Dan’s Core Principles
These core principles define how I think about problems and how the government should be involved in our lives. They represent how I will act as your council person and they inspire most of my policy positions.
Markets work
I hear a lot about "staffing shortages" in our social workers, our paramedics, our teachers, and many other public professions. We don't have a "staffing shortage," we have a compensation shortage! Pay people a market wage for their work and we will attract workers. Likewise, upzoned market-rate housing is the fastest way out of our housing deficit. In the exceptional cases where markets do not work, government must take action to do the most good for the most people in ways that do not pick winners and losers.
Public space should be respected
Our parks are not campsites, and our streets are not trash bins. We must continually reassess how we can use public space to create the most public good. It is the government's job to create and secure these spaces.
Systems matter
How does a homeless individual find shelter for the night? How do I pay my taxes? What bus do I need to catch? These questions all involve systems designed by government. Our systems must be easy to use and have well-defined success metrics. It's not good enough to solve a problem - it must be solved well.