I’ve constructed the below questionnaire for all candidates for all governmental boards. Questions that I would like my candidates to answer, and questions that I would expect to answer to the public if I was running (which of course I am). So that the people know that you’re not just voting for a name and a smile, but rather for someone that has shown some substantive leanings. I’ve tried to formulate the questions in a “generic” way so that they can apply to a broad range of elections and a broad range of candidates.

I will provide my own answers to the appropriate questions on my own separate page a little while later. I invite all of my fellow candidates to post any and all answers to these questions in any way they choose, in any format that they choose, on any platform that they choose. I will also gladly and willingly answer any other questionnaires that anyone else requests that I answer. This is just mine.

If a candidate chooses to provide these answers directly to me at my e-mail address (west@bennettforoffice.org), I will gladly post their answers here to provide them a platform as well.

For all candidates:

1. Why are you running for the board?
2. What areas for improvement do you see in any areas under the board’s purview?
3. Presumably if someone is on a board, or wants to be on one, it’s because they want to make a positive impact on the community. What’s the biggest positive impact that you would like to see?

For sitting board members:

1. What specific positive changes have you individually made so far, and what others do you have planned going forward?
2. What distinguishes you from other sitting board members? What makes you a different kind of representative to the board that’s not already covered by any sitting board member? What do you offer that other board members do not?
3. What specific questions have you raised that have created more thoughtfulness in board decisions? What were the outcomes of those questions?
4. Why do you think others have decided to run for your position? What have you done, or do you have planned to address their concerns and reasons for them to be running?

For those not currently on the board, but seeking to get on it:

1. What plans do you have to affect change, and why are these changes needed?
2. To run for this position, you must believe that a change needs to be made and are working to replace at least one sitting board member. What makes you a better candidate for the position than the current sitting board members that are running to maintain their seats?
3. How many board meetings have you attended in the last year? If none, why not? If you have attended meetings, what questions have you asked and/or what input have you provided to the sitting board?
4. What have you done as a private citizen thus far to attempt to improve this community?