Coalition Report Card
Arkansas House #33
Candidate Mark Robertson
Possible: 70 pts. – Scored: 65 pts. – Grade: 93 percent agreement
Would you support tax incentives for economic development to create a Digital Overlay District in our neighborhoods, enabling a person to stay at home, and sell what was created on the Internet, globally? See Bill Asti discussion, posted Mar. 10 at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LRNeighborhoods
I believe we need to move from the old economic model of factories and centralized work places. A digital overlay district has a lot of merit and should be considered. We have moved into a technology age and our future economic efforts need to reflect this new way of thinking. I have an established record of promoting new economic models and opportunities based on renewable energy, energy efficiency, technology and expansion of broadband service. Digital districts are in step with my long-term commitment to building a future oriented and prosperous economy.
Incentives are one way to jump-start any new development or economic start-ups and should be considered. The details of how this would be implemented, the costs associated and the returns on investment are all factors to be considered.
10 pts.
Question 2
Do you support amending the law creating the LR Technology Park to require Park Board members to file annual financial disclosures, as do other major city officials?
Yes. I believe in transparent government and the community is entitled to know what if any potential conflicts of interest are at stake.
10 pts.
Question 3
Do you support establishment of a state Housing Trust Fund, to promote affordable housing?
I fully support affordable housing and believe we need to evaluate all options to ensure housing is within reach of those interested in home ownership. There are models around the country to evaluate to determine the most appropriate option for our State.
10 pts.
Question 4
Do you support tightening reporting by scrap dealers on copper purchases, to enable police to arrest and prosecute copper thieves more successfully?
This seems reasonable. I would like to know if this has been done in other areas of the country and what the outcomes have been. We also need to evaluate the costs associated with such regulations and ensure we are not creating a new problem to solve an existing one. Appropriate and fair regulatory conditions may help and should be evaluated.
10 pts
Question 5
Should we give prison inmates skills testing as part of rehabilitation, to determine eligibility for release?
I believe education and teaching employable skills need to be part of the rehabilitation process associated with serving prison terms. Individuals that are released upon serving their respective sentences need skills that will lead to gainful and meaningful employment to help reduce the return to the prison system. If this is to become a condition of release it needs to be done as part of prison reform efforts and should not be retroactive although I agree it is something that should be part of the rehabilitation process.
10 pts.
Question 6
For certain law-enforcement jobs, should we add the requirement of proficiency in a second language?
As our communities become more multi-cultural this seems like a reasonable requirement for some positions.
10 pts.
Question 7
Would you support progressive municipal income-tax statutes as an alternative to ever-higher regressive sales taxes to fund cities?
I believe we need to explore alternatives to sales taxes for revenue generation. Sales taxes are regressive and seem to place an undue burden on the low-income individuals and families who can least afford to pay sales taxes. One of the issues as a city we must overcome and solve is the burden that commuters place on the infrastructure of our community. They pay little if any of the cost of upkeep and installation of new infrastructure and with the increase of retail options in their respective communities it seems they may be paying less in sales taxes than in the past. I remain open to considering all options.
0 pts. Plus 5 bonus pts. For seeking solutions to fund our cities.
© CGLRN 2012