League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Santa Clara County, CA September 13, 2005 Election
	Madison Nguyen Answers Questions Candidate for Council Member; City of San Jose; Council District 7

Questions & Answers

1. What kind of experience related to city government would you bring to the City Council?

I've worked hard as the President of the Franklin-McKinley School Board. In my tenure on the Board, we have increased the test scores of our students, increased parent participation, hired more teachers and balanced an $80 million budget.

Like the other candidates in this race, I have been a strong advocate on behalf of working families in our community, but I am the only candidate who has worked within the bounds of government to achieve results. In short, it's easy to be an advocate on behalf of good programs, it's far more difficult in tough budget times to work within the system to build consensus and pay for them. I am the only candidate who has achieved that.

2. What are the concerns of particular importance to District 7 and how would you address them?

Given the current environment and the circumstances under which this election is occurring, I think it is important for District 7 to have a councilmember who is both accessible and trustworthy. I am open and honest and can act as a unifying force who can bring the District 7 neighborhoods together.

My passion is education as a way to create opportunity. However, the only way we can achieve that goal is to ensure safe and livable neighborhoods, where we can create affordable home ownership and good jobs with good wages and benefits. With my open and straight forward consensus building approach as a city councilmember, I can help make this dream a reality.

3. Where would you make cuts in services, staff or projects to meet the current city budget?

As a School Board President, I have had to make difficult budget decisions. Should I be forced to make similar decisions on the city council, I would protect our city's basic services. Additionally, I would look to minimize any reduction in workers who provide services directly to the public and instead look at ways to streamline and reduce management costs and non-essential expenditures.

4. In addition to the issues already addressed, what particular Ethics issue would you like to see the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Ethics consider?

As you know, the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Ethics has been disbanded by the city council. Before they had concluded their work, I wish they would have looked at ways of making San Jose's campaign finance and ethics ordinances less complicated as well as creating a way of rooting big money out of campaigns such as some kind of partial public financing that would pass constitutional muster and help balance the influence of large campaign donors.