Kendrick Sneed, City Council District 1 Candidate

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - We asked our viewers to call in with what they want to see from their elected council people to improve their communities and the city overall. We took your questions to the candidates vying for your vote, and here is how District 1 candidate, Kendrick Sneed, answered.

From street litter to blighted properties, many of the concerns we heard overwhelmingly dealt with cleaning up their neighborhoods. Many callers complained about overgrown lots as a haven for vermin and crime. What can you do to make owners of abandoned properties responsible for cleaning them up?

The city of Memphis has a city code to circumvent problems of this nature. I believe Memphis residents strongly value taking pride in home ownership. My aim is to promote this value in order to better serve our neighborhoods and to make sure that our city code enforcement officers have the resources to enforce codes that are already in place.

Of course, voters are worried about jobs. A report by the U.S. Census calls Memphis the poorest large city in the country, citing loss of jobs and lack of education. What plans do you have to boost jobs in your district?

I believe the Mayor, as well as Council Members, should strongly encourage potential investors in the Memphis economy to prioritize hiring “qualified” Memphis resident(s). I support the idea of providing tax incentives to investing businesses that would prioritize hiring qualified Memphis citizens; however, we must ensure that the poor and working families of Memphis are guaranteed a percentage of those jobs. An investment in our citizens is an investment in our city. At the same time, Memphis leaders need to work to prepare its citizens with job training with the necessary skills. I would also like to utilize federal stimulus money to work toward rebuilding our city’s infrastructure.

How do you see the merger of Memphis and Shelby County Schools affecting your district?

As a member of the city council I would fully support fully funding public education. I believe all legislative bodies within Memphis and Shelby County should work together to ensure that every child should receive the best possible education. Our leaders should look at successful models of education, domestic and abroad, to innovate our current model.

If you are elected to the city council, what's going to be your first priority for your district?

I would like to sit down with our Mayor and administration in order to develop a “true-cost" for operating government. It is important that we ensure that city government is running efficiently. Second, I want to work with the Police Director and Police association to ensure that our officers are committed to a community oriented strategy. Third, I would like to bridge the gap between neighborhood associations and city government. I strongly value neighborhood association by virtue of the fact that I value home ownership. City government can assist neighborhood associations by encouraging code enforcement officers to proactively assist our neighborhood associations in realizing their goals.