Questions for Candidates for Mayor and Board of Aldermen for the City of Frederick

Questions for Candidates for Mayor and Board of Aldermen for the City of Frederick

Full verbatim answers (without any editing for syntax, spelling or grammar) will be provided on the Chamber of Commerce website as a part of our effort to inform our members in preparation for the upcoming election.

Please provide a 250-word introduction in addition to your specific responses to the questions below.

I am requesting your support for Shelley Aloi for Mayor.

A lifelong member of the Frederick Community, I am inquisitive, with a high ability to problem solve, able to facilitate challenging conversations such that long standing conflicts are resolved, and with my diverse background and experience, I communicate well with those from vastly different backgrounds, cultures and interests to achieve successful outcomes.

A lifelong learner, I have a B.A. from Hood in Biochemistry and Mathematics, magna cum laude.Certified as a Business and Life Coach, I am also a Success Coach anda member of the John Maxwell Leadership Team (JMT). My colleagues at JMT are transforming governments around the world, and I willbring these leadership tools to the City of Frederick.

My career history includes AIDS and cancer research at Ft. Detrick taking the first pictures of the AIDS virus. I was also a STEM educator before it was called STEM, a director of housing and logistics with the US Olympic Committee, a leader and trainer with the US Census Bureau, and member ofa research team that received a US Government Patent. Most recently, as an analyst in the banking industry, my team kept thousands of families in their homes. In the political arena, Iserved as Alderman in the City of Frederick and was invited to run statewide as a candidate for Lt. Governor.

My desire is to serve you, to help you be successful andachieve your goals. I ask for your support. Thank you.

Responses can be in the form of a word processor program attachment or embedded in an email. Email responses should be sent to , and must be received by COB August 8th, 2017.

The Frederick County Chamber of Commerce recently led a fact-finding trip to Greenville South Carolina. The trip included Chamber staff, Board members, Chamber Partners-in-Trust, the County Executive, senior staff from the Mayor’s Office, economic development staff from both the City and County, along with others. The purpose of the trip was to study the experience, strategies and partnerships that have led Greenville to an economic renaissance in housing, job creation and urban revitalization. Several themes emerged, but Greenville Mayor Knox White often remarked that a visionary, focused local government was essential to their success. It is within that context that we offer you the following questions. Unlike some questionnaires, we understand that some of these responses will require more than a 100 word answer. Therefore, we encourage you to express yourself fully on each question.

Remember that a reader will only give you a limited amount of attention, so brevity will help ensure readership. We will NOT edit your responses, either, so use care with your work! If you write it, Chamber members will read it!

1.With the significant annual carrying costs, totaling over $1 million, and the immense price tag put on the costs to fully develop the property as a regional park, how do you propose to make the Hargett Farm property an asset to the taxpayers of the City of Frederick and where do you expect to raise the money to improve the property with an estimated price tag approaching $100 million?

The City of Frederick financial policy allows for a debt service ratio of 13% of the general fund. Once current projects including Monocacy Boulevard and Christophers Crossing are completed, and as we move into 2021 and 2022, the borrowing capacity of the City of Frederick will be limited to approximately $10-12 million. Other projects include Butterfly Lane, Rails to Trails, and other road alignments such as Baughman’s Lane. These projects alone will surpass the current borrowing capacity in total.

The proposed Westside Regional Parkis clearly outside the reach of the City of Frederick at this point in time. The best possible scenario for fulfilling the current vision is to find a legacy donor willing to fund the $100 million project. However, in lieu of that, other scenarios for completing such a project include securing State and Federal grants, public-private partnerships or a simple pay as you go plan.

In the past, I proposed partitioning a piece of this property for commercial/employment purposes or perhaps manufacturing as a means of diversifying the tax base and earning revenues while still having a smaller vibrant park. Without a major donor or partner, I see this as necessary because the principal and interest investment in the land alone will approach $30 million at the time of payoff in 2034. Imagine what good can be done for taxpayers with another approach.

2.Blight has been an irritant for downtown residents and merchants for many years – how do you propose to address the situation to deal with examples like the Asiana building and other underutilized properties in the retail district? Unaddressed blight threatens to undermine the morale of property owners trying to keep and maintain a momentum for progress. What is your position?

