MY THREE HIGHEST PRIORITIES

By Farrah Douglas

I will battle for fiscally conservative policies, a diversified economy and protection of natural resources.

DIVERSIFYING CARLSBAD'S ECONOMIC BASE Thanks to wise city policies as we were growing, much of our infrastructure has been built with the help of the developers. Carlsbad is not at 85% of its planned build out. We must continue to grow our economy and diversify our financial base by:

- Attracting new, clean technologies and businesses

- Maximizing existing economic opportunities

- Revitalizing the Village and Barrio

- Expanding the base of employment so our residents can work and live here

- Developing partnerships with the private sector to encourage economic growth

- Changing Carlsbad's style of doing business to become a more business-friendly city.

The Future of Carlsbad's historic Village and Barrio represent a perfect example of initiatives that can help diversity our economic base. A family-focused, friendly Village and Barrio will invite residents and tourists alike and will increase sales tax revenues. I will support funding the new Carlsbad Village Improvement Partners (CVIP) to drive improvements in that critical area.

PROTECTING OUR NATURAL RESOURCES Our most important natural assets are our city's beaches, lagoons and open space. I will work to create a reserve fund and an umbrella organization to protect our three lagoons and beaches. Carlsbad citizens voted to pass Proposition C in 2002 and were promised, among other things, purchase of land for permanent open space. After six years, this has not been done. Purchasing some of the open space areas identified by the Citizens' Committee is one of my priorities. I will proactively meet with our neighboring cities' leaders to implement good-neighbor policies and ensure excellent planning and cooperation in watershed and water quality issues. I am a strong supporter of the recently approved desalination plant, which will provide a secure source of water for Carlsbad well into the future.