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Name: Douglas Urquidi

Occupation: Electrician

Website: www.DouglasUrquidi.com

Registered Political Party: Democrat

Last book you read: Rotorcraft Flying Handbook

Favorite movie: John Adams   

Favorite TV show: Hogan's Heroes

Why are you running for the Anchorage Assembly?: Mr. Starr actions over the past 6 years has only hurt Anchorage not helped. We deserves better, I am here to give more back to the city I love, as Your True Conservative Choice; I will be Your Key to Lower Taxes. I am honest and will always have an open mind, and do not have the unions or special interest groups to answer. I answer to you the tax payers.

What one sentence best describes your philosophy of how city government should be run?: All Government is for, is to protect your God given right to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

What letter grade would you give the current assembly, and why?: D+

What letter grade would you give Mayor Sullivan’s administration, and why?: B-

What are your thoughts on the 2008 union contracts approved by the Assembly? Should have not been approved without having all the information, needed making their decisions. Any 2 of the Assembly members could have postponed the votes and yet did not. The MWR investigators faulted in part the Assembly.

Is there a link to those contracts and the city’s current fiscal situation?: Yes and No. In 2001 the city budget was 220Million and with the school budget the city spent 800million. Today the budget it 435.7 million and the school budget is 811million so this year Anchorage will spent 1.2 billion tax dollars. The Assembly and the School board are at fault.

What are your thoughts on the budget reductions proposed by Mayor Sullivan over the past two years?  Are they too much? Not deep enough? A right amount?: Not deep enough

What city services would you like to see reinstated, and how would you suggest they are paid for?: All Government is for, to protect your right. It's time to start privatizing many services not adding or reinstating services that the city should not be providing. I will not rest till I get 10% cut from the budget. That’s over 100million dollars in cuts, putting on average 100dollars back in to your pocket every mo. This equal to an extra PFD in savings every year.

Are property taxes too high?  Yes

What consideration should be given to alternative taxes like the tobacco tax, or a sales tax?: No more taxes. We need to start cutting waste in all departments, it time the city consolidate services and set up privet contractors to do services the city should not be doing. The coat of gas has gone up $0.30 this mo, by summer will exceed $5.00 per gallon. Food prices are going up 5% in April, and Natural gas prices are expected to go up next winter. Your health care costs are going up 10% and Government spending has gotten out of control. And you are taking home less every mo. 

What is the most important issue affecting the city as a whole?: The school and City budget it out of control, at  1.27Billion dollars this year. That’s a 100% increases in less than 10 years. The school budget will exceed 1Billion dollars in the next 5 years.

What is the most important issue facing your district more than other districts?: Over taxed and city government workers should be held to the same standard, if not higher, than if they worked in the private sector.

Challengers (non-incumbents) -- What specifically will you bring to the assembly that your incumbent opponent has/will not?: My common sense and experience.

Should an agency other than the Anchorage Police Department be allowed to issue parking tickets to vehicles parked downtown? Why or why not?: In my opinion, there is absolutely no way that parking ticket writing can be transferred back to the Parking Authority (now known as ACDA).  I propose we lease the Municipal parking spaces downtown and let a private company manage the downtown parking ONLY. To prevent what happened in the late 1990's, things got out of hand with the APA.

Should the city extend the disabled veteran property tax exemption to widows and widowers? Why or why not?: Yes but It's time to review all exemptions and see who should start paying taxes; I do not believe that Churches should pay taxes. But that being said other property they have that revenue is being received from then yes. Also we all should pay our fair tax.

The last municipal election had the lowest voter turnout in at least 20 years.  Why should people head to the polls and vote on April 5th?: Because they can effect change.