Paul Alan Roales



Q&A

  1. A recent presentation by a city councilor showed Tulsa's overall police and fire budget has grown more than three times above the rate of inflation over the last 40 years without adding manpower in at least the last decade. It has been described as "unsustainable growth" with the city's current level of revenue. How would you propose to address this situation?
  2. Increasing the policemen and firemen on the streets is one of my priorities. But, like every department, the costs of the departments must be contained. Since both the police and fire departments are dependant upon high technology to protect the citizens of Tulsa their costs may be higher than other departments. Once elected, I would examine closely the budget of all departments and eliminate waste wherever I found it.
  3. Over the last several years, controversy between the City Council and mayor's administration has triggered discussions about changing from the current strong mayor- council form of government to a city manager-council form of government and about having Tulsa's elected offices be non-partisan. Would you support either of these ideas? Why or why not?
  4. I would not change the form of government or have Tulsa's elected offices be non-partisan. I consider discussion and even some conflict a good thing. It lets the Mayor and City Council know when there is an honest difference of opinion about running the city. The open debate also alerts the citizens that an item of dispute is under discussion and lets them voice their opinions.
  5. Improving mass transit (i.e. additional bus service, rail lines, etc.) has been a major topic of discussion through the city's ongoing PlaniTulsa comprehensive planning process. Do you believe Tulsa's public transportation system needs improvement? Please explain.
  6. The major problem with the city's mass transit system is the limited routes currently being run. Many people are so far from a current bus route that the bus service is of no use to them. The issue requires study but perhaps more but smaller busses over more routes might be economically feasible. But ridership is a problem. The automobile mentality is strong in Tulsa. Unless gas prices increase again or the mentality of the average citizen changes I do not think an increase in mass transit can be profitable. I am not in favor of adding rail line service. I do not believe the economic benefit will justify the cost unless it is heavily subsidized by the Federal government.
  7. What would be your top three priorities if you are elected?
  8. My top three priorities (in no particular order) are to get more police & firemen on the streets; neighborhood improvements (including street improvement and economic development) concentrating on the North, East and West parts of Tulsa); and the rescheduling of city employees furloughs so they are not all taken on the same day so city offices could remain open instead of needing to close.