Ward 7's Ballot Item Results
Ward 7 supports our Police and Fire Departments. We want a safe community where we feel comfortable letting kids play and explore, to know police and fire will respond in an emergency, and to ensure they are supported in return. With that said, there was a stronger-than-expected NO vote percentage and it's important to point out that I don't believe folks who voted no don't support our police and fire departments. We still would have been obligated to find the money for our contractual obligations to our Police and Fire Unions. What I think this shows is that some folks are skeptical of the Mayor's willingness to cut the city budget substantially enough and not leverage the pressure release from the 5-cent increase to justify making fewer cuts in other places. I remain committed to a difficult but necessary deep budget reduction and having tough conversations about what are essential city services and what are nice to have but we need to shelve for now. We need safely navigable streets, sidewalks, and bike paths. We need pipes and mains repaired. We need police and fire to respond to emergencies. These are the basic expectations we should meet. But I hope to hear from you throughout the budgetary process on specific programs or efforts you think need to be preserved or shelved. You can see our current budget here.
Ward 7 is divided on all spending. What I see in the other 3 ballot item outcomes is a divided community desperately seeking critical financial relief during difficult economic times. That itself was made abundantly clear to me at nearly every door that opened for me. It's important to me to let you know that I see and hear that division and I will keep that in mind as we move forward with a very challenging budgetary discussion. It is my hope that other Councilors will join me in my position to not draw down the full 5 cents approved by the voters without substantive and meaningful cuts from the Mayor. This is an important moment to stay plugged in and involved in our local budgeting process. Please consider attending our neighborhood NPA, future Board of Finance meetings, or future City Council meetings between now and June. All of these meetings have time for public comment.