The blight problem is an example of the lack of proactive leadership over the last eight years. The City of Frederick has both the personnel and resources in place to address this problem systematically. Specifically, receivership legislation is in place for those property owners unwilling to comply. As a strong mayor, I will direct staff to begin the process where current legislation allows, and look at other disincentives for long-term blight problems.

3.Do you consider the tax/equity – sharing equation between the City and the County to be one which is fair to city taxpayers and if not what do you intend to do about the situation?What is your position on the level of City taxes relative to services, and do you agree or disagree that City taxes are a hindrance to being competitive in attracting business, and residents, why or why not?

The tax sharing equation between the City and the County is unfair to City taxpayers. During the prior administration when I served as Alderman, we developed a comprehensive listing of duplicative services including planning, permitting, GIS and many others. There is nothing in the formula to account for these services so City taxpayers are paying double in these cases.

Another example of inequity is found in the method of distributing highway user revenues countywide. This part of the equation has long needed an adjustment based upon road trips rather than the current percentage of road miles. I am willing and ready to have these talks with County leadership and as necessary with the State delegation.

I disagree with the current mayor that everything is fine. City taxes are a hindrance to some business owners and residents and not to others. This is personal for each one. To be clear, I have been hearing from some seniors in our community who are being taxed out and others in the next generation who cannot afford to stay because of the cost of living. The quick answer is to diversify the tax base, to streamline services once and for all, and to make it easy for businessesto come, grow and thrive.

4.Route 15 continues to be a traffic bottleneck which impacts all City residents and our businesses – what steps do you propose the City should take to address the problem?

First, we complete current City projects such as Christophers Crossing and Monocacy Boulevard which help to provide alternate routes. This is mind, the current mayor lays claim that these are his projects and he wants to see them through to completion. Not true or transparent. These projects were initiated by the Holtzinger administration. Jeff secured the design contract for the Monocacy Boulevard Interchange along with the County and State Hwy. He also mapped out the realignment of Monocacy Boulevard and the plan for Christopher Crossing. Give credit where credit is due. These projects have come to fruition because planning staff have done well to follow the plans established prior to the last 8 years.

Regarding Route 15, since this is a State Hwy, it is important that we continue to work in cooperation with Frederick County and State decision makers to keep Route 15 a priority. This is currently in process as a project with the State.

5.Please provide one positive concrete idea to address the groups of homeless or disenfranchised who loiter for hours at a time around some of our more valuable public assets (Carroll Creek Linear Park, Baker Park, and the public library to name a few). What can be done to ensure our residents and businesses continue to use such assets or locate there.

This hasbeen an ongoing discussion and it is another example of something missing in the ability to problem solve over the last eight years. As a board member with the Religious Coalition, we have been having this discussion, albeit from a different perspective. Frederick is a giving City with an abundance of resources for people who are homeless and in need, and the majority of services are located in the center of town.

During my time as Alderman, I discussed the possibility of relocating these services in conjunction with the housing first initiative.

6.Assuming you had the support, what one measure would you implement almost immediately upon being elected to office?

As Mayor in the City of Frederick my door is open to businesses and individuals who wish to have a conversation. I listen well and collaborate with others. I empowerstaff to make decisions and supportthem in finding creative solutions to challenges. The one measure I implement immediately is in the code for planning. Some businesses have found that they are not allowed in particular locations due to antiquated or out-of-date reasoning and segregation of uses. Up to now, a change in legislation has been required when this occurred. In collaboration with economic development and planning, I will lead a shift to performance or form based code, which will allow more diverse business interests to coexist near one another in the City of Frederick.

7.What can the City do that it is not already doing to attract new businesses to enhance the assessable base within the City?

In addition to #6 above, we streamline services once and for all. I continue to hear from investors and business owners about the challenges they face doing business in or with the City of Frederick. I hear it feels difficult to accomplish goals and meet deadlines.

First, we honor, value and respect each person who calls on the phone or walks in the door. This includes other employees. We also eliminate road blocks to businesses by creating a culture of collaboration and customer service. It doesn’t matter if you are a department head or if you are cleaning the building, you represent the City of Frederick. Likewise, it doesn’t matter if you are a single person operation or a large corporation, you find us helpful. We assist you in achieving your goals to become successful.

