P. Craig Ochoa: Candidate Profile

Note: Answers provided have not been edited for grammar, misspellings or typos. In some instances, candidate claims that could not be immediately verified have been omitted. Jump to:BioKey IssuesQA Bio City: BartettWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Hanover Township Highway Commissioner (4-year Term)Age: 55Family: Married (28 years) 3 children 2 grand chidlrenOccupation: Owner/ President of You're #1, Inc. specializing in advertising promotional products and corporate gifts. Retired NFL referee.Education: Univ. of Arizona (Tucson) - Undergradute U.C. L. A (Los Angeles) - Post GraduateCivic involvement: Various local Chamber of CommercesElected offices held: Hanover Township Highway Commissioner 2007 - PresentHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Provide safety to our Hanover Township unincorporated residents through clean and properly maintained roads bridges.Key Issue 2 To represent our Hanover Township residents in an honest, truthful and finincially conseritive manor. After all, I work for our residents (not the other way around) and I am the "gatekeeper" of their highway department financial matters.Key Issue 3 To offer our Township residents several great and beneficial services that are not otherwise offered through other state, county or local municipal agencies.Questions Answers Name the three most important goals or objectives this board should tackle in the coming term. Prioritize them, and briefly discuss why you believe each to be critical, and how the board should go about addressing them.1) Continue to provide beneficial services to our residents. 2) Expand porgarms and services. 3) Keep budgets as low a possible without taking away or hurting existing services being offered.In the 21st Century, with municipalities gobbling up vacant land, why are townships needed? Should they be serving a new role? If so, what?At the Township level we are the closest form of government to the people within our community. State, county nor local municipal governments could never equal the timely services we provide....especially at our lower cost of doing business.What should be the primary responsibility of township government?Represent the residents in a professional, meaningful, beneficial and fiscally responsible manor.In these hard economic times, can you identify some township expenses/programs that could be trimmed or eliminated to reduce the tax burden?We request service equipment price quotes from different companies on just about every expense we incur at the Highway Department. We often times try to do the work ourselves instead of contracting this work out to a 3rd party thus saving our residents money. Every dollar spent within my/our department is looked over many time to be sure we are spending it wisely.What specific background or experience do you bring that makes you the best qualified candidate to serve as an elected official in the township?After 6 years of Highway Commissioner experience the leadership qualities I bring to the position is key to our department's success to the Township overall. After these many years I/we have developed some very important contacts to provide beneficial work related services at a very reasonable favorable cost.