The candidates submitted written responses to the following questions:

Question: What is your position on short-term rentals in residentially zoned areas?

Dobyns: The short-term rental debate has had a debilitating effect. My gut feeling is one that the problem is overstated. There is a concern of the effect these rentals have on neighborhoods. There is, also, a concern about the negative economic impact banning short-term rental will have on Santa Fe and its citizens. For every direct horror story I have heard there is an opposite story concerning the viability of a person's capacity to afford to live in Santa Fe without the income derived from short-term rents. My position is that short-term rentals should be zoned into areas of Santa Fe where their justification can be easily made. In addition, I would codify all the negative aspects of this form of rental unit into an instrument that would be one with the rental agreement. For example, parking for each and every unit would be defined and restricted, behavior would be described and demanded, and noise and light restrictions would be defined. Owners would have sole responsibility for enforcement. If they were lacking, the fines would be punitive. In all cases, a specific license with the city would be issued and could be revoked.

Romero: The solution is complicated and will require thoughtfulness as it relates to neighbors and the impact on specific neighborhoods. A part of the solution will include the need to address short-term rentals that existed before 2002. This will require some form of grandfathering for those short-term rentals that were legal prior to the change that was made to the ordinance. Overlay districts will also need to be considered for areas that are appropriate for short-term rentals.

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Question: Recent city debates have highlighted a conflict between encouraging infill and avoiding sprawl while also preserving existing neighborhoods. How can these goals be balanced?

Dobyns: The issue of sprawl and infill are conflicting, the one evil, sprawl, created the next evil, infill. My feeling is appropriate zoning should be followed throughout the city, but my bigger goal, which is very controversial, is to rewrite Chapter 14 of the city code. By doing this we will involve all the neighborhoods, all the concerned business community, all the city planners and clarify a code that historically hasn't been working.

Romero: We need to look back at the intention of infill, which was based on developing areas within the urban boundaries that prevented further sprawl and perhaps could provide more affordable housing. What has occurred over the last several years is that existing neighborhoods have been impacted by development that is not appropriate to the neighborhoods, is not affordable and has not reduced sprawl. We need to look at all potential building sites and proposed uses for appropriateness to the neighborhoods they are in and perhaps consider rezoning for these areas.

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Question: Rate public safety in Santa Fe and provide insight on how to improve conditions.

Dobyns: Public Safety is of prime concern in District 2 as I walk the various neighborhoods. Fortification of the Police Department is of prime concern. There are some simple suggestions that I propose, one is a concept of hiring private contractors to do some of the more mundane tasks, such as first responders to alarms. In addition, I propose to enroll the community, specifically the business community, in a plan that would reduce truancy in our school district. This would also relieve the Police Department of issues surrounding youth. It is important that we involve our neighborhoods in concern for the safety of their neighbors, with cooperation of the public safety officials.

Romero: Our community is understandably very concerned about public safety, as our "small town" increasingly begins to face the "bigger city" challenges that have come with growth. Putting more officers on the streets is the first priority, and the SFPD's concerted effort to fill all vacant positions with competent individuals with experience is paying off, along with updating equipment and technology to increase effectiveness. Police Department management and the Santa Fe Police Officers Association is also addressing internal issues with training and other skill building while continuing to tackle crime in our community. The department should also continue its efforts to build relationships with various neighborhood associations and nonprofit organizations in order to build trust, learn about specific safety issues and concerns, and develop effective partnerships.

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Question: Do you believe the city makes the best use of its revenue? In what specific areas is the city wasting money? Where is it not spending enough?

Dobyns: In reality, there probably does not exist any municipality with a budget that makes the best use of its revenue. Santa Fe is no different. Waste is a relative term, waste to one segment of our community could be a benefit to another. It may be unfair to talk about waste so let's talk about the future of spending. There are some major capital concerns that Santa Fe will be facing and is facing now. The Buckman Diversion Project is causing the city more funds and is continuing to increase because of lack of action by the city in finalizing the project. In addition, capital expenditures are going to be needed to replace our infrastructure that over the decades has been without care and maintenance.

Romero: One of the first things that new city councilors face after they're elected is adopting a new city budget, and I look forward to learning more about specific budget details during that process. But the vast majority of the city's budget — 95 percent — is fixed and determined by personnel costs, and the cost of insurance and utilities. And the city of Santa Fe provides a number of services and programs that other communities do not provide, but that our citizens want. In addition, several years ago we made the decision to build a Civic Center, develop the Buckman Diversion Project for future water supply and development of the Railyard. These projects all address future community needs that have been deemed important by citizens.

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Question: The city has increased property taxes and water rates to fund the city's water system as it grows. How do you favor paying for future hikes in the cost of water?

Dobyns: The cost of water is going to increase locally, nationally and internationally. It is going to be one the prime and scarce resources we face in Santa Fe. The only way to pay for the expansion supplied to Santa Fe, since it is a benefit to everyone, may be through raising property taxes but has to be directly related to usage. Any future rate increases will be the result of direct water costs and have to be justified by the availability of that resource

Romero: Incentives and conservation will help offset the potential increase of water rates, and the city must continue to try to make it easier for people to do the right thing and conserve water, both in new development and in retrofitting their homes and businesses.

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Question: Do you favor broad annexation of land outside the city borders to gain control over fast-developing areas?

Dobyns: Annexation of properties, especially in the Airport Road corridor, not as a means of controlling a fast-developing area but for providing services in a more efficient way, which is rather confused at the moment. I would caution that the will of the city should not be imposed on the citizens in that area that do not want to be incorporated in the city.

Romero: I believe annexation discussions should be about determining the best way to provide and pay for needed services for the citizens of our community, not about control. Annexation provides an opportunity to prevent further sprawl, but in order to do that, there must be agreement between the city and the county about where development should and shouldn't go. And there are many areas adjacent to the city that are already served, in large part, by city water and sewer, but whose residents do not want to be annexed. It's a complicated issue, which is ripe for collaboration with the county, and I understand that city and county staff are currently working out details of a proposal to bring to their respective governing bodies.

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Question: What is your position on a real-estate transfer tax?

Dobyns: I am opposed to the real-estate transfer tax. It is targeted against a very narrow group; it will have the effect of raising the property value in Santa Fe, and the usage of such funds is undefined by our present council. I believe it is a regressive means of raising taxes.

Romero: We must address the issue of providing affordable housing for community members such as nurses, police, firefighters and teachers. Evaluation of a variety of mechanisms such as a real-estate transfer tax must be conducted in tandem with other mechanisms in order to develop funding strategies for much needed affordable housing.

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Question: Would you have voted for the current affordable housing ordinance?

Dobyns: The Santa Fe affordable housing program that was passed in 2005 has not worked. As I testified 2 1/2 years ago in city council, the people that it portends to assist actually have become disempowered by the structure of the ordinance. Presently in this real-estate market, people that have entered in that program may owe more on their house than the house is worth. The cost of building additional houses has correspondingly increased above market levels because the economy embedded in the ordinance does not work. The potential of the lack of inventory is real. I propose that we looked at a successful program from the early '90s that was implemented in Tierra Contenta, that not only provided inventory but had the cooperation of all parties, and worked. There are many other possible solutions to the affordable-housing crisis, one of which is a development of a portion the Northwest Quadrant, exclusively for affordable housing. Affordable housing is a problem for the whole community, not one segment of it. If we looked at the problem with that in mind, it is my opinion that this issue could be solved

Romero: Yes.