Ahead of the November general election, the Southern California News Group compiled a list of questions to pose to the candidates who wish to represent you. You can find the full questionnaire below.

Name: Thomas Frazier

Age: 77

Current job title: Stanton Planning Commission, Vice-Chair

Incumbent: No

Other political positions held: None

City where you reside: Stanton

Campaign website or social media: Frazier4Stanton.com

How should the city balance rising costs, paying off debts, such as pension liabilities, and building reserves, all while meeting residents’ needs? Should a solution involve finding new revenue, economic development, trimming the budget, or something else entirely? (Please limit your answer to 200 words or less.)

Stanton should take a balanced, long-term approach: protect essential services, control spending, pay down long-term liabilities, maintain strong reserves, and grow our local economy before asking residents for more money.

Local government has an obligation to steward taxpayer dollars wisely and ensure residents receive real value for the taxes they already pay. Public safety, streets, parks, and programs serving seniors and families should remain priorities. Every department should regularly review spending, eliminate waste, seek competitive contracts, and demonstrate that taxpayer dollars are producing results.

Pension and other liabilities should be paid down strategically to reduce long-term costs without sacrificing today’s essential services. We should maintain strong emergency and economic-stability reserves and avoid using one-time revenues to create permanent expenses.

The best way to grow city revenue is by growing our local economy — not raising taxes. Stanton should attract quality businesses, support existing employers, revitalize underused commercial properties, encourage responsible development, and aggressively pursue county, state, and federal grants.

Raising taxes should be a last resort, not the first solution. Good stewardship means living within our means, planning for the future, and using every taxpayer dollar responsibly.

The public expects transparency from public leaders in spending and governance. How can this be achieved? How can the city do better in this area? (Please limit your answer to 200 words or less.)

Transparency begins with making government information easy to find, understand, and question. Residents deserve and have a right to know how their tax dollars are being spent and how decisions affecting their neighborhoods are being made.

Stanton should make budgets, contracts, audits, pension liabilities, reserves, major expenditures, voting records, and project updates easily accessible on the city website. City Council meetings should be livestreamed, recorded, archived, and summarized, and public records requests should be handled promptly. The city should use all appropriate andavailable communication tools and resources to proactively communicate with residents, including email, social media, newsletters, community meetings, and other communication channels. Important information should be accessible to all residents and provided in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

Transparency also requires bringing City Hall into our neighborhoods. I support town halls, “Talks on the Block,” mobile office hours, business roundtables, and regular District 1 meetings and community events at locations throughout the district.

Most importantly, city leaders must explain their decisions, disclose potential conflicts of interest, answer difficult questions, and report progress — even when the news is not good.

Transparency is more than posting information online. It means listening, responding, and giving residents a meaningful voice before important decisions are made — not after.

In your opinion, what is the biggest need your city faces, and how would you address it? (Please limit your answer to 200 words or less.)

Stanton’s greatest need is protecting and improving residents’ quality of life while keeping our community safe, affordable, and financially secure. Families are facing rising costs, housing pressures, homelessness, crime, aging infrastructure, and concerns about whether government is listening.

I would make public safety a top priority by supporting law enforcement and firefighters, enforcing laws fairly, connecting people experiencing homelessness with appropriate services, and continuing to strengthen the City’s efforts to combat human trafficking and protect vulnerable people.

Although the rising cost of living is a larger regional and statewide issue, I would make every effort locally to ease that burden. It is unacceptable that many of our children cannot afford to live, work, and raise their families in the same communities where their parents were able to put down roots.

We must attract quality businesses, create jobs, revitalize commercial areas, and grow our tax base before asking residents to pay higher taxes. The city must also steward taxpayer dollars wisely, reduce unnecessary spending, address pension liabilities, maintain strong reserves, and pursue grants.

Finally, residents deserve a meaningful voice through District 1 meetings, “Talks on the Block,” town halls, and accessible local government.

Why would you make a good leader, and how would you represent the diverse communities of your city? (Please limit your answer to 200 words or less.)

Stanton has been my family’s home for more than 50 years, and I have spent my life serving my country, my community, and others. As a U.S. Marine and Vietnam veteran, planning commissioner, former business owner, and project manager, I have learned that good leadership begins with listening, bringing people together, and being accountable forthe decisions we make.

Stanton’s diversity is one of our greatest strengths. I will represent every resident — regardless of neighborhood, age, language, culture, income, or political affiliation — with fairness, dignity, and respect. City information should be accessible in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese, and residents should have multiple ways to communicate with their representatives.

I will remain accessible through town halls, “Talks on the Block,” District 1 meetings, neighborhood events, and regular conversations with residents, businesses, seniors, families, faith communities, and community organizations.

My approach is simple: listen first, lead with integrity, and serve with purpose. Every resident deserves a listening, empathetic ear, and I will work to ensure everyone has a meaningful voice in Stanton’s future. I would love to hear from you — please reach out at frazier4stanton.com/contact, or come chat with me when you see me around town.