Questions for Stephanie Miner, Pat Hogan, and Alfonso Davis

Tuesday is Primary Day, and we in the city of Syracuse have a choice to make. Three Democrats are running for mayor: Stephanie Miner, the incumbent; City Councilor Pat Hogan, and businessman Alfonso Davis.

I have some questions for them:

1. How will your administration harness the energy that has made Armory Square so successful and expand the boundaries of ‘downtown’ to include the rest of the center city, and broaden the nature of development to include more businesses, not just more residents?
2. Expanding the city’s tax base can only happen if people stay in our neighborhoods, or if we can get more people to move in and make the city their home.  What plans do you have to improve neighborhoods and encourage people to live in the city?  Do you support requiring city workers to live here? And if yes, what will you do to encourage that?
3. There are many programs out there designed to help kids of all ages be successful, yet we continue to have poor graduation rates, even as we invest in improving our educational facilities.  What do you think is the single most important thing we can invest in to keep kids in school through graduation, and how would you pay for it?
4. What are you REALLY going to do about crime in Syracuse? Take a look at my zip code – 13205 -- and give me some specifics on what your administration will focus on to reduce crime here. 
5. We hear lots of talk about public/private/educational collaboration to help solve our problems. What are your priorities in this regard, and give some specific examples of the type of activities we can expect to see on your priority issues?
6. What's the one quality you possess that makes you the best candidate to lead Syracuse for the next four years?

I'm hoping I hear from the candidates, and if I do, I'll share their responses.