families I want us to be a city of opportunity for our children where our kids who earn college degrees or who acquire new 21st century skills find opportunity here in our hometown please join me in building out this coalition to lead our city to become a city of opportunity for our children thank you thank you very much thank you to the Asian American Chamber of Commerce to the Alliance and thank all of you the most precious gift that you can give is that of your time and to see so many of you here this morning I know in my heart that our future will be bright because we have citizens that are engaged and they want to know how your candidates for mayor stand on the issues I want to thank Mike and Tommy for being great public servants I've been honored to be their friends and to serve with them but I want to be your mayor I know that I bring that skill set of proven leadership of inclusiveness of convening of collaboration back home to city hall maybe it's because now we're focused on our children and our grandchildren I see this city really as the next great American city but only if we work together we make sure that our taxes stay in line that our businesses are competitive that our workforce is ready but we need to honor our diversity and make our challenges into opportunities the San Miguel family has always done that I'm proud to call San Antonio my home I'm proud that my children have returned to live and grow their families here and I'm especially proud that together we will make sure that San Antonio is the next great American city where those potential of all of now my children and grandchildren and yours are limitless please join me I humbly ask for your support you can go on our website leticiavandepute.com Muchisimas gracias thank you very much Commissioner Atkinson thank you very much as all of you have seen here today we have a pretty healthy array at least the three there before you that want to serve you they love San Antonio and they have demonstrated that by their service in public office many of you remember about 15 or 16 years ago that the New Orleans jazz had been attracted to Utah to become the Utah jazz what does jazz and Utah have in common I don't know except they got the New Orleans team okay so they were banging on our door and the San Antonio Spurs were looking around they were playing in basically an NFL facility with the Alamo Dome and they said they used to say because the skyboxes are a big source of revenue to the professional teams that the highest price worst seating in the Alamo Dome was in the skybox because you had to look so far to see the little matchbox that was the NBA team play area we were able to and I was proud to stand with then County Judge Cindy Crier and the rest of the court in bringing a proposal to the voters we weren't afraid to take what people said but we were going to go to the people and say you tell us what you want to do you know what the score is you've seen what's happening out there the Spurs could leave us and I can tell you that it was a momentous decision we won handily in that election and the San Antonio Spurs who had already won one world championship went on to win four more and the NBA is what people said it was people passed us as we were going from TV station to TV station promoting the Spurs the AT&T center and I'll never forget what was said on the back of the windshield San Antonio Spurs we will always love you let's get this great community going in a way that we can all love San Antonio let's make sure that we never have to look back let's be daring let's be great let's be bold let's be courageous let's be San Antonio's well this concludes the forum part of the program and I want to thank