City Council candidate Andrew C. Hollister
(Ballot lines: Republican, Conservative, Libertarian, Reform)
1) What is your No. 1 priority, if elected?
If elected, my number one priority will be job growth within the city limits. I'll work to make sure that
the easiest part of opening a business and creating jobs is working with city government, not the
hardest. The process should be a seamless as possible. I want to see more businesses looking to start in
our neighborhoods, so that jobs are accessible to the many people in our city who lack transportation.
The best way to bring jobs back to our city is giving entrepreneurs the space to do what they do best.
2) What is the greatest strength and, conversely, the greatest weakness of the City Council?
City Council's greatest weakness today is that it has been under single party rule for decades. A
governing body with a limited perspectives risks becoming a stagnant echo chamber. We need to try
something different. City council's greatest potential strength is to be able to set Rochester's policy
agenda by controlling spending priorities. Often, city council becomes a rubber stamp for the Mayor's
budget. Over time, this pattern has left Rochester mis-prioritizing funding; leaving our city economically
inert and costing us millions to service debt each year. City Council needs more skeptical voices in this
process.
3) What have you learned about this community during the campaign, and how will that affect your
service?
Getting to know so many new people in Rochester has been an incredibly rewarding experience. They've
shared their hopes, fears, and frustrations with me. But what I've seen the most is that economic
anxiety in Rochester runs far deeper than many of our political leaders acknowledge. The desperation
for more jobs was even stronger than I initially realized; voters are willing to give up just about anything
to see politicians take action on bringing jobs to our city, even if it means sacrificing long-term stability
for short-term achievements. It's truly heartbreaking to see, but reaffirms my drive to do the
unglamourous work of building a strong economy the right way and fighting for policies that give the
next generations of Rochestarians a much brighter future.
On Page 2 are the responses to a questionnaire from August (prior to the Democratic primary). Please
refer to ballot lines above for those applicable in the general election.

City Council candidate Andrew C. Hollister
(Ballot lines: Republican, Conservative, Reform)

1) Do you support the RBTL/Morgan proposal for Parcel 5 Yes/No and why?

The RBTL proposal has been marketed as something that could make Rochester a destination. If the history of
our city has taught us anything, it is that city development projects have not had a good track record of
succeeding in that goal. instead, what consistently helps make Rochester more of a place people want to come
to are jobs. When Kodak and Xerox jobs were plentiful in the city, those opportunities were very attractive. If
we want to make a destination out of our city, we must focus on changing city policy to make Rochesterjob
friendly. More than 90% ofourjobs are created by small businesses. We need to upgrade our city code and
regulations to match the landscape ofthe let century economy. If we approach the parcel 5 project from a
standpoint of fiscal responsibility and what will encourage the growth of entrepreneurship (and therefore jobs)
in Rochester, without the risk of long term liabilities on our city government I would look in the direction of the
Visionary Square proposal. I like the ideas it brings to the table and so do the constituents who I have spoken
with about Parcel 5. Although a Performing Arts Center may be appealing to some, it is very apparent to me
that our community is seeking something more accessible. I would like to see a project that the people of
Rochester can share ownership in, something that can bring the community together, and something that will
not use tax dollars ofany type to create. Unfortunately, I think the Morgan proposal has shown how
detached our city government has been from the voice ofthe people.

2) On what topic/issue do you most disagree with the current city administration, and why? On
which are you most aligned, and why?

The people who currently sit on city council have said that the City of Rochester is headed in the right direction
- I disagree. We have some of the highest poverty and extreme poverty rates in the country. We have high
crime rates and low graduation rates. This is not the right direction at all. To claim these results as progress is
shameful. What am most aligned with? I?m most aligned with a statement that City Council Vice President
Dana Miller made at a Charlotte Candidate Forum a few weeks ago. Mr. Miller said ?Our city government puts
an undue burden on our small businesses, making it extremely difficult for them to be successful.? I happen to
agree with his statement. The easiest part of starting your business should be working with government. Right
I now, in the City of Rochester, it?s the hardest. I meet person after person as i go door to door that tell me the
city has made it too hard for them the code, regulations, applications, taxes, fees, and permits create a
barrier that only the large corporations can overcome. By making entrepreneurship difficult we are making job 
creation difficult. It seems that every day I meet a new person who says they started their company in the city,
then left to the suburbs because the city made it too hard to do business. There is an exodus ofjobs and talent
from our city that we cannot afford.

3) Do you support or oppose the proposed redevelopment of Cobbs Hill Village, and why?

Many members of this community have come to me with a wide range of concerns that need to be addressed
before I could even consider it. Everything from disrupting their community to the area not being affordable
for them anymore. Some have complained that they would lose direct access to the street, and the way they
socialize with others who live nearby. Each of these issues would need to be thoroughly reviewed. We should
be meeting with this community as a whole and ensuring that their voices are heard throughout the process of
this proposal.