Michael Scharen, Salinas City Council - KCOY Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo - News

Michael Scharen, Salinas City Council

Party/Affiliation: Independent 
Current Job: Screen Printer

Top 3 Priorities if Elected:

REDUCE OR ELIMINATE WASTEFUL EXPENDITURES

ENCOURAGE NEW, HIGHER WAGE BUSINESSES TO SET UP IN SALINAS

Make contact with and court businesses which will provide higher paying jobs and especially jobs with the potential for advancement. Stop concentrating on chain stores that provide jobs that are barely above minimum wage. Clean light industry is an excellent fit for the City of Salinas. Our proximity to Silicon Valley and the young work force available here is a great setting for small to medium scale assembly work. This type of work would allow for low skilled, semi-skilled, and ultimately highly skilled and high paying jobs. We must make sure, however, that those businesses pay their fair share for city services.

Working more closely with other cities and industries in Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties could benefit Salinas. Running winery tours, farm and produce packing tours, or providing accommodations and shuttle service for Laguna Seca events (which would reduce traffic snarls) are possibilities. A greater concentration on our own attractions could also help. People from all over the world come here to visit the National Steinbeck Center. Yet, as a resident has pointed out to me, she could not walk more than a block down Center Street without being accosted 3-4 times by panhandlers. While working the Farmer's Market across from the Maya Cinema, I spoke with a visitor was afraid to venture as far as Old Town in search of a recommended restaurant.

In addition, we must recognize those native and long time residents of Salinas who have the courage and stamina to establish a business here. I have met more than one new business owner who had not received even a visit from the mayor or a city council member had started businesses a stone's throw from City Hall. Then, when the visit finally occurs, these folks act like it was they who were responsible! "Victory has a thousand fathers and defeat is an orphan." - John F. Kennedy.

ENCOURAGE INNOVATION AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT 

I am in favor of the encouragement of community involvement for solving problems and for improving the City of Salinas. I feel that the City Council has been somewhat dismissive with respect to community input. Salinas has a wealth of sharp, innovative, entrepreneurial people and it is a mistake to ignore them. The more openly issues are discussed, the more innovative ideas will emerge. The residents must also be encouraged to come up with grassroots improvements in the community that are not paid for by funds channeled through the middleman of City government. Such improvements will be more efficient, and have greater buy-in by the participants and probably more volunteer spirit and support. A true partnership between the citizens and their government must be forged to make this happen.