Jose Peo
Candidate for Rochester City Council
Northwest District
 Name one issue on which you disagree with the current
administration and why.
Browning out or closing of any Firehouses. If we are trying to
save money in our city's budget by putting our homes,
family and children at risk, then it is not worth the cost
savings. We can easily come up with other tax saving
methods from less necessary programs.
 What is the most important issue facing your district, and
what is a specific proposal or action you propose to address
it?
The most important issue facing the NW is the lack of action
and response from the Northwest Service Center (NWSC).
Too many times have neighbors called to address issues
such as blight and nuisance, with little to no reaction from
our service center. Case in point: We had a local business in
Charlotte that had all of their front windows shattered for
months. When we contacted the NWSC to get help, their
answer at our monthly Charlotte Community Association
meeting was "we cannot get a hold of the owner because
their hours of operation are in the evening." That is
unacceptable. You're telling me that no one could make a
surprise visit at 6 p.m. to address this issue when they
opened their doors? That is pure lack of motivation to help
the citizens you serve, and I will make sure I hold our service
center accountable to our neighborhoods, all of them.
 Please identify one area in the city budget where you think
the city should commit more resources than is currently
proposed and why.

 RFD and RPD since they are drastically understaffed and
require the current employees to work massive OT to meet
the needs of the city.
 What policies would you pursue to address housing
affordability, evictions and/or landlord-tenant relations in
your district?
I have a plan to increase the HPAP grant from $3,000 to
$6,000, which will cover most (if not all) of the closing costs
to purchase a home in the city, leaving them to come up
with the down payment. I would also decrease the required
contracted time it takes to close on these contracts from 90
days to 75 days, which would make the buyer's offer more
attractive to sellers, which will allow them to beat out foreign
investors who will buy a
home, put little to no money into it, and rent it out for as
long as the house stays upright, all while raising the rent
every year. As soon as the costs to upkeep the home gets
too high, they allow it to go into tax foreclosure and put it on
the taxpayer’s dime to tear it down. That is unacceptable
and should come with consequences.
 Will you vote for the Police Accountability Board as proposed
in November – why or why not?
I know the city has put many years of time and effort into
getting adequate public and private input, in order to come
up with the best solution to meet the greater need of our
city. So yes, I will vote for the current proposal.
 Do you support Mayor Warren’s push for a referendum
calling for removal of the elected school board in favor of a
state takeover of RCSD/appointed board, and why?
Not at all! There is no way that the state knows what is best
for the children of Rochester, and I believe in the elected
school board, as long as they have some form of continuity,
and seek the appropriate input from the teachers
themselves as to how to fix our schools. We must allow them

 to do their job and allow input from various sources not
related to government or politics. While I do believe
something drastic must happen, I do not believe it is in our
best interest to allow the Mayor or the state to take full
control of our school system.
 What current policy or practice of city government would you
seek to change if (re)elected, and why?
I would love to see the city council broken down into Wards,
and each ward elects their own representative who is
directly responsible to their constituents, and get rid of AtLarge seats.