Friday, January 20, 2012

CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JASON BURNETT: Candidate for Mayor 2012

ABSTRACT: City Council Member Jason Burnett, elected April 2010, filed preliminary documents October 21, 2011 with City Hall regarding his intention to campaign for Mayor and launched his Burnett for Mayor 2012 campaign website stating “I am Jason Burnett, and I am running for Mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea to build on the progress we have made by working together for the community we love.” Burnett’s campaign website features Home (facebook, Updates from Jason and Sigh up for updates), About Jason, Issues (Village Character, Natural Beauty, Talent, Energy, and Creativity, Fiscal Responsibility, Working Together and Tough Choices), News, Get Involved (Volunteer, Endorse, Contribute, Contact) and DONATE sections. Quotes from Burnett and About Jason and Issues highlights and Contact information are presented.

“During the past two years as your council member, I have delivered on my promise of a more fiscally responsible, transparent, and accountable government. We have a City Hall we can be proud of.”

“As your Mayor, I will (1) protect our village’s character and natural beauty, (2) promote the talent, energy and creativity that make our community and our economy vibrant, (3) continue to be fiscally responsible, (4) tackle the tough issues in an open, honest manner, and (5) respect all points of view
.”
Jason Burnett, 2012

About Jason
I was born and raised in the Carmel area and live here with my wife, Melissa, and our infant son, Sebastian.”

Issues
Village Character
We must ensure the Planning Department is fully staffed and has the resources to both process applications in a timely manner and proactively plan for our future.
We will work to make sure rules are clear and understood by both residents and businesses and are applied evenly.

Natural Beauty
Many people choose to visit or live in Carmel-by-the-Sea because of the natural beauty a village in the forest by the sea. Protecting and enhancing our beach and our parks is good for business, is good for the environment, and is good for Carmel.
We must follow our own Shoreline Management Plan including adequate resources for sand replenishment and redistribution.

Talent, Energy, and Creativity
We will establish City Council criteria for the types of people the full Council wants on boards and commissions and we will open up the process for applying for those positions. We will establish ad-hoc groups to help the community grapple with particularly challenging problems.

Fiscal Responsibility
Carmel-by-the-Sea’s budget is tight and we will have to make tough choices about where to cut and how to increase revenue. I’ve demonstrated fiscal discipline in changes I advocated in the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 budgets by reducing the draw from reserves relative to the staff drafts.
We have and will pursue shared services with neighboring cities and agencies to continue to provide high-quality services at lowest possible cost.
Past budgets have not fully funded the CalPERS retirement obligation. The unfunded liability has grown over the years to $35 million without adequate scrutiny in part because it was left “off budget.” I am committed to fully funding the annual obligation and sticking to a long-term plan for paying down the existing liability.

Working Together
As a City Council member, I have listened to and respected all points of view and worked to find consensus with my colleagues where possible.
I will create an open process for any member of the City Council or members of the public to place an item on the agenda.
We will hold workshops and special City Council meetings to work through longer-term issues.
I will continue to host monthly town hall meetings co-hosted with any members of the City Council who would like to join.

Tough Choices
We will advance Carmel’s interests in securing a portfolio of water supply sources to meet the water shortfall and provide water for appropriate infill development.

Contact If you have anything else you'd like to talk about, please send me an email by clicking below or simply call me at home: 624.3252.

ADDENDUM:
Burnett Jason Statement of Economic Interests 2012
CALIFORNIA FORM 700
STATEMENT OF ECONOMIC INTERESTS (Received January 2012)
Burnett Jason Kestrel

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Burnett voted the same way McCloud did 84 percent of the time. We don't need more of the "McCloud same," look where it got us.

Anonymous said...

Sound bites like this are not helpful in an honest debate.

Personally I'm far more interested in hearing Pepe explain which specific votes of Jason he didn't agree with, and why? Now THAT would be truly helpful and bring us back to the issues.

I will say that I am in the great majority of Carmel residents that voted to sell Flanders. Can Pepe explain to us (using more than cute sound bites) why the will of the people should be overturned?

Pepe?

RSW said...

Every 2 years, voters have been bombarded with Sue McCloud's "moving forward together with mutual respect" slogan. Now, Jason Burnett has his version of "respectfully" asking for everyone's vote so we can continue "to move forward together." Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but Carmel needs a break with the past, not a continuation of it, and a councilman with original and creative ideas, not repetition. Is Jason anling for a Sue McCloud endorsement or what?