Brewster McCracken

AUSTIN (KXAN) - The following questions were submitted to each of the major candidates by the LBJ School of Public Affairs' C.L.A.S.S. (Citizens for Local and State Service) program.

1) What do you see as the three most critical issues for Austinites in the next five years, and what would you do as mayor to address them?

The economy, transportation and the city's fiscal situation are the top three challenges facing Austin.

The Austin economy faces two trends - one near term, the second long term. The first trend is the current economic downturn. Manufacturing sectors are being hit particularly hard, and now that's happening in Austin, too. We are seeing new layoffs in the foundation of our private sector economy - the semiconductor industry. Job losses in a community's core sectors have a magnified impact, rippling through the broader local economy.

The second economic trend is more long term. It also poses a greater threat. Pike Powers describes it as "a gathering storm." It is this: The semiconductor industry has begun a long-term process of transitioning traditional chip manufacturing overseas.

A generation ago, Austin created the model for how a city can establish leadership in the economic sectors of the future. The architect for this model was University of Texas Business School Dean George Kozmetsky. Here are seven specific elements of Dr. Kozmetsky's model that Austin used to become a global technology economy leader in just five years – and that we can use again to lead in the 21st Century Economy.

Establishing leadership in the 21st Century Economy will require a mayor who proactively creates partnerships with research universities, job training organizations and employers to commercialize technologies, create new companies, and train Austinites for career opportunities. The city - and the mayor in particular - is primarily responsible for recruiting anchor employers. Anchor employers are a critical element in establishing an economic cluster. A city also plays an important leadership role in defining the economic sectors in which a region will pursue job creation.

The mayor is an important spokesman for job creation and must actively promote Austin to potential employers. As mayor, I will work with U.T. and local employers to create new companies and recruit new employers in key sectors including biotech, life sciences and healthcare, clean energy, and the creative economy sectors, including film, music and digital media.

With plummeting sales tax revenues, we cannot afford to give the city's public safety unions new pay raises. They are already the best paid in the state, and giving them additional pay raises could trigger tax increases as well as significant budget cuts to after school programs, libraries, parks and road maintenance. Moreover, honoring our job creation agreements with companies like Samsung must be a higher priority than giving pay raises to public safety unions.

The key to addressing local congestion challenges includes well-funded road maintenance, land-use policies that promote mixed-use infill development, continued improvement in stoplight timing, and construction of road improvements. On a regional level, we need a comprehensive, multi-modal expansion of transportation infrastructure.

2) The City of Austin's population has doubled over the past 20 years. How will you as Mayor manage Austin's future growth while maintaining Austin's unique community?

We should implement the Envision Central Texas vision of mixed income, mixed-use development along major corridors, protect the character of Austin's historic neighborhoods, promote density and mixed-income housing at rail stops, and greatly expand our city's network of neighborhood parks, trails, sidewalks and youth athletic fields and swimming pools citywide in the 2012 bond election.

3) On a national level, there is a discussion about the need to greatly improve infrastructure. What do you see as Austin's greatest infrastructure-improvement needs, and what will you do to ensure that these problems are addressed and our infrastructure is maintained?

The professional staff of CAMPO, TTI and key transportation leaders have identified US 290E, the 290/71 Y at Oak Hill, and 71E among the top priority projects to alleviate traffic congestion for our region, and I support their recommendations. In addition, Capital Metro and city planners have identified bus rapid transit, commuter rail and a light rail connection to the airport as important infrastructure additions. I support doing the engineering, planning and federal fund applications to move these efforts forward.

4) What will you do during your time as Mayor to expand Austin's consumption of renewable energy and promote green jobs and technology?

I initiated the Pecan Street Project, the city's nationally recognized effort that has brought together businesses like Dell, IBM, Freescale, and the Environmental Defense Fund to promote clean energy and save jobs. I have also worked with leaders from San Antonio to create a regional clean energy economic partnership linking Austin and San Antonio. Through these efforts, I am committed to making Austin the new economy leader in clean energy technology jobs just as it once was the leader in computer chip jobs in the 1990's.

5) Given the current economic crisis, socio-economic disparities in our community are likely to grow. What should be done to ensure that Austin is livable, affordable and accessible for all its citizens?

Austinites look out for each other. We are a forward-thinking community with the vision to take on challenges bigger than ourselves. We are also a community with the foresight to protect what we love.

Austinites will invest to build sidewalks on which we may never walk, to protect green space that we may never see. We believe that we have a responsibility to leave our community better than we found it.

That's why Austin must work to create new jobs, protect current jobs, promote mixed-income housing citywide, promote our creative economy and protect historic neighborhoods.

6) How do you think the City should engage post-secondary students in local issues?

I believe in inclusive, consensus-based leadership that brings people from all backgrounds and communities together to share ideas. This includes college students, graduate students and other post-secondary students.

7) Would you rather be liked or respected? Why?

Nice try.