City Council Candidate Q&A: Francesco Papalia

Albany Patch has asked each candidate to fill out a questionnaire to give residents information about his or her background. See other elections coverage here.

What is the primary reason you are running for this office? My primary reason is to bring neighbors together to find the common ground that includes newcomers and longtime residents, homeowners and renters, small and large business owners and families of all types to celebrate our diverse community. I believe we can create a flourishing educational system, a thriving commercial district and an economically responsible and environmentally sustainable future. With the drastic budget cuts from the State of California of funds for our city and schools we need creative leadership to provide the support for the basic services of police, fire library, parks (like the proposed Pierce St. Park) and infrastructure provided by a well managed government. I believe I can provide that creative leadership.

What will be your single most important priority if you get elected? My priority would be to find the best long-term revenue resources available to meet all of our city's financial needs without undue burden on the residential sector. We can do this by expanding our commercial tax base. Right now there are two large entities that have been part of our community for over sixty years that are ready to invest $135,000,000 in our city. The new Safeway on Solano plan could cost over $30,000,000 and bring a modern grocery store to the heart of Solano Avenue.

The University of California wants to build a new Whole Foods Store/Mixed Use Structure on the University Village site opposite Dartmouth Street on San Pablo Avenue. Next to that structure they are planning 175 sorely needed assisted-living senior housing units that could provide a safe and nearby place for our elderly community who now need to leave Albany when they can no longer safely stay in their homes.

That 4.2-acre site, which now pays no property taxes as tax exempt state-owned property, would be converted by its non-educational commercial use to tax-paying land. By my calculations the 4.2 acres would become 55 parcels of tax paying land, each paying the parcel taxes homes in Albany now pay to the school district. 

Both of these projects would also bring new property taxes and sales tax to the city. I believe they can also stimulate the businesses nearby on both San Pablo and Solano avenues is a positive way.

My most important priority, if elected, would be to use all my creative, financial and negotiating skills to make these two projects the most aesthetically pleasing, environmentally conscious and fiscally sustainable that they can be while maintaining their commercial and tax-paying capabilities.  

What sets you apart from the other candidates? My B.A. in Architecture from the University of California at Berkeley and my 25 years experience in real estate, finance and construction give me the skills to work with others to plan for an economic base that can support our schools, our neighborhoods and our business community while respecting the environment. As both a designer and an entrepreneur, I can visualize creative and inventive solutions to problems while seeking practical and attainable results. As a negotiator I know how to find an end that is acceptable to all parties. This often requires recognizing the true nature of the problem and the parties concerned without pre-judging the participants.  I look forward to the opportunity to use these skills to the benefit of our fair city.

Where do you work and what is your job title? Real Estate agent

What is your age and where were you born? (not answered)

What is your spouse's or domestic partner's name, if any? None

What are the names and ages of your children, if any? None

Please list the schools and colleges you attended, the degrees you attained and when. University of Massachusetts, Amherst MA; Cabrillo Community College, Santa Cruz CA; Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston MA; University of California,  Berkeley CA. Graduated in 1985, B.A., Major in Architecture.

Have you ever held an elected or appointed public office? Albany Waterfront Committee Member, February 2008 to Present. Vice-Chair Albany Waterfront Committee, July 2009 to present.

Have you run before for an elected public office? 2006, Albany City Council

Approximately how much money do you expect to spend on your campaign, both total spending and personal. $5,000-$7,000

Have you ever served in the military? No

Have you ever been convicted or charged with a crime other than a minor traffic violation? If so, please explain and include dates and locations. Disturbing the Peace, 1970, Santa Monica, CA 

Have you or a business you owned or had principal interest in ever filed bankruptcy? If so, please include dates and the location the bankruptcy was filed. No

How long have you lived in Albany? Since 1987

What's your favorite thing about Albany? My favorite thing about Albany is the fact that I can walk to most of the things that I enjoy on a daily basis including my office on Solano Avenue. I have been walking up and down Solano Ave from my home on the 800 block of Key Route Blvd for over twenty years. Over the last four years I have made a conscious effort to change my shopping patterns so that I can utilize as many of the local businesses as possible. I have used local stores for everything from fresh ground coffee to car repair and from chiropractor services to large appliance purchases. In doing so, I get both a sense of pride and care in my community as well as the pleasure of meeting those same service providers in a casual setting at other stores and events in my daily travels. My office is one block from my house. I can leave my car at home and only get it when I need to go out on an appointment.

What is the biggest problem in Albany? In a recent briefing with Albany's top two budget and staff managers, I posed the following question: Over the next two to four years, what are the most crucial budget and/or staff issues that will need to be addressed by the city council? The answer was clear: How to pay for the salaries and benefits that comprise over 80 percent of the General Fund with the insufficient projected revenues. The police have been working without a contract since 2009. We have avoided layoffs of staff but we have left key positions vacant through attrition like one out of the two city planning positions.

In the Albany Unified School District, parcel tax funds that were meant for enhanced education services for our children are being used to keep from laying off teachers. The quality of the education we can deliver is suffering. This is not acceptable.

Over eight of the last 10 years we were riding on the real estate boom that provided constantly increasing revenue from transfer taxes from the large number of homes that were sold and the increased property taxes as homes appreciated at unsustainable rates. The real estate boom is over. During the last two years of falling property values, transfer tax revenue is down drastically and property values have leveled off.  In the foreseeable future, we can expect a very modest appreciation in property values. We are facing a shortfall in revenue of $300,000 in the 2011-12 budget. The biggest problem is how to meet the cost of providing the services and education we expect and want for our families in this prolonged recession and slow recovery. The City Council must address this as their number one priority.

Campaign contact information: www.albanyfirst.org

• E-mail: francesco@albanyfirst.org
• Address: 809 Key Route Blvd.
• Phone: 510-525-1165