Colin Hubbard
Candidate for Sandy Springs City Council, District 5
Website: www.Colin4SandySprings.org
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1) What are the three issues affecting your district that you would tackle as a councilmember?
First, continued emphasis on public safety is paramount. We need to strengthen the bond between our residents and the Sandy Springs Police Department and with all first responders. Maintaining our reputation as one of the safest cities in the region can only be accomplished by a supportive relationship with our dedicated first responders. This robust public safety posture supports my second priority, maintaining and enhancing the quality of life among all the neighborhoods we enjoy. Finally, Sandy Springs needs a strategic development plan that will take us into the future and create more business opportunities, while considering development implications.
2) How would you encourage more housing diversity and affordability in Sandy Springs, especially for city workers and others who can’t afford to live where they work?
Throughout the country, cities like Sandy Springs are facing housing diversity, and more importantly housing affordability, challenges. My goal is to learn from similar cities, assess their failures and successes, brainstorm workable solutions, and then tailor a plan for Sandy Springs. However, this will be the most complex issue that we, as a city, will continue to face and it will require an “all hands on deck” approach to solve. Successful affordable housing projects in Sandy Springs will demand involvement from every stakeholder in the project along with community support. I will bring the required energy, focus and fresh perspective along with community input that this issue demands.
3) How would you encourage redevelopment in Sandy Springs, such as in the city’s North End, while balancing issues of displacement for lower-income residents?
It is imperative for Sandy Springs to uphold its national reputation as a great city in which to live and strategic development and redevelopment play a critical part in maintaining our great community. With respect to the North End, I do not believe successful development or redevelopment will necessarily displace current residents. However, any progress at the North End will require real, substantive engagement by the city, property owners, developers, surrounding communities and its residents. We can learn from the success stories, however in order to move forward, the city and community of Sandy Springs will be required to put forth more energy, more time, and more money than we have earmarked for the issue in the past.
4) How would you improve equity and diversity in Sandy Springs?
My community involvement in Sandy Springs has grown over the years, and I have had the pleasure of meeting with, and working next to, the incredible and diverse residents of Sandy Springs. My work on the Sandy Springs Education Force Board, which supports the 11 public schools in Sandy Springs, has provided me with an intimate look at our families and children living in Sandy Springs. The diversity of this community and city should be celebrated, and input into the direction of our city should be collaborative and inclusive to represent all residents. I am inspired by the passion and willingness of so many from our community to run for office to make a difference. This is a testament to a collective and forward-thinking future of Sandy Springs.
5) If city finances were to decline, would you consider a tax hike or would you rather cut city services and programs?
Sandy Springs has a Moody’s AAA credit rating and continues to make fiscal responsibility a priority. If the city’s finances were to decline, it would likely be the result of a much larger economic or geopolitical event, and I would be inclined to cut city services or programs in an effort to avoid tax hikes and keep the money in residents’ pockets.