Jeff Clapper is seeking election to Kent City Council - Ward 6. View his responses to our candidate endorsement questionnaire below:
NOTE: The candidate did not submit an endorsement questionnaire prior to the established endorsement deadline. As such, the Portage County Young Democrats did not consider this candidate for endorsement.
1. Why are you running for office, and what previous experience makes you the most qualified candidate for this position?
I am running for office to fulfill the need to serve my community, be a strong voice for the people of Kent and to hopefully bring fresh perspective and new ideas to Kent City Council.
I have spent all but a few years of my life in Kent, raised my family here, operate my business here and want nothing more than to see Kent succeed. It has long been my feeling that if I was willing to have an opinion about decisions that were being made in Kent I should be willing to participate in the process. That led to me serving on the Kent Planning Commission starting in 2017 and continuing through today where I have learned a tremendous amount about the process that it takes to make the city function. It has also allowed me to build relationships with members of the city staff and community.
2. If elected, what do you hope to accomplish in this position?
My number one goal if elected would be to make certain that every resident of Kent knows that they are fundamental in making Kent successful. I would want all the growth, redevelopment and renewal that has happened in downtown Kent to be matched in effort throughout every neighborhood of Kent.
3. What are three policy initiatives you plan to focus on if elected?
First would be to make sure that if Kent is going to call itself a "walkable" city we do everything in our power to make it so. Sidewalks should be in good repair and free of obstacles like parked cars and overgrown bushes. Also crosswalks should be clearly marked and accompanied with appropriate and functioning signals where necessary.This will need to be accomplished through code enforcement and an increased effort regarding maintenance.
Second would be to make the process of opening a new business in Kent less burdensome for first time small business owners. I have spoken to many people that are overwhelmed by the process and what they feel is a lack of clear communication on what needs to be addressed to become operational. I think that creating a position for a small business liaison that can easily walk prospective business owners through the channels of all the different city departments involved would go a long way to expedite the process and get open with less upfront cost.
Third would be to address traffic flow with a focus on the flow of commercial truck traffic through Kent. As a truck driver I can assure you that the signage for truck routes in Kent is far from adequate. This leads to traffic congestion and increased wear on the roads when trucks travel off route. There can be an effort made to work with map and gps companies to have primary routes through Kent stick to the state routes for trucks and also standard car traffic traveling through the city or to any address in the city. This will ease traffic congestion and in turn reduce the emissions impact from cars and trucks.
4. What can local governments do to encourage young adults to stay in Northeast Ohio?
Affordable, quality housing has to be at the forefront of any attempt to keep young adults in Northeast Ohio. In Kent we have a lack of affordable single family housing as outlined in the last study done by the city. There has been an effort made to limit the number of new boarding houses which has been somewhat impactful but more work needs to be done
5. Will you support nondiscrimination policies that protect individuals regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, veterans status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression? If so, how?
Yes I will by being an ally and advocate for equal rights for all groups.
6. Do you support reasonable regulations on firearms in the United States? Please explain in detail.
I would likely support and firearm regulation that makes the gun buying process more stringent, gun ownership carry more burden of liability and generally works to reduce the amount of guns that can fall into the wrong hands.
As someone that has never owned a gun and has only shot a rifle once in my life when being taught by grandfather I absolute do not understand the fascination of guns. I hear many arguments that cars kill more people than guns every year. Fair enough so lets treat guns like cars.
Force gun manufacturers to meet federal safety standards to be able to sell guns. Force gun owners to pass written and practical tests before they can own guns. Force gun owners to register all their guns and report all purchase or sale transactions when changing hands just like a car. Force gun owners to have a liability insurance policy for all guns just like a car.
Enact ownership standards that when a gun is not in the presence of the licensed owner there must be a trigger lock in place and it has to be stored securely so it can not fall in to the wrong hands. And have those standards be open to random inspection to make sure they are being followed.
7. What will you do to actively engage young adults in local government?
I think that an increased social media presence would go a long way to involve not only young adults but everyone in the community.
