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The following candidates responded to these three questions.

1. In recent council meetings and other functions around the city, the biggest issue for many residents is finances and the city budget. If elected/re-elected, what specific policies or goals do you have in mind that would balance the pressure on property owners and taxpayers against the city's ability to provide quality services?

2. What is the number one, top priority (only one, please) facing the city of Takoma Park right now?

3. There has been a spike in crime recently involving break-ins to vehicles, some robberies and other incidents. What do you view is the role of city legislators in addressing crime either citywide or ward by ward? What is one step you will take if elected/re-elected to ensure the safety of your constituents?

Mayoral race

Incumbent Mayor Bruce Williams

1. I would continue my efforts to head off and prevent any further take-backs, by the state or the county, of the money we get now in the form of rebates and taxes ... [as things are] we could potentially lose some of our income tax revenue, we could lose some of our police aid, which was already cut by 35 percent, in coming cuts by mid-November. We need to make an effort, starting in January, to take a look at city services and evaluate them. That could potentially mean cutting services, it could potentially mean cutting departments and it could potentially mean layoffs, and I hate layoffs, but it might be something that we will need to do.

2. Money.

3. The most important thing we can do is be supportive of the police department in terms of how they are equipped, in terms of technology or otherwise, to address crime. As far as I see it, public safety and the police department is job one for the city ... any diminution of our ability to handle crime would be going backward. We need to continue with our model of effective community policing.

Roger Schlegel

1. Council members must treat residents' money as if it were their own household's carefully managed resources. The mayor must lead by insisting that the council make the distinction between wants and needs when it comes to setting the budget. If elected, I will utilize cost-effective partnerships, cooperative agreements, and community volunteers to create a "virtual gymnasium" and to expand recreation and other after-school opportunities for youth. And I will place all options on the table in the fight for an equitable reimbursement from the County for services we provide on our own; this includes taking the issue to the State Supreme Court.

2. We must involve a broader array of city residents (from all wards and all communities) in accomplishing our civic goals. Our major challenges (crime, fiscal sustainability, development, youth, and the environment) can be addressed successfully only if residents are informed about the issues, actively invited into the public process, and given meaningful, structured opportunities to contribute their time, expertise, and perspectives to produce concrete results.

3. For community-oriented policing to work, council members must lead in building effective cooperation between police and residents. On the police side, council members must insist that police welcome and encourage citizen patrols (especially during seasons of heightened crime) and increase their face-to-face interaction with residents by getting out of cars more often. In the longer term, an integrated public safety strategy requires more vibrant, walkable commercial districts as well as fully engaged neighborhood associations. An obvious first step I will take if elected mayor is to fix the dangerous, obsolete routing of some 911 calls in former Prince Georges County neighborhoods to PG County dispatchers rather than to our own emergency dispatchers.

Ward 4

Terry Seamens

1. The new council must immediately set monetary goals to guide the city manager as she drafts next year's budget. The council must then reach out to the community to assess which budget cuts will have the least negative impact on community members. We must work together to lessen the burden on taxpayers, while maintaining adequate, quality services.

2. Public safety is the top priority citywide. Economic pressures people often result in an upturn of crime. Our police must work even more closely with community members to ensure people remain safe and secure in our Takoma Park.

3. Public awareness of the crime problem and education about steps we can all take to safeguard ourselves and our property are important. Recent crimes revealed that many people don't take precautions that could minimize criminal opportunities. I will work with city staff to bring the information to all city residents, and encourage people to take the information seriously.

Eric Mendoza

1. Bring more attractions to the city of Takoma Park so we could generate more money. And support more local store owners and renters, not only in Ward 4, but in each ward. Maybe like a local gym, where there is a weight-room excercise room and a basketball court where people could become members and pay a fee. And when they are done working out, they could walk around to other local stores for food and ice cream, etc.

2. The city's budget.

3. Citywide, if the people of Takoma Park find a way to build some kind of facility for the young adults, there will be less crime in Takoma Park, believe me. If elected, I would find a way to provide that service to the youth.

Ward 6

Navid Nasr

1. This is going to be a tough pill for many to swallow but the fact is that all the "easy" cuts have already been made. Continued budgetary cuts will mean a deterioration in the quality of life in terms of education, public safety, etc. The economy can revive only if we make targeted investments in infrastructure, small business development, education and public safety. Otherwise, the continued deterioration in the quality of life will lead to a much greater population loss than that which we're facing at the present due to property taxes. That population loss itself will lead to lower revenues.

2. The economy. It seems as though nearly every other issue or problem flows out from this one. Whether we're talking about schools, crime, continued revenue loss for local businesses, none of these issues can truly be tackled until our economy is rectified.

3. By and large in our area the problem of crime can't be separated from the problem of juvenile delinquency. We're talking about high school and middle school-aged kids whose parents are both working two, three jobs just to make ends meet and who therefore have no parental supervision and nothing to do other than hang out with their friends and get into trouble or cause trouble for others. What we need to do is bring groups that work with at-risk kids (Gandhi Brigade, Identity, Mixed Unity) into the picture in Takoma Park and see if we can collectively help steer these kids toward a better future and away from a life of crime.

Frederick Schultz

1. The likelihood of cutbacks in the next two years from the state is very real and serious due to reduced tax revenues. Here's what the city needs to do: A) We have to continue arguing the case with Montgomery County to get Takoma Park's fair share of financial reimbursement from the county for the services the city provides (like Police) in place of the county; B) For every function the city staff provides, we have to ask ourselves if there is a better and more cost-effective way to provide that service; and C) We have to explore unique sources of income and grants from the state, county, federal agencies and foundations; D) In capital budgeting, we have to look at each item to determine if it's cheaper to spend now or wiser to postpone a project and spend later.

2. Crime and personal safety. In talking to scores of Ward 6 residents, crime -- whether the actuality or the fear of it -- is the most common topic. The issue is not always number one, but often is number two or three. I hear it when people want a more visible police presence on their street, or worry about burnt out street lights or the safety of our playgrounds after dark. I see it in the many mutliple-locked front doors. The fear about personal safety perhaps far outweighs the actual incidence of crime. The Takoma Park Police Department has made huge improvements in the last two years. Still, we have to improve communication and cooperation between citizens and the police.

3. The one step I would take to address crime in Ward 6 is to improve the effectiveness and outreach of our two community associations. Well-organized neighborhoods where people know and recognize each other are far safer. Regular meetings keep people connected to city officials and vice versa.