To see the council candidate profiles of Celia Barotz, Scott Overton or David Arendt, click their respected photos. This is part two of this series covering the Flagstaff city elections; to view the previous week’s candidates, scroll to the bottom and click their links.

Bruce Kennedy
Age: 51
Length of Flagstaff residency: 27 years
Education: Degrees in special education, psychology and public administration; Post-graduate work in re-habilitation and counseling (ASU, U of A, NAU)
Current occupation: Assistant technology specialist, Arizona Department of Education
Past occupation: Former administrator with Commission on Developmental Disabilities, rehabilitation councilor

Why are you running for city council?
I was the chairman of the board for the housing authority, and it’s turned into a real passion serving the city and working on affordable housing for working families in our community. I decided I wanted to work on housing issues, as well as other sustainability issues in the community, by joining the city council.

If elected, what skills or experience would you be able to bring to the city council?
I have more than 30 years of experience working in human services and serving individuals who have had hurdles in their lives, whether economic or with disability issues. I think that I have a great deal of leadership experience working with state government. I have a real passion for politics.

What makes you stand out against the other candidates?
One of the major issues I see with the city council today is that they don’t appear to be looking beyond four-year divisions, or two-year divisions, based on the term length, to the next election. I want to look at policy based on 10, 20, 30, or 40 years down the road. Those things may not come to fruition in the four years of my term, but [they] clearly have an impact for the next generation — my children — who can’t afford to live in Flagstaff because of the high cost of living and low wages.

How do you think you relate to the citizens of Flagstaff?
I have lived here since 1983, and I have seen Flagstaff change tremendously. Most of it has been quite good. I have served in Flagstaff in a number of capacities, and I am one of them. I am toward the end of my career. I certainly don’t need something to develop my resume, to move on to the next political office. I am a citizen of Flagstaff and it is my home. And, from the folks I stand around with in the gas station in the mornings and have a cup of coffee with until the meetings I attend in the evening, I think I spend an awful lot of time listening, and I can relate very well to the citizens of Flagstaff.

What are some of the ideas you would bring to the table?
I think we need to work at sustainability — sustainability of energy, sustainability of water, and, at this point, we’re looking at a budget crisis that threatens the sustainability of the community as a whole. We need to start looking at the way we develop land around Flagstaff and start looking at the future. We need to stop taking ten acre plots and dividing them into little quarter acre parcels and start looking at planning that incorporates all sorts of housing, mixed-use planning that incorporates business with residential, so that every time you need a quart a milk you don’t have to get in your car and make a trek. We need to have an eye on sustainability and energy efficiency. That will pay off huge dividends in the future.

What cause / topic are you most passionate about? And how would you advocate that in office?
I think the best thing that we can do for business and economic growth in Flagstaff is to work on affordable workforce development housing, making Flagstaff affordable for the folks who work here. And that is my greatest passion, making housing available and affordable for our workforce.

Watch the SMC Mayoral Debate with Kara Kelty, Sara Presler and Joe Haughey.