Candidate Name Ricky Baldwin

Campaign Address 801 E California Ave, Urbana IL 61801

Campaign Phone/Fax 217-328-3037, no fax

Campaign Email baldwinricky@yahoo.com

Campaign Web Site http://www.baldwinforcitycouncil.com

1) What are your best environmental achievements so far?

I helped the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians defeat a proposal that would have placed a nuclear waste storage site on Reservation land. I marched with the Choctaw, organized a letter-writing campaign in support of their effort and basically pitched in where I could. I had participated at the age of 14 in my own hometown's resistance to a proposed nuclear power plant, and we did stop it (I was only a small part of that).

I was also a founding member of Students for Environmental Awareness (SEA) at the University of Mississippi, where I held several positions. SEA was a very active student group and soon helped found the national Student Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC). I was our group's delegate to SEAC's founding convention and served as representative for Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana. I also travelled a bit, speaking to other environmental groups in the area that were starting up. We lobbied Congress quite a bit  on Forest Service plans to build roads, allow big cuts, on wildlife protection - and we advocated local recycling programs (there were none at that time at the university). Sometimes we were successful, sometimes not, but we kept the issues alive and began the painstaking work of building an ecologically sensitive political culture in our area.

2) What environmental issues will you publicly support throughout your campaign?

My major campaign issue has been sustainable development, particularly the necessity of compact infill development before breaking new ground and disturbing green areas (sprawl).

I also think it's vital that we defeat the proposed road-widening measures in the City's Comprehensive Plan and other development plans. I have written a letter to the editor on this issue (News-Gazette 1/31)and am presently working with the R.U.R.A.L. Group of residents north and east of the city limits, who are very concerned about the impact of these plans on their lives as well as the environment.

I am also concerned about air pollution on the most basic level as well as the industrial; I advocate smoke-free legislation for public places in the city.

3) Why are you interested in environmental issues?

It's hard to say why really. Possibly because of my early involvement when my hometown fought against and stopped a nuclear power plant when I was young. Possibly because I have always enjoyed walking in the woods, camping, canoeing and so on, or because I grew up in a very rural farming community, where I started thinking early on about where my food comes from and what's in it. I read an article about earthworm farms, organic farming, recycling and so on when I was about 10 or 11, and it had a great impact on me  but why would be hard to say.

I know that I now think that environmental issues are an absolutely essential concern or group of concerns, because the environment is simply where we live. Without it, we die. Slowly. And that slow death doesn't happen uniformly. Of course some of the problems affect everyone. But the poor, the powerless, the very old and the very young, workers, women, people of color, always take the brunt of environmental degradation, from Bhopal to the Mississippi Delta. And that just isn't fair.

4) Any personal environmental work, education, groups, hobbies, or habits (e.g. energy efficient home/cars/appliances; reduced consumption/driving; reuse; buy recycled/organic/local; vegetarian)?

I have been involved in environmental activism of one kind or another since as long as I can remember, from simple advocacy of organic farming as a kid, helping the fight to stop a nuclear power plant near our hometown, to founding environmental groups, helping other groups get started, and now advocating for economic development that is SUSTAINABLE.

I stopped eating meat when I was 18 (over 20 years ago) because I came to see meat as an environmentally destructive habit, which disproportionately impacts the so-called Third World. I have insisted on recycling what I could since well before I lived anywhere with curbside pickup (and before I heard of it), when we used to have to save aluminum cans and take them to the "golden goat" in the Kmart parking lot in my hometown. Sometimes my roommates and/or girlfriends weren't happy with my collections, but they learned to live with me and my recycling. Same goes for my composting, which I'm glad to see is much more acceptable now. I also use organic gardening techniques on a modest scale, try to buy organic produce when I can, local produce as it's available and avoid particularly heinous businesses when I know about them.

