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.<\/p>\n
Name: Chi Charlie Nguyen<\/p>\n
Age: 62<\/p>\n
Current job title: Mayor, City of Westminster<\/p>\n
Incumbent: Yes<\/p>\n
Other political positions held: Board President Midway City Sanitary District<\/p>\n
City where you reside: Westminster<\/p>\n
Campaign website or social media: VoteforCharliewin.com<\/p>\n
How can the city best meet the demand and mandates for more housing, including at lower price points, while also preserving local control and the quality of life for existing neighborhoods and residents? (Please limit your answer to 200 words or less.)<\/p>\n
Public safety is my top priority, and minimizing reductions in force has always been a key consideration. Quality of life is another important issue that I take seriously. That is why living within our means remains a guiding principle under my leadership.<\/p>\n
We encourage higher-density development through mixed-use zoning and have increased the development of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) over the past several years. We also continue to partner with investors and developers to create more affordable housing opportunities.<\/p>\n
We are currently in a strong financial position compared with the past decade. Beginning last year, we balanced the budget annually, and we balanced the budget again this year. We are also committed to balancing next year\u2019s budget while continuing to grow our reserves.<\/p>\n
The city has initiated several economic development projects designed to generate additional revenue in the future. Projects such as the Westminster Mall redevelopment will bring new tax revenue to the city. We have also increased the number of mixed-use developments to attract more investors and revitalize outdated areas.<\/p>\n
Our goal is to preserve and enhance the quality of life for our residents, ensure public safety, responsibly manage growth, and maintain a strong financial foundation for Westminster\u2019s future.<\/p>\n
How should the city balance rising costs, paying off debts, such as pension liabilities, and building reserves, all while meeting residents\u2019 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.)<\/p>\n
Public safety is my top priority, and minimizing reductions in force has always been a key consideration. Quality of life is another important issue that I take seriously. That is why living within our means remains a guiding principle under my leadership.<\/p>\n
We are currently in a strong financial position compared with the past decade. Beginning last year, we balanced the budget annually, and we balanced the budget again this year. We are also committed to balancing next year\u2019s budget.<\/p>\n
The city has initiated several economic development projects designed to generate additional revenue in the future. Projects such as the Westminster Mall redevelopment will bring new tax revenue to the city. We have also increased the number of mixed-use developments to attract more investors and revitalize outdated areas.<\/p>\n
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.)<\/p>\n
Transparency is something we have always worked to provide to our residents in every way possible \u2014 not only by sharing information, but also by making it available in a timely manner.<\/p>\n
Residents can find information through our social media channels and the city\u2019s website. In addition, community outreach efforts are frequently coordinated on a variety of topics.<\/p>\n
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.)<\/p>\n
One of our biggest challenges is securing the funding needed to meet unfunded mandates while continuing to invest in essential city projects.<\/p>\n
As Mayor, my priority is to make sure we remain responsive to our residents and continue providing fast, efficient, and reliable city services. At the same time, we must address our housing needs, expand economic development, attract new businesses and investment, and strengthen Westminster\u2019s financial future.<\/p>\n
The goal is simple: meet today\u2019s challenges responsibly while continuing to move Westminster forward.<\/p>\n
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.)<\/p>\n
I am a leader who is fair and transparent, and I lead with a servant heart. I care deeply about this community and represent a uniquely diverse community with cultural and ethnic interests. When communities such as Westminster are diverse, I find that the most effective way to represent them is to listen to their concerns, bridge an understanding among different groups, and find solutions without sacrificing any group or culture in our community.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ahead of the November general election, the Southern California News Group compiled a list of questions to pose…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":488481,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[1400,163,165,164,7,126915,204,205,100,13],"class_list":["post-488480","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-anaheim","tag-2026-elections","tag-anaheim","tag-anaheim-headlines","tag-anaheim-news","tag-california","tag-candidate-questionnaire","tag-election","tag-local-politics","tag-news","tag-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/488480","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=488480"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/488480\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/488481"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=488480"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=488480"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=488480"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}