Frank Matarrese

8/8/2019 Frank Matarrese

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The Island’s CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE

Name FRANK MATARRESE

Age 55

Occupation Alameda Councilmember/Business Owner (see www.gxpbase.com)

Relevant experience

Two terms served on the Alameda City Council

City Council-AUSD Liaison Committee

City Council-AC Transit Liaison Committee

Planning Board member, City of Alameda

Economic Development Commission member/Chair

Chair, Economic Development Strategic Plan Task Force

Business owner (Chamber of Commerce member business)

Why are you running for this office?

I have been a Councilmember for the past eight years and I want to continue using my civic

experience and business expertise to keep Alameda the great city we all enjoy.

Why should we vote for you?

I believe that my experience and expertise along with the active approach that I offer are

essential for these uncertain times.

My approach on the Council has been to take initiative and to be accessible to residents. I

don't wait for people to come to me; instead, I am active in reaching out to the community. I

am the only Councilmember to hold monthly town hall meetings to listen and keep residents

informed.

This outreach has helped me launch initiatives through Council referral seeking traffic

solutions, working with our schools, growing business and addressing the City’s long term

financial stability.

I will continue this approach as Mayor and will always lead and be accessible to residents.

What do you feel are the roles and responsibilities of the office you’re seeking?

My responsibility as Mayor is to reach out and stay in touch with the community,

and to lead the Council in coming to decisions that do the most good for most

Alamedans.

What do you think is the most pressing issue you would face if elected and what would

you do to address it?



The most pressing issue for Alameda is to maintain public safety and other essential city

services within budget. This includes supporting and sharing our limited resources to

ensure that vital institutions like our schools remain high quality assets for Alameda.

What do you think needs to be done with Alameda Point – and what steps would you take

to make that happen?

The City has a great opportunity to assume local control and direct development at

Alameda Point. I propose that job creation and clean, light industrial development

should be primary re-use goals. They are in the best interests of Alameda because

they answer the concerns of our neighbors and build a sustainable future for our

City’s economy.

To meet this goal, the implementation of the new leasing polices which I requested

in the last few months should be finalized. The new policies will attract new

businesses, increase investment in historic buildings by current and new tenants,

and further the success of our business community currently located at Alameda

Point.

I propose that we review the current Housing Element, including Alameda’s

Regional Housing Needs Assessment. We need to set a target for the number of new

residential units in Alameda that is based on the housing/jobs balance and meets

City housing policy requirements.

I will work directly with the Navy, the Veterans Administration, the State Tidelands

Trust and the Bay Area Congressional delegation regarding next steps, placing

regional job creation as a top priority. Partnering with the VA on any infrastructure

that they need to put in place is a great way to share resources and add value to land

which is destined for transfer to the City.

There are a number of ways to meet these goals. As an alternative to having a

Master Developer, I am requesting the Council/ARRA to evaluate an approach that

uses a non-profit local development corporation, chartered and mandated by the

City of Alameda, to establish the specific plan for Alameda Point based on

community input.

In these challenging times, there are many reasons to feel uncertainty, but there isalso great opportunity. We have a chance to re-use the Base for the benefit of

Alameda and the region.

What steps would you take to bolster Alameda’s economic base?



Our economic base has been too dependent on residential property transactions and

taxes. We must increase our industrial base. At my initiative, we have already re-

tooled our tidelands trust and Alameda Point leasing policies. Now they must be

effectively implemented. We have to build on the recent successes at Harbor Bay

Business Park, taking the lessons learned there and applying them to

underperforming areas like Marina Village Business Park.

Foreign Trade Zones and tax incentives (such as were applied to the VF Outdoor

project at Harbor Bay) are but two examples of tools that can and should be applied

to these efforts.

Finally, it’s important to keep our school system excellent, our hospital open and

our city in good repair in order to preserve our tax basis.

Questions have been raised about whether the city is transparent enough in conducting its

business. Do you think this is an issue and if so, what do you see as being specificproblems and how would you seek to resolve them?

I will continue to hold my town hall meetings as an effective means of ensuring

transparent government. There is always room for improvement in making city

government transparent to residents. Upgrading the city website, council video

transmission and notification processes will go a long way in making sure there is

clear communication. Increasing the number of City meetings held out in the

community is also worthwhile. Outreach to non-English speaking residents,

including a significant Asian population, with translated material will provide

added clarity to the workings of City government. Finally, new or revised City

ordinances defining standards for openness will ensure greater transparency and

facilitate broader participation.

Pensions and retiree health benefits will be a huge financial issue for the city. How would

you address it?

Reaching agreements with City employee representatives to control the escalating

cost of City paid benefits, particularly health care and retirement benefits, is critical

to the future of the City. The City cannot sustain its current path and remain

solvent. As Mayor, I will first work to inform residents and all others involved about

our current financial state and future expenses. I will work to make it City

Management's top priority to negotiate agreements on these benefits that are

reasonable for both the employee and the city.



Would you seek to preserve Measure A or amend it and if you’d amend it, under what

circumstances would you do so?

For more than three decades, Measure A played a significant role in halting the

destruction of Victorian homes and any amendment would be a vote of the

electorate. With good ordinances and codes enacted over past few years, we havebeen able to maintain Alameda’s historic buildings which, though one of the

intentions of Measure, is not a direct protection under this article of our Charter.

Given these protections for historic buildings, should a project that is worthy and of

great benefit to the City comes up, I would be willing to seek voter approval for

appropriate modification of Article XXVI of the City Charter. Such a project would

have to be consistent with General Plan principles, applicable specific plans and

other City policies, and provide significant benefits to the City as a whole.

How are you financing your campaign and to whom are you reaching out for money?

My campaign is funded broadly, with contributions from friends, neighbors,political supporters and building and trade union members.

Frank Matarrese

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