Mayor Q&A: Joey Miller

Q. Why are you best qualified to be Austin’s mayor?

A. I believe I bring a new perspective to the city of Austin, one that requires equality for all. I will ensure that I am a voice for every citizen of Austin. I know Austin can do better with providing lower taxes and more jobs. We need someone who has dealt with a tight budget in their life. That person would be me. I have worked at McDonald’s and have tried to cut certain things out of my budget. When it comes to the budget for the city of Austin we have to look at needs before wants. I believe I am not only a voice for the elderly, but I can relate with young adults.

Q. Should city officials be more open to hearing public input? If so, what would you do to bring that about?

A. I believe public input is the most important thing in any type of government role. I would make sure that citizens know how to get a hold of me. I would also make sure that city meetings are held for everyone. It wouldn’t matter if you are a candidate or not you should be able to speak about any given issue. We need to ensure the citizens can have their voice heard. Another way of citizens being heard would be monthly town hall meetings. This would get the citizens’ voices heard.

Q. What should be the top three priorities for city government?

A. We will have to live within our means by cutting our spending on projects that aren’t needed. Our schools will be asked to meet standards of the other schools around the United States. Lastly, I will push that job creation and commercial investment be a top priority while I am mayor.

Q. What steps, if any, can city government take to minimize tax increases?

A. The city can take many different steps to minimize tax increases. First, don’t spend money on projects that you don’t need. We are fixing roads that don’t need to be fixed at this time. If the city sold some of its private land it could help cut taxes. We have revenue that is just sitting there that we won’t touch that could help the tax payer.

Q. What other issues do you believe the city of Austin must address, and how would you provide leadership on those issues?

A. I believe we need to address a huge issue which is immigration. We have a fantastic community that not only includes Hispanics, but Asians and other ethnic backgrounds. We need to make sure that no one is discriminated against because of race, sexual orientation, religion or his or her gender. We also have to make sure they can get the services that others get. Austin has to make sure that our community looks clean. It will get cleaned by hiring high school kids and doing after school programs. We need to promote community service to our students while they are young. We all want to see a better Austin. We will get there soon!