I try to teach my kids not to litter, to appreciate nature and to understand at least the basic fact of ecological cycles (on a simplistic level for now; they are only three and a half), recycling, pollution and so on. I always try to use as little as I can, turn off the water when I brush my teeth, take warm showers instead of hot ones, etc. I reuse paper and other products as much as possible.

5) What are the three most pressing environmental concerns in Urbana?

Number one must be sprawl. We need development to be compact and contiguous, filling in areas that are already paved and fitted with infrastructure before breaking new ground. We need to encourage development in the downtown area and underused areas like Philo Road, with adequate greenspace integrated in as parks and playgrounds, bikes paths and so on, instead of disturbing ecosystems and leapfrogging over deserted areas that could be used.

Number two is related. Road widening is almost always a disaster, not only for the immediate environment but also because it encourages people to drive more (partly by discouraging them from walking  building hazards into areas that could otherwise be walked, killing downtown development in favor of sprawl, etc.) This of course increases pollution. Big roads are also unsafe, for pedestrians and motorists. What we need is a stated emphasis on NARROW tree-lined streets, networked and servicing traditional neighborhood and Main Street model development.

Number three is the flipside. Parking lots are expanding in Urbana even as houses and buinesses recede. It's still too easy for a developer to knock down a house and build a parking lot. We limit parking on the street and require landlords to provide parking elsewhere, largely because we do not want to interfere with the speed of traffic passing through  not the correct priority. And we have become so desperate to attract business that we are allowing development that emphasizes the volume of parking, while the actual buildings sit at a distance behind an expanse of pavement. What we need is to insist that new business developments hide parking in the rear, broken up into smaller chunks and separated by greenspace, allow more street parking to slow traffic and reduce the reliance on lots, and restrict the ability to build new lots.

6) What is your opinion about environmental protections in the recently proposed Urbana Comprehensive Plan?

I think they are flatly contradicted by proposals for road-widening, sprawl development in the extra-territorial jurisdiction and an acceptance of suburban residential styles are in conflict with stated goals of sustainability.

7) Would you publicly oppose the proposed ring road around Urbana? If not, what would you do to prevent further sprawl and another slow flowing, low quality commercial corridor with desolate buildings?

I have already. I wrote a letter to the editor (News-Gazette 1/31) opposing road widening, and I am working with the R.U.R.A.L. group and another group in town that is just forming to stop the "ring roads" and other anti-pedestrian pro-sprawl plans, and to encourage instead the development of bike and foot paths, pedestrian friendly improvements and greenspace enhancement.

8) What would you do to encourage more varied shopping in central and eastern Urbana (e.g., Philo Road) to reduce sprawl and gasoline consumption?

I believe we need a plan for Philo Road, similar to the Campaign to Build Downtown, including a TIF (tax increment financing) district and a theme that we proactively pursue; that is, encourage a kind of "mini-Main Street" development there, including most especially retail and hopefully some recreational access (greenspace, playground, plaza, food court). We also need a task force to facilitate the permitting process where possible, help shepherd new businesses through, and most of all we need to stop wasting city staff time with outward sprawl development proposals. We need a vision of narrow, tree-lined streets, emphasizing our community's unique features (historic buildings, Boneyard Creek, etc.) in ways that develop this theme. We need more downtown festivals and outdoor community events -- on Philo Road, too -- something to ensure that the people are there, whether they are shopping or not, because that is what will encourage them to shop as long as they are there anyway.

9) Would you publicly support policies that discourage sprawl by recovering all infrastructure (roads/utilities) and service costs (schools/fire/police) of expanding into natural areas and farmland?

Absolutely. We do not need to be in the business of subsidizing destructive practices such as sprawl.

10) What financial support would you give to create bike/hike trails that link Urbana together?

I'm not sure what specific financing would be available, but I would be willing to explore a variety of options. Possibly TIF money could be used for this purpose. I do think that such trails should be considered part of legitimate development plans.

11) Would you support sharing residential streets (walk/bike/drive) that slow traffic in Europe and traffic calming devices for smoother flow?

