Tadd Arthur Weese



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. This is a controversial and equally complicated issue. I am not an expert, but I believe that there are solutions to every problem. Additionally, I cannot believe that Tulsa is the first or even only city to face such an issue. Therefore, we should look to other cities, and organizations like the National League of Cities for advice and possibly guidance. Public safety is very important to me, and I do not wish to see any personnel removed from the streets of Tulsa. I propose that in addition to looking outward, we should also look inward. Tulsa should empower the Police and Fire departments to come up with their own innovative ideas of how best to streamline their operations as they are the experts in their respective fields. We have to provide them with the tools and resources necessary to perform their jobs, because public safety is the Primary responsibility of government and is also critical to the success of Tulsa.
  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 support the City manager -council form of government. I believe that although it too has its limitations, that once you remove the politics from the day-to-day operation of the city, there is a far greater likelihood that positive direction for the city becomes an end result. In my mind, once a qualified candidate is found for the position of city manager, the council votes to hire and approves the contract and terms of service. The city manager then works for the council and is less likely to make decisions based upon polls or popularity, and more on what is best for Tulsa. As I understand this form of government, the city council unless specified either by charter or contract, has less oversight of the budget, but more influence upon the decisions made by the city manager.
  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. I believe that Tulsa Transit is doing a good job with what they have. I also believe that with increased options, of trolleys, light rail and possibly more efficient busses, Tulsa can grow economically and in population. When an increasing number of people can move around the city without increasing the vehicular traffic on the roadways the city benefits in the form of improved air quality and economic growth. PlaniTulsa provides a guideline which Tulsa can use to improve on what I believe is an already good system.
  7. What would be your top three priorities if you are elected?
  8. 1. Public Safety

    2. Fiscal Responsibility

    3. Economic Development
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