1. On a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being most important), how do you rank the importance of each of the following:

2. Do you support a popular vote on gaming in South Central Kansas?

**Get city hall out of the way of business; balance needed services with cost; be more responsive to needs of citizens and business; continue examination of co-location opportunities. (Carl Brewer)

***Visioneering Wichita has indicated there are needs and issues that require partnership and positive interaction for us to move forward. Leadership is a crucial issue; distrust will hinder progress on a cohesive vision. (Carl Brewer)

4. What specific leadership attributes and experiences qualify you to effectively lead the Wichita City Council and city administration in advancing our community?

Carlos Mayans:
I am a situational manager, a self-starter, with vision of what needs to happen to accomplish the goals. I am not afraid of taking risks and learn quickly from mistakes. I understand that leadership requires consensus, but at the end of the day a decision must be made. I expect honesty and integrity from myself and others. Loyalty and respect are important to me. I love to be accountable and will do what I set out to do. I love people and learning from them.

I am Vice-President/President-Elect of the Kansas League of Municipalities; Vice-Chairman of the International Committee of the US Conference of Mayors, and a member of its advisory board and nominating committee.

I am alumnus of Leadership Wichita; Co-Chair Visioneering Wichita; Chair Affordable Airfares Initiative; served the Kansas Legislature ten years; and did post graduate studies in Leadership in Minority Health at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard.

Carl Brewer:
As Mayor, I will bring together the perfect blend of working in the private sector and serving on the City Council. These experiences have given me the skills necessary to streamline government, reduce wasteful government spending and hold the line on taxes. In business (Operations and Forecasting Manager, Spirit AeroSystems) I have to prioritize spending and make tough decisions, while as a City Councilman, I have to forge consensus with other elected officials to get things done for Wichita. My experience in the military (retired Captain, KS Army National Guard) also taught me teamwork and how to get good things done by working together.

5. What role should the City of Wichita have in each of the following?

Attracting new business?

Carlos Mayans:
The City of Wichita should play a key role in partnering with the business community in order to attract new businesses by providing incentives and keeping the taxes low and regulations to a minimum.

Carl Brewer:
We must continue to work as a team with the private sector, the County and regional economic development organizations to make Wichita the most attractive City in the Midwest to do business. The City should not be the leader in these efforts but must be a positive and willing team player in order to maximize the GWEDC partnership that was created in 2003. My responses above about creating new jobs are also pertinent here.

Retaining existing businesses?

Carlos Mayans:
It is equally important that we support also the existing businesses and help them to expand their business model. I regularly scheduled visits to all of our existing businesses that the City of Wichita has outstanding IRBs prior to their renewal in order to facilitate a seamless transition on their IRB renewal or extension.

Carl Brewer:
I fully support GWEDC efforts to expand communication opportunities between existing businesses and the GWEDC partnership. The City Council and the Mayor should work closely with GWEDC in examining whether there are barriers to retention and expansion and in ensuring that our business climate remains favorable. Communication and the willingness to work together are keys to both attracting and retaining business.

Carlos Mayans:
Local government must be sensitive to the issues that the community perceives as important. Public safety must be supported and our infrastructure needs to be maintained. The City should be kept clean and traffic flow should run smoothly. Our parks should be properly maintained. Government must be open and honest and fairly distribute services and projects all over the City. Transparency and fiduciary responsibility should be encouraged and maintained.

Carl Brewer:
All our community leaders, not just our elected officials, must encourage partnership and consensus building as we strive to move Wichita forward. City leaders have a special obligation to bring people together in a respectable fashion in order to produce positive results. And I believe it is critically important for city officials to be positive partners in bringing people together as we continue working on the goals of Visioneering Wichita. It is also our obligation to celebrate our successes together and believe in the future of our city and the vision
we create together.

Carlos Mayans:
In 2003, my vision was to make Wichita one of the ten best cities in America. I described an economic development strategy to develop good-paying jobs and a quality-of-life strategy to enhance community assets. I promised to get City Hall in order and bring an initiative to lower our airfares.

I did what I said I would do. Wichita was named one of the ten best large cities in America. Unemployment dropped from 7% to 4.5%; partnership efforts to recruit jobs netted 6,400 jobs in the last 3 years. The State has helped fund/maintain our low air fare initiative. Infrastructure projects are moving quickly. We have the same mill levy while adding police and firefighters, equipment and fire stations. We have brought financial stability to our museums and recreational areas. I led the effort to earmark one mill of existing property taxes for arts and culture of our community.

No previous Mayor has had my relationship at the state, national and international level to help Wichita in our global economy. My education; my 25 years of small business experience; and my 14 years of experience in public life highly qualify me as the best person for Mayor of Wichita.

Carl Brewer:
This race is about strong, respectable leadership, principles and values. It’s about creating and earning trust. It’s about government that belongs to the people. It’s about having a real vision for bringing us together as partners and moving us forward – and getting the job done with the sense of urgency that progress demands. The heart of the people of this city lies in our ability to come together, united behind our belief that together we can achieve great things for and with each other. We need a strong Mayor to do that… a Mayor with a new voice, one with the passion and commitment that these uncertain and changing times demand. I am committed to new partnerships, a new level of inclusiveness and a new style of leadership that allow us to move forward.

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