City Council Candidates Forum Hosted by NACC
Norco citizens fill the American Legion Post #328 Hall for the 2013 NACC Meet The Candidates Forum.
|
Photo-gallery October 10, the Norco Area Chamber of Commerce City Council Candidates Forum attracted more than 120 people to the American Legion Post #328 to hear from candidates one last time before the November 5.
Present at the forum were citizens, families, and several students who submitted questions for NACC Chairman Pamela Smith, who served as moderator for the Forum, to ask the candidates regarding the city and current issues such as the development of Silverlakes, city finances, and how to preserve Norco’s unique lifestyle with several changes coming into effect. |
|
The four candidates present, in the order they were seated based on a random drawing prior to the start of the event, were Katrina “Trina” Daniels, Kevin Bash, Greg Newton, and Greg Bowen. Candidate Stephen MccArron did not attend due to work obligations out of town.
Each candidate had a two-minute opening statement in which they informed the audience of their background and relationship with the city of Norco:
Daniels said, “I am a seventeen-year resident, businesswoman, and the wife of a wonderful husband, who is also a retired police officer… I have spent time volunteering in our youth programs for basketball, baseball, football, served on the board of the Norco Girls Softball League… I have served countless hours with my therapeutic riding program, never receiving a penny for personal pay and assisting children and young adults with disabilities. My professional background includes ten years in the accounting field, managing budgets for multi-million dollar companies. I was also an assistant vice president of a major bank where I managed a large sales force whose responsibilities were generating income… This provided me the experience and knowledge to make the right decisions concerning our city and its budgets, to address current and future fund usage, and maintain the integrity that has made Norco one of the finest communities in America. We need to address the crises threatening our seniors and founders, the backbone of our fine city, develop subsidies, funding sources, and cost-sharing programs and build ways to provide them with better lifestyles. The diminishing and over costly programs for our youth need to be redefined…The success of our youth program is critical to our city’s future…"
Bash followed, “Norco has been my family’s home since 1961. I ran four years ago because I was concerned about the financial direction our city was taking. A few of my goals then were: cut costs. We downsized staff from one hundred and two full-time employees to fifty-two and we consolidated departments without losing services, attracted a wide variety of business to generate sales tax revenue… limit pensions and cap benefits, cut the deficit — we climbed out of a three-point-five million dollar hole… our general fund grew by two million dollars… Support youth activities which are now at a historically high enrollment level… These are just a few of the goals that have been met. We are not out of the woods yet… [We need to] continue to vote to protect our animal keeping lifestyle."
Newton said, “My family and I have lived in the city of Norco for the past twenty years… I am an inductee in the Norco Hall of Fame. I have over twenty-five years experience in commercial and industrial construction management. I have successfully managed multi-million dollar infrastructure projects in compliance with government regulation. I served on the Norco Planning Commissions for nine years and was instrumental in opposing housing on the golf course and drafting the accessory building ordinance which further protects and preserves out animal-keeping lifestyle…"
There are many challenges our city will face over the next few years. In order to preserve our lifestyle, we must improve and maintain our solid waste and manure services, promotes the success of Norco business, trails, water, and street infrastructure, senior programs, and community safety."
Bowen stated, “I’ve lived in Norco for many years… I love Norco… We have problems in Norco just like every other city and we need more police. We need our trials fixed… We need more cops in units so we can go out and get people for speeding so that it is safer to ride on our trail, safer to drive, and the more police presence you have, the less crime you have, it’s just common knowledge. Some of the things I’ve done, I’ve worked this year on the fair committee and it was a blast… That’s what I like about Norco, I can’t say enough about what Norco means to me…"
The night continued with questions from the large crowd regarding topics from horse licensing to annexing the city of Mira Loma.
Video of the forum can be viewed on the Norco Area Chamber of Commerce website at noninterchangeable.org.
The NACC would like to give special thanks to the American Legion Post #328 for having food and beverages available to the audience as well as for their help and support..
Each candidate had a two-minute opening statement in which they informed the audience of their background and relationship with the city of Norco:
Daniels said, “I am a seventeen-year resident, businesswoman, and the wife of a wonderful husband, who is also a retired police officer… I have spent time volunteering in our youth programs for basketball, baseball, football, served on the board of the Norco Girls Softball League… I have served countless hours with my therapeutic riding program, never receiving a penny for personal pay and assisting children and young adults with disabilities. My professional background includes ten years in the accounting field, managing budgets for multi-million dollar companies. I was also an assistant vice president of a major bank where I managed a large sales force whose responsibilities were generating income… This provided me the experience and knowledge to make the right decisions concerning our city and its budgets, to address current and future fund usage, and maintain the integrity that has made Norco one of the finest communities in America. We need to address the crises threatening our seniors and founders, the backbone of our fine city, develop subsidies, funding sources, and cost-sharing programs and build ways to provide them with better lifestyles. The diminishing and over costly programs for our youth need to be redefined…The success of our youth program is critical to our city’s future…"
Bash followed, “Norco has been my family’s home since 1961. I ran four years ago because I was concerned about the financial direction our city was taking. A few of my goals then were: cut costs. We downsized staff from one hundred and two full-time employees to fifty-two and we consolidated departments without losing services, attracted a wide variety of business to generate sales tax revenue… limit pensions and cap benefits, cut the deficit — we climbed out of a three-point-five million dollar hole… our general fund grew by two million dollars… Support youth activities which are now at a historically high enrollment level… These are just a few of the goals that have been met. We are not out of the woods yet… [We need to] continue to vote to protect our animal keeping lifestyle."
Newton said, “My family and I have lived in the city of Norco for the past twenty years… I am an inductee in the Norco Hall of Fame. I have over twenty-five years experience in commercial and industrial construction management. I have successfully managed multi-million dollar infrastructure projects in compliance with government regulation. I served on the Norco Planning Commissions for nine years and was instrumental in opposing housing on the golf course and drafting the accessory building ordinance which further protects and preserves out animal-keeping lifestyle…"
There are many challenges our city will face over the next few years. In order to preserve our lifestyle, we must improve and maintain our solid waste and manure services, promotes the success of Norco business, trails, water, and street infrastructure, senior programs, and community safety."
Bowen stated, “I’ve lived in Norco for many years… I love Norco… We have problems in Norco just like every other city and we need more police. We need our trials fixed… We need more cops in units so we can go out and get people for speeding so that it is safer to ride on our trail, safer to drive, and the more police presence you have, the less crime you have, it’s just common knowledge. Some of the things I’ve done, I’ve worked this year on the fair committee and it was a blast… That’s what I like about Norco, I can’t say enough about what Norco means to me…"
The night continued with questions from the large crowd regarding topics from horse licensing to annexing the city of Mira Loma.
Video of the forum can be viewed on the Norco Area Chamber of Commerce website at noninterchangeable.org.
The NACC would like to give special thanks to the American Legion Post #328 for having food and beverages available to the audience as well as for their help and support..