Name: Andy Salm
Age: 56
Education: University of California Davis
Political experience: I carefully study the issues and I vote.
I have attended political proceedings in this and other communities.
Please write a short biography of yourself (you might include such things as
birthplace, career, community involvement, family, etc.):
Raised in a military family, Andy has lived in both struggling and healthy communities. After college he founded a laboratory equipment company. Eleven years ago Andy chose Carson City to raise his family. Presently, he is the managing partner of an investment firm, focusing on asset selection and risk management. Andy is the proud father of nine-year old son, Nico. Andy coaches youth sports, regularly tutors at school, supports the food bank and efforts against domestic violence. Andy recognizes that committed people make the place. Andy is deeply committed to fiscal responsibility and citizen involvement in our community.
Have you ever been arrested? If so, when and for what offense?
No
Describe your vision for the Carson City of the future:
We will become the shining jewel of Northern Nevada. We will accomplish this by making optimum use of our financial and citizen resources. When we Rethink Redevelopment we will enhance the many attributes of this community with disciplined and well researched choices on projects by new Supervisors that allocate our expenditures to create more impact per dollar spent. Involved Neighbors create Neighborhoods with ever more appeal when they realize this new city government is their partner. Within every neighborhood and business district the talent and ingenuity of our citizens will flow to enrich and enliven Carson City.
List the three most important issues Carson City will face in the next few
years:
We are facing a budget shortfall. Three crucial steps must be taken.
Create Goals for Government to measure performance and provide incentives for high levels of accomplishment. Carefully study costs and risks versus benefits for projects and investments.
Support Citizen Involvement to tap the talent and energy within our community, improve neighborhoods and help reduce city expenditures.
Rethink Redevelopment by attracting businesses that pay better wages enabling more home ownership. This essential American Dream is crucial to our economic health.
I will build relationships with new businesses that do not require cash gifts to locate or stay here.
Do you think Carson City has a healthy number of casinos? Would you support
more casinos?
Casinos are only one aspect of our business community. We must pursue diversity and stability within our business community to remain healthy in hard economic times. By Rethinking Redevelopment we will find ways to market our special attributes to healthy businesses that have more highly paid, highly skilled positions than casinos and big retail stores. We will attract them to us with our attributes and advantages over other cities, counties and states and our willingness to cooperate to operate as partners. The businesses will prosper with this arrangement and thereby enrich our business district, neighborhoods and citizens.
If the city continues to face budgetary problems, would you consider layoffs
as part of the solution?
Rather than begin layoffs we will create clear Goals for Government that increase productivity and maintain services by measuring performance and rewarding high accomplishment. Businesses and government must become increasingly efficient and lean in a downturn to survive. When your employer is out of money, does it matter if you have a job? All levels of government and all our contractors must be accountable and responsible for their fair share of the necessary savings to balance the budget. We will get together and get to work to make the city government sustainable while maintaining services.
How would you characterize the level of crime in Carson City, including
gang-related crime? Do you believe the city needs more law enforcement
officers?
When our city government strongly supports citizen involvement in neighborhood improvement and close cooperation between neighbors and designated neighborhood officers, then we will solve problems. This will be cost effective for Carson City and improve affected neighborhoods. When we change the paradigm further, relationships between neighbors, officers and gang members can have a synergistic effect that will enable these Neighbors to Create Neighborhoods. Citizens will Get Together to Work Together and provide a network of support for one another. Citizens will be encouraged by the progress they see and will contribute and commit progressively more to their city.
How will you vote on the public safety ballot question that asks voters if
they want to increase their property taxes to add more firefighters,
paramedics and law enforcement officers?
The departments requesting more tax money have not made a compelling case for the need to increase their budget and our taxes. Particularly with a recession and city budget shortfall, departmental budget increases are extremely weak solutions to problems that can be addressed in more cost effective ways. Goals for Government that measure personnel and departmental performance and support incentives for high productivity must be put in place. Salary increases should be reviewed for appropriateness in strict relation to productivity. Interdepartmental cooperative efforts, some supported by State programs, must be pursued before committing our citizens to new and ongoing taxes.
How will you vote on the V&T tax ballot question, which proposes using sales
tax to provide $10 million for the railroad in return for a share of the profits.
Already, Carson City has paid enormous sums from precious city funds for construction of the V&T in Storey and Lyon counties. These other counties have not contributed significantly despite the potential benefit to them. It is difficult to convince them to ante up while we are building it for them. We must strategically cooperate to operate cost effectively.