This means digging into the nuts and bolts of our processes. A business owner should not have to wait 4 days because the one person who can sign their approval is not in the office. This simple delay costs both time and money and these seemingly small things become big obstacles for business.

8.What is your position on the East Street planning effort? How familiar are you with the corridor planning efforts currently underway? What would you like to see done differently with regard to the future of East Street?

I support the concept of small area plans in general, and these plans must always take into account property rights. I am familiar with the plan as adopted by the current administration this past week and do not have a comment about a different approach at this time.

9.The State of Maryland recently decided to relocate the Department of Social Services out of the William Donald Schaeffer Building on All Saints Street. Moving those critical human services and programs may hamper client’s efforts to access them. What can the City do to help ensure continued access to critical services? What is the City’s responsibility in this regard, if any?

The current solution has two busses (the 65 Connector and the North Frederick Shuttle) traveling from the transit station on East Street to the Department of Social Services building on North Market once each hour and returning once each hour. The hours of operation coincide with service hours so transportation is available. This is not a perfect solution as the average person must travel as much as an hour and a half one-way. For persons who are disabled or over age 62, Transit Plus is available for door to door service.

As for me, I cannot imagine the challenge of taking a half day for an appointment so close to home and this is what many in our community face on a regular basis. To ensure these services continue to be accessible, the City transportation department must remain advocates for maintaining these routes and for ongoing funding of these servicesin collaboration with County and State entities.

10. How do you as a candidate for office feel about the role of the City regulatory agencies (permits/inspections/planning/zoning/historic preservation)? Do you believe that City departments have an obligation to accommodate citizen and business owner requests that are legal, legitimate and appropriate? Do you think this is something that is already in place, could use some guidance, or needs a lot more focus and vision from the City elected leaders?

City regulatory agencies are necessary as it pertains to the health, safety and welfare of those in the community. At the same time, City departments have an obligation to accommodate citizen and business owner requests that are legal, legitimate and appropriate. There is a process in place and it needs more focus and vision from elected leaders, especially the mayor, since the mayor directs staff.

As Mayor in the City of Frederick, my first priority is building a culture of collaboration. I ensure that every employee understands not only are they valued, they also realize that City residents and businesses are the heart of who we are. As a team, we serve in a way that those interacting with the City of Frederick feel honored, valued and respected. We look for creative solutions to challenges and it’s no longer business as usual. Diverse business interests coexist and there is a formal fast-track for projects. There is also a growing and vibrant business community and an expanding tax base. Families are able to enjoy the City as a true live-work-play place to call home.

11. With the vibrant growth of downtown in recent years, Frederick has become a weekend destination for people from across the region. What types of investments do you feel the City should make to attract businesses and skilled workers to relocate to the City of Frederick permanently? Are there internal processes that you feel the City can improve upon to position it to be more attractive to prospective businesses and residents?

One such investment is, for example, Carroll Creek Linear Park. This type of investment not only adds to our quality of life, it also creates an environment that attracts both businesses and residents to the City.

This is the backstory. I served as Alderman during the most difficult financial times. It was the recession. One day, Karen Lewis Young and I had the occasion to be in the Mayor’s office. We discovered that Randy had written a letter to the Maryland Department of Transportation stating that he couldn’t find matching funds and was giving back the $3.25 million dollar grant for Carroll Creek Linear Park.He could not see that it was possible. Karen and I intervened. We requested, we pleaded for, and then we demanded a few days to solve the challenge.What happened? She and I asked the County Commissioners to forward fund the money they promised in future years and they agreed. Basically, they gave us the County share of money earlier than planned. Then Karen and I, along with the other Aldermen, searched the budget to come up with the rest of the match.

As a community we are enjoying Carroll Creek Linear Park because of the intervention of two Aldermen, Karen Lewis Young and me. Now you know the rest of the story.

It is this type of possibility thinking and collaboration across party lines and governmental entities that will transform a community for good. As Mayor, I not only allow economic developmentpersonnel to do their job, I support them in the process of finding creative solutions for attracting business and skilled workers to relocate in the City. Together we collaborate with planning personnel and others to develop and streamline processes that serve the business community and others who wish to invest, and we do that in a friendly and expedient fashion.