Editor’s note: If you have a question you’d like to submit to a candidate for local office, email editor@Qcitymetro.com. Today’s question is for Anthony Foxx, the Democratic candidate for mayor.
Q. What does your party affiliation say about your core values and beliefs, especially as they relate to government?
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My party affiliation says that I am willing to grapple with a diverse range of opinions about.jpg)
the role of government, even within my own party.
The Democratic Party is not monolithic. There are fiscally and socially conservative Democrats. There are fiscally and socially liberal Democrats. I do not easily fall into any of these categories.
Throughout my public life, I have tried to be more practical than stuck in doctrine — finding ways to deliver results that move our community forward.
Party branding may, for example, lead some to believe that my Republican opponent is stronger on public safety than I am. Not true. Only I have supported all of the police hires requested by CMPD on my watch. I am a Democrat. Party branding may suggest that I spend public money more freely — without applying judgment. Not true. In 2008, I opposed a city council pay increase, and when it passed over my objection, I refused to accept it. I am a Democrat.
Ultimately, I believe that government’s most important role is to unleash the power of individuals and communities to reach as far as their talents and ambitions allow — sometimes by action and sometimes by restraint. That’s what public education is supposed to do. That’s what a good balance of public safety enforcement and prevention is supposed to do. That’s what our transportation system is supposed to do.
To meet the goal of unleashing individual and community power, I always try to assess the cost of action and the cost of inaction against the benefits.
Tomorrow: We pose the same question to Republican candidate John Lassiter.
