Dover 2023 City Council candidate Daniel Furman
Name: Daniel Furman
Education: Bachelor of science, liberal arts, Excelsior College, 2011
Occupation: Task manager/engineering technician V
Political or civic experience highlights: Vice commander and youth coordinator for Post 8 American Legion Dover.
What would be your top three priorities if you are elected?: Fiscal responsible budgets; invest in Dover, public education and infrastructure; affordable housing.
What is the biggest problem Dover is facing and how you would solve it?: I believe Dover’s largest issue is the increase in taxes, I moved to Dover 12 years ago and my taxes have more than doubled. I believe we need find ways to control spending in Dover and hold our city operations to that agreed upon budget.
Should the city work to create below market rate housing, and where is the best site?: I believe Dover needs to ensure that we have maintain access to affordable housing as I believe we are growing at a rate that is pricing our next generation of citizens out of Dover. The current wage growth in the local area is not keeping up with the housing demand which I believe is forcing our children to live elsewhere.
Should the council address the pace and type of development in the city? If yes, how?: I believe we are currently growing at an acceptable level; however, I believe our growth needs to be followed closely.
Does the city need to make changes to its approach to parking as development increases?: I believe that the addition of the parking garage has aided the city's parking issue however I believe more work needs to be done so we can ensure that we are able to retain our businesses downtown.
What is the city doing well and where is there room for improvement?: I believe we are managing our city’s growth, but we should be diligent as to not allow our growth to outpace the cities resources.
What is the city’s responsibility to its homeless population, both this winter and long term?: I believe Dover needs to continue to work with the Tri-City homeless task force to bring safe and caring support to as many homeless family’s/individuals as we can. We should continue to investigate and implement changes as resources are identified and available.
This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Dover 2023 City Council candidate Daniel Furman