8. Describe your vision on public safety and your plans for crime prevention?
As someone who has no first hand experience in law enforcement I can only express my opinion on what I hope would work which is to make patrolling neighborhoods just as prevalent as trying to catch speeders on the main thoroughfares. I feel like just as many citations could be written to the numerous cars that speed through and blatantly run stop signs in neighborhoods as can be written to cars that are going too fast in front of the car dealerships or down 59 on the east side of town.
Hopefully over time this effort would greatly increase safety of neighborhoods from not only a traffic stand point but also decrease crime overall due to a higher police presence. Again this is just my non expert opinion but if elected on of my first priorities would be to communicate with the police department, learn as much as possible about how their job works and see what changes can be made to make the city safer.
9. What should your locality be doing to ensure racial equity and eliminating bias in community policing?
I would want to know what training and education is available for our police officers and make sure that they have full access to all of it. Thoroughly vetting potential officers and using the best possible hiring practices has to be a priority for their job. And there needs to be full accountability when something happens that falls outside of the lines of proper policing.
10. The Environment
Experts agree that a key to reducing the effects of climate disruption is to reduce our dependence on, and use of, carbon-based fuels, including oil, natural gas and coal. Please answer the following questions related to the environment in detail:
10-A. Should local governments play a role in phasing out the use of fossil fuels by our municipalities? If so, what role should a local legislator play?
I think that a complete phasing out of fossil fuels is still so far off that our efforts should be focused on conservation of fossil fuels for the time being. As electric cars become more prevalent having an adequate number of charging stations and specific parking spaces can be a big step in the right direction.
Something that could make more of an impact in the short term would be to focus on traffic flow and patterns. Cars use more fuel and produce more emissions when accelerating than they do moving at speed so every effort possible needs to be made to keep traffic moving. Signal timing and working with map/gps companies to prescribe the most efficient routes for those traveling in and around Kent should help to reduce emissions, save fuel and ease congestion making an immediate impact.
10-B. Do you support the use of "Fracking" (hydraulic fracturing) to extract oil or gas within your city, or would you support a ban on Fracking?
I do not support the use of fracking and would most certainly support a ban on it.
11. In June of last year, the United States Supreme Court overturned the landmark case Roe vs. Wade, which guaranteed a persons right to safe and legal abortion access. What role should local government play in advocating for access to safe and legal abortion services?
As a local government we need to make a clear statement that we in the City of Kent want access to abortion services and plan to use our votes accordingly.
12. The state of Ohio has continually cut funds to local governments over the last decade. How do you plan on operating within the confines of an already reduced local budget, without cutting critical services to tax payers?
Kent needs to thoroughly look at where every penny is spent and if the cost is justified.
13. What can be done to create and/or attract new businesses with good paying jobs and benefits in the City? How can we encourage new businesses, and existing businesses, to become an active part of our community?
The process of opening a new small business in Kent has to simplified or streamlined. I have talked to many people that felt the process was overwhelming and burdensome. This leads to delays in getting the doors open and increased costs for people that are putting their livelihood on the line to make things happen.
14. Should the City reduce the cost of services by contracting out or privatizing government services? Why or why not?
I don't believe so. In my opinion when services are privatized it may save the City money but can lead to increased cost, diminished services for the citizens or the elimination of jobs. For example having a private company like Aramark running the school kitchens. That took jobs that provided benefits and security away from people that worked for the school system and put them in the hands of companies that pay at or near the minimum wage with no benefits to people that may not have a vested interest in the school system or community.
15. Do you feel that housing in your City is affordable and available for young people and families? If not, what will you do to address this issue?
Generally speaking housing in Kent is "affordable" when looking at national statistics. However Kent is fairly young and well under median income averages as a whole. More than anything there is a lack of single family housing in Kent. Many university students have started to opt for "all inclusive" apartment living over the old house full of roommates standard. If this trend holds up it would be nice to see a policy put in place that encourages owners or potential owners of former rental house to convert them back to single family. Possibly through grants, tax incentives or city backed low interest loans.