Must we build a legacy railroad for the Mayor and Supervisors no matter how disabling the cost?
Starting the V&T from our Railroad museum and building when funds are available could give us a useable and expandable railroad option.
What impression do you think Carson City makes upon visitors? What things
can be done to improve Carson's first impression?
With few exceptions, the downtown has changed little in recent years despite much money spent on studies, redevelopment gifts to preferred businesses and rich revenues from the greatest financial boom of our time. Now we face frighteningly difficult economic times.
Our officials are still gazing fondly at drawings that will cost vast sums to implement.
It is time to Rethink Redevelopment to attract and cooperate with desirable businesses to begin the process of building a vital, attractive and economically healthy downtown. When Supervisors are cooperative relationship builders, businessmen can feel secure enough to take the risk of costly development here.
Do you agree with one supervisor candidate's statement that Carson City has
wasted assets and resources by poor planning in its projects?
The Supervisors have given huge amounts to the V&T without any indication of proper due diligence as regards cost, benefit and liability risk to the city.
We need Supervisors with the business acumen to provide good analysis and make sound investment choices. We must be unshakable in our determination to diligently prepare before deciding issues with sweeping consequences.
Carson City has a detailed plan to make the downtown more inviting to
walking traffic, which includes a reduction in lanes. Do you support the
plan? What are your ideas for improving downtown?
We must Rethink Redevelopment to create a realistic plan that will be attractive, convenient and business friendly. I strongly support enabling walking and biking traffic throughout the multiple city districts envisioned. However, the consultant's plan does not provide the necessary cost analysis to decide on feasibility. We must be unshakeable in our determination to study and analyze cost, risk and benefit and we must demand the accomplishment of Performance Goals and Benchmarks before paying contractors and consultants.
The city has recently attracted retailers by offering monetary incentives.
Do you support this policy? If not, what strategy do you believe the city
should use to attract businesses to locate here rather than in nearby
communities?
Gifting eight years of revenue to a large retailer to come in and crush existing local competitors is not in our best interests. Sacrificing the city's revenue negates the rationale for attracting the business here.
We can find businesses that do not require cash gifts. We should not risk city funds in these ventures. Instead, we can attract businesses with our special attributes and help support them with our policies.
We are a lovely, small town. As we enable more Citizen Involvement we will steadily grow the appeal of our neighborhoods and attract high end, high wage employers.
Do you believe Carson City's library is adequate? Why?
In addition to our city library we are fortunate to have the State library facilities nearby.
Though we have these extensive library resources, still we should constantly strive to better define our needs. We must assess the need for computer access, meeting space and other uses for which the library is or could become a venue.
Goals for Government enables us to measure the utility of facilities and performance of departments that operate them. With these important measures we will pinpoint ways to better service and provide for needs. Then can we determine where best to allocate and invest.
Do you believe Carson City has an adequate number of parks and similar
facilities? Why?
Open space and recreation areas are sought after city assets and add to our appeal. City support for Neighbors to Create Neighborhoods can result in cost saving and a great sense of team building and partnership between citizens and government when we get together and get to work on community projects. The talent, effort and ideas of committed neighbors cooperating to define, refine and enhance recreational space can be a low cost, high return proposition for our quality of life. Appropriate recreational space acquisitions can vary density in an appealing manner and provide diverse settings within our more developed areas.
Some candidates have made comments about some citizens being subjected to
treatment more fair than others. Do you agree? If so, in what areas has this
occurred?
I feel fortunate to live in Carson City and I have had consistently positive experiences. However, time and again citizens tell me of their frustration with favoritism in the current city government. I have seen it implemented in Redevelopment policy in the form of cash incentives, "feasibility study" grants or "loan" gifts to favored businesses.
When we establish open, responsible and inclusive government the ground swell of frustration will become a ground swell of enthusiasm and commitment to community by our citizens. Like family, we will share a sense of obligation and concern for the betterment of our community.
What else would you like to say to voters about your qualifications and
ideas?
As an experienced businessman I am equipped to enable Carson City to negotiate, cooperate and build relationships with businesses considering our area.
As an experienced investor I know the importance of diligent analysis of budgets and project costs, risks and potential benefits. I am cautious and thorough.
I am unencumbered by conflicts of interest with our city and I will dedicate myself to our city's best interests.
I am committed to supporting greater citizen involvement and drawing on the rich talents of our community's bright minds to light up our government and our city.