KXCJ Interview Breakdown

These nine videos cover the KXCJ mayoral interviews, one question at a time. Each video starts with my opponent’s answer, then my response to the same question. I then add closing remarks with additional background on the work we’ve been doing and the issues discussed.

Question 1

Why this job and why now?

For listeners who may not know you well, tell us a little bit about yourself and why you want to serve as mayor of Cave Junction at this particular time.

This is a volunteer position that requires significant commitment. What makes you willing to take it on?

Question 2

What would success look like?

Imagine we’re having this conversation two years from now, at the end of your term. What would need to have happened for you to say, “We did a good job”?

Question 3

What are we getting right and what needs to change?

What do you think Cave Junction is doing well right now, and where do you think we’re falling short?

What are two or three things that most need the city’s attention?

Question 4

How do you make hard choices with limited resources?

Cave Junction has limited resources and plenty of needs. How do you decide what the city should invest in, what can wait, and what simply isn’t the city’s responsibility?

Question 5

How would you navigate conflicts of interest?

In a small community like Cave Junction, people often wear many hats. Both of you are local business owners and have relationships with organizations, businesses, and individuals that may come before the city.

How would you handle situations where your personal, professional, or organizational interests could conflict or appear to conflict with your responsibilities as mayor?

Question 6

What does a healthy Cave Junction economy look like?

Economic development can mean different things to different people. What does a healthy local economy look like to you, and what can the city realistically do to help create it?

Question 7

How do you lead when people disagree?

People don’t always agree about what Cave Junction needs or what it should become. Tell us about a time when you changed your mind after listening to someone you disagreed with, and what changed your thinking.

What does that experience tell us about you and how you would approach disagreement as mayor?

Question 8

What Cave Junction are you trying to create?

What is something about Cave Junction that you want to make sure we preserve? And what is something you would really like to see change?

When your time in public service is over, how do you hope your neighbors will describe the way you served the community?

Question 9

Questions from the opposing candidates.

For this segment, each candidate submitted a different question for their opponent.

I asked Barbara about the city’s authority to address homelessness and where that authority ends.

Barbara asked me about overdue audits, access to financial records, employee compensation, and when those records would be freely available.