Greg Fischer may be too busy hosting lavish fundraisers at his Highlands mansion to bother answering your questions about the mayoral race, dear readers, but Republican Hal Heiner and Independent Jackie Green have taken you seriously. You won’t find either of them acting self-important on Twitter. You will, however, find their answers to your questions below.

I, personally, don’t like some of the answers. Primarily because the candidates gave weak, less than transparent answers (come on – let’s not act like they don’t already have staff lined up – and one candidate’s non-answer about the Fairness Ordinance is laughable) on a couple of occasions. And it’s clear which of the respondents is best suited for the job of governing this city. But it does say a lot about who answered and who couldn’t be bothered to take our tens of thousands of readers seriously. So I hope you’ll give them the appreciation they deserve.

Let’s start with Jackie Green…

The ‘Ville Voice: Who are your campaign’s three most influential financial supporters and what are their individual positions regarding the construction of an East End Bridge vs. a downtown bridge?

Jackie Green: Jake, by ‘most influential’, do you mean who has contributed the most? or which of our financial supporters carries the most community influence? or political influence? or personal influence on the candidate? The Jackie Green for Mayor campaign is running a very low budget, grass roots campaign. Our focus is not on financial support. Our focus is on neighborhood support. We are not subject to financial influence. The Jackie Green for Mayor campaign is also not interested in prioritizing either bridge. We support a world class public transit system as a higher priority than either bridge. As we watch the oil disaster unfold in the Gulf of Mexico, as we send our young soldiers to secure oil reserves overseas, as we watch changes in global climate systems, and as we watch fuel prices climb, it is folly to consider greater investment in a transportation system that is heavily petroleum dependent and energy greedy – no matter the positions of influential financial supporters.

VV: Who are Greg Fischer’s 130 campaign advisers and what are their areas of expertise? If you’re not Greg Fischer, who are your advisers and what are their areas of expertise?

JG: The advisers of the Jackie Green for Mayor campaign are primarily common citizens whose expertise is living in and loving Louisville. None of our advisers or campaign staff are paid. Most of the advisers with expertise in specific areas are, for political and professional reasons, advising quietly behind the scenes. They are strong supporters of the Jackie Green for Mayor platform and want our platform in office. We will respect their wishes to advise quietly behind the scenes. We will take this opportunity to invite others to join our advisory team – we need your help to transform Louisville.

VV: If you had to decide between extending $2 million in tax credits to a manufacturer to bring 200 new assembly jobs to Louisville or bring five new technology or medical start-up companies to town, which would you choose and why?

JG: That depends on what is being assembled, or what the technology/medical product/service is. The Jackie Green for Mayor campaign is not interested in the assembly of destructive products or technologies. And our interest in health can be defined as focused on health care as a higher priority than health repair.

Read the rest of Jackie Green’s responses and find all of Hal Heiner’s after the jump…

VV: Can you name five specific economic development ideas you have presented thus far during the campaign and provide references that illustrate how they’ll enhance Louisville’s economy?

JG: Yes. Consider the following. An out of state corporation flies a senior manager to Louisville to quietly explore a major investment in our local economy. She gets off the plane anticipating a world class public transit system to take her from the airport to her first meeting downtown. The first mental note she makes is: “No public transit system.” Minutes later she hears the taxi radio alerting the citizens of Louisville to the day’s unhealthy air quality. She makes a second mental note: “Don’t breath outdoors.” The taxi driver then tells her the big rain of the night before has flushed sewage into our creeks. She makes a third note. She then reads the Courier-Journal and learns that our children – her children – may be required to attend school an hour away from home. Mental note number four: “Kids may not attend local school.“ The next Courier-Journal article discusses the region’s dependence on petroleum and coal for 99.9% of our energy. Her fifth mental note: “No energy independence, no plan for energy independence.” At this point she picks up her cell phone and books a flight out of Louisville. These same factors that drive her out of Louisville, drive intelligent, educated, creative youth out of our local economy. If we do not get these basics right, we will not grow our local economy as we should. So, here are five specific economic development ideas, all of which address her five concerns. Begin building a world-class public transit. Replace the burning of coal with electricity generated by photovoltaic solar systems. Reduce the petroleum burned in the transportation sector with smarter development and improved non-automotive transportation alternatives. Reduce the flooding of our creeks with green roofs, rain gardens and using captured rain water to flush toilets. Create diverse schools based on diverse communities. Attractive, energy smart, neighborhood friendly, pedestrian friendly, green cities with educated, healthy populations will attract investment.

VV: What is your position on the proposed demolition of the Iron Quarter block? Be specific, no platitudes.

JG: The reason the Iron Quarter, and for that matter, Portland and other neighborhoods, are falling apart is because Louisville’s business, civic, political, educational and faith leadership have allowed greenfield development to take precedence over investing in existing neighborhoods and abandoned commercial and industrial facilities. (Greenfield development is the development of a manufacturing, office, or other physical structure or group of structures in an area where no previous facilities exist. The name comes from the idea of building a facility literally on a “green” field, such as farmland or a forest.) Jackie Green is the only candidate committed to existing neighborhood rather than greenfield development. He went on record in January at the development community’s mayoral forum & breakfast at the Marriott downtown as being the only candidate with that commitment. He has repeated that commitment at other mayoral forums since then. Greenfield development damns historical preservation and existing neighborhoods. The Iron Quarters? Let’s get the facts on the condition of the Iron Quarters’s structures from independent sources, then save as much of our common history and art as we can.

VV: What will you specifically do to create a more open and honest government?

JG: Demand openness and honesty and have zero tolerance for less that those standards.

VV: Will you visit every city-owned property during the first year of your administration?

JG: Jake, do you know how many there are and the nature of each? Are you including every empty lot the city might own? If so, probably not.

VV: How many paid spokespeople will you have? Who will they be? Why?

JG: Every department head is a paid spokesperson. Others are also. The precise number is not yet known. They will be people who fully support the direction and values of our administration.

VV: How many deputy mayors will you have? Who will they be? Why?

JG: That very small number, possibly zero, is not yet known. If there are any, they will be people who fully support the direction and values of our administration.

VV: Why do you love Louisville? What is it about our city that makes you passionate enough to want to sit in the mayor’s office? Don’t answer with the standard B.S. no one cares about. Please provide an in-depth, solid answer that won’t put us to sleep.

JG: Jake, if you don’t want ‘the standard B.S. answers’, try different questions. Jackie wants to occupy the mayor’s office because Louisville needs to strengthen existing neighborhoods, protect our last remaining local farms and fields, develop a world class public transit system, reduce our local energy dependencies, create an opportunity for students and schools to succeed supported by their local neighborhoods, take measures to improve air and water quality, and strengthen our local economy. Louisville needs a change of direction. A change no other candidate will bring.

VV: Have you ever ridden a TARC bus? If so, how recently and why?

JG: Jackie’s primary transportation is walking, cycling and TARCing. Jackie rode TARC a couple of days ago (the day of George Unseld’s funeral), to return home from downtown.

VV: Would you serve on the Kentucky League of Cities board? Why or why not?

JG: Of course. Louisville must partner with our sister cities in the state, in Indiana and in the larger region.

VV: What specifically will you do to improve the West End and bring it into the fold with the rest of the city?

JG: The West End (and all existing neighborhoods) are hurt by continuous greenfield development. Changing development patterns must be the first act. Redirection of public services, public infrastructure and private investment away from greenfield development and into existing neighborhoods will be accompanied by several efforts. The Green administration will not cooperate with a student assignment plan that sends children to distant schools, physically puts distance between parents and their children’s education, reduces opportunities for children to attend after school programs, weakens the school/neighborhood bond, and ads millions of miles to the region’s daily commute. For thirty years Louisville has weakened neighborhoods and schools with an unsustainable student assignment plan. The Green administration will surround each school and park with an absolute, unambiguous pedestrian right-of-way to encourage students and parents to walk to school. We will support the elimination of student drop-off lines at schools, supporting instead dropping students off at the perimeter of the pedestrian right-of-way and having those students join the other students and parents as they walk to school. Fewer cars driving through and more boots and eyes on the sidewalks will make the neighborhood more safe and pleasant. The Green administration will support maintaining diversity in schools by distributing affordable housing throughout the city. Affordable housing creates diverse communities. Diverse communities create diverse schools. It is time our school children not be required to single-handedly carry the burden of creating diverse schools. School diversity created by diverse communities is much more authentic than the false school diversity created by bringing children in from remote neighborhoods. That affordable housing is in every community must be supported by a world class public transit system. This is an issue of justice, of good urban planning, and of sustainability.

VV: Assuming that you support some form of rail transit in Louisville’s future and that we might have to start small, where do you think the first mile of track should be laid? Where will we get the biggest return on investment?

JG: One mile of track will not serve anyone efficiently. The nine miles between Standiford Field & downtown should probably be part of the first 20 miles.

VV: Do you support the Fairness Ordinance as it stands? Why or why not?

JG: Sure. Equal rights are civil rights.

VV: Would you consider underground power lines?

JG: Of course.

VV: How do you feel about city-owned utilities? (I.E., buying LG&E)

JG: ‘City-owned utilities’ and ‘buying LG&E’ are two totally different questions. Why would Louisville purchase LG&E? Why did E.ON want to sell LG&E? E.ON, a German company with world-wide holdings, is a progressive company. E.ON owns large solar and wind farms, some of which are here in the US. LG&E is a mountain top removing, coal burning operation. E.ON understands that the future is in low-carbon based energy (not coal, not petroleum). LG&E did not fit in E.ON’s business plan. Louