Name: Keith Sweet 

Age: 69

Occupation: Athletic facility maintenance director

What is the best long-term strategy to revitalize Jackson's economy?

Jackson was once the economic center of the county because it was the employment center as well. Mines, government services and a full service city provided the economic needs for the small population. Tourism slowly replaced the tax revenue source generated by former industry and Main Street commerce. Add the recent loss of grocery and auto tax revenues, and it quickly becomes evident that tourism, which ebbs and flows with the overall state and nation's economies, cannot be depended upon for sustaining financial resources. Thus, it is imperative that our empty storefronts and future commercial growth be a mix that will draw both tourists and Amadorians to our Main Street and to our shopping centers. Our Main Street has to be upgraded in appearance, and incentive programs developed for building renovation, and grant and/or loan programs need to be sought to assist businesses in locating to Jackson. A relationship needs to be established with the League of Cities, Business Growth Alliance and other organizations that can provide technical and creative assistance to the city and (Historic Jackson Business Association).

What do you see as the greatest threat to Jackson's character and quality of life?

What is Jackson's character? Is it hills once totally bare of trees and a landscape dwarfed by giant mining structures with a constant assault on the ears from stamp mills? Or is it the highway businesses that have been assembled erratically along Highway 49/88 (Jackson's first bypass) as you enter and pass through Jackson? Or is it the development on Argonaut Lane, Scottsville Boulevard, Placer Drive, Pioneer Circle and French Bar? Is it the quality of life that created a need for a downtown bypass in the 1950s or that allowed Jackson to be one of the last places in California with permissible prostitution and gambling? Or is it that small town feel, that friendly business person greeting, that familiar name on the easily accessible cemetery plot, that historic building on Main Street or the wonderfully reconstructed Kennedy Mine? If it is, as I suspect, the latter, then the lack of progress in answering question one will be the greatest threat to Jackson's character and quality of life.

What's the best decision the Jackson City Council made in 2007-08? What's the worst?

The best decision was to create a Jackson Economic Development Committee that recently morphed into the Jackson Revitalization Committee. The economic vitality of not just Main Street, but of all commercial areas in Jackson is of paramount concern, and this committee should be given all the resources necessary to accomplish its mission. This is a long-term process and should be recognized as such by all citizens. It will require immense cooperation between citizens, business interests and government. As nationally known speaker Rick Segal says, "You build Main Street one business at a time." And for this I include all of Jackson as Main Street.

As far as the worst decision, I would say it was one they did not make. They did not consider taking the Amador Water Agency to court to contest the rise in water prices. This would have allowed a disinterested third party to evaluate the data and provide for rational discourse on the subject of water rates. Just as the courts are asked to evaluate (East Bay Municipal Utilities District), (Pacific Gas and Electric Co.) and other utility rate issues, it should have been asked to in this case. The AWA has a significant number of issues on its plate, and it is not unreasonable to believe that the costs for these can be unfairly intermingled.

Home Depot has suspended its application to build near the Argonaut and Kennedy mines in Jackson. When the company's application was submitted, critics called the plan the ultimate assault on Jackson's character and scenic beauty. Proponents of the plan claimed it would bring in needed jobs and tax dollars. Did you support Home Depot's original proposal to build near the Argonaut and Kennedy mines? Explain your position.

No! It was a non-starter and I was surprised to see they pursued it as long as they did. Traffic issues alone in this location would have derailed it at all permitting levels.

Main Street merchants in Jackson now claim, almost universally, that the board of supervisors' decision to move the county courthouse away from Main Street had a devastating impact on their businesses. What can the Jackson City Council do in the future to work more cohesively with the board of supervisors in order to ensure the survival of Main Street Jackson?

Deed the vacated county property to the city. Once Jackson has lunch and dinner locations on Main Street again, work with city to provide lunch shuttle service to Jackson's commercial areas.