I do support sharing streets and would like to explore the possibility of yield streets as well. And I support some traffic calming, such as more stop signs, parking on both sides, and other pedestrian friendly measures, but not the building of winding roads or obstructions in order to slow traffic.

12) Would you publicly support ending utility tax discounts for higher consumption and use the revenues as energy efficiency matching funds?

Yes.

13) Would you publicly oppose another nuclear reactor in Clinton?

Absolutely.

14) Would you publicly support shifting street maintenance funding from property taxes on everyone to gas taxes on actual users?

I would be willing to study it. My concern is that in the US, as opposed to European countries, gasoline prices disproportionately affect lower income people. And in general I am skeptical of user fees for infrastructure for this reason. Urbana's public transportation system is relatively good for the US, but this is another reason it is important to fight sprawl: to provide shopping and employment opportunities within walking distance or at least within easy range of public transportation, especially for lower income residents. Then gas pricing could simply be used to encourage reliance on public transportation, which would need to be exempt from the new tax.

15) How much will you increase Urbana's fleet of hybrid cars?

I'm not sure how much, but I am certainly interested in doing so.

16) How will you increase Urbana's purchase of environmental products?

I couldn't say specifically how much, but I would naturally like to see the city purchase products with lower ecological impact.

17) Would you publicly support adopting LEED building codes for energy efficiency in all future city government construction and remodeling?

Actually I think we ought to look at the whole LEED checklist - not just energy efficiency but also water efficiency, site selection, etc. - and incorporate as much as possible into the codes. This might involve adopting the entire energy efficiency piece, or most of it, along with other parts of the list. Energy efficiency might be the easiest part, and that's fine, but I also think water efficiency is very important, and site selection, provided it doesn't conflict with our other goals for sustainable development (compact, contiguous development, etc.).

18) Would you support shifting to sales taxes (slowing consumption of imports) from property taxes to keep housing affordable?

I do not support sales tax at all. It is a very regressive tax, impacting the lowest income residents the most and highest income people the least. I would favor instead a shift to income taxes or, even better, a wealth tax. These are generally in the state or federal purview, but I would like to explore the possibility for a new local tax structure that is progressive and based on income or wealth as opposed to sales or property taxes. Or at least I would like to advocate for such chnages at the state level.

In the short term I believe that sustainable development is actually the key to keeping property taxes down in Urbana, and ensuring affordable housing, by bringing in tax money through investment.

I also favor encouraging integration of affordable housing throughout our community instead of concentrating it in pockets of poverty and neglect, through adding protection against discrimination for receiving Section 8 housng subsidy, zoning regulation that is mindful of the need for apartments above garages, behind big old houses, and development plans in business districts that include affordable apartments above small shops and storefronts.

19) Would you support increasing parking fees for SUVs and pickups?

I would like to study a graduated parking fee structure based on size of vehicle and/or other factors, as long as categories were easy to use. Oversized SUVs and trucks are certainly a nuisance in parking areas as well as an environmental problem, but working class people often depend on their small trucks for a variety of necessary functions. I would not want to penalize people for being in an already tough spot in our society.

20) Would you support requiring the equivalent of storm doors and windows on rental units to reduce fossil fuel imports?

Yes.

21) Would you enable residents to use the city's webpage to sign up for emailed newsletters and announcements, saving postage and paper?

Of course. I see no reason why we haven't already done this.

22) What would you do to protect the environment in Drainage Districts?

I would not presume to propose a solution at this point. I do think that every new project must face scrutiny with regard to its impact on the environment, and I would like to learn more about what can be done to improve the current situation in drainage districts. I am sure that more can be done. I would like to study this problem, consult with local environmental groups and experts, read up on the possibilities, and see what we can come up with.

23) Is there anything else you would like to add?

Very thorough questionnaire. Impressive. Sorry it took so long to respond, but this thing is extensive. Good job.