Mayoral candidate Corbett out with his own non-scientific survey; don't build a new City Hall, he says respondents tell him

The best citizen survey is the ballot box on election day.

Nonetheless, mayoral candidate Ron Corbett is out with the results of his own voter survey that he says will provide him with some campaign direction even though it was not intended as and is not a scientific barometer of voter thinking.

The direction he is getting from Question 6 on his survey is the direction he has had.

Of 406 respondents, 58.9 percent say they want city government to move back to the flood-damaged Veterans Memorial Building with new flood protections and 12.8 percent say they favor the construction of a new City Hall. Another 28.3 percent say they are undecided on the matter.

The estimated construction and related upfront costs for a new City Hall have been estimated at more than $50 million, without any certain way to pay the cost other than local tax dollars. The renovation of the Veterans Memorial Building on May's Island, which could cost more than $30 million, would be paid in large part by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Corbett has called for a return to the Veterans Memorial Building and has said the city should also look at using the nearby federal courthouse, which the city will take ownership of, for some city services.

Corbett's survey also found that 21.6 percent of the respondents were affected a lot by the 2008 flood; 27.9 percent were affected a little; and 50.5 percent were not affected.

To another question, 82.8 percent of respondents say the city is moving too slowly to help flood victims and to get the city “moving again” while 17.2 percent say the city is moving as quick as can be expected.

As for top priorities, 35.2 percent say the top priority should be assisting homeowners and business affected by the flood; 29 percent say it should be holding the line on taxes; 26.8 percent want to create new jobs; and 8.9 percent say fighting crime should be Job One.

Other questions on the survey say as much about Corbett's positions as anything; He thinks the city is levying too many taxes; it should seek voter approval for any large sale of bonds to build new city buildings; and the City Council should approve any spending over $10,000 and not allow the city manager to approve expenses up to $100,000. He also questions why the city just spent $49,000, a couple months before a city election, on a phone survey of citizen attitudes.

Corbett said he invited people to participate in his online survey and others found it at his Web site, www.roncorbett.com.

He says he still hopes people continue to participate in the survey in the days and weeks ahead.

He acknowledges that his survey is only what it is. But he says it is at least as valid as the surveys people fill out at City Hall open houses when they weigh in the future of City Hall, the library and other public buildings.

Election day is Nov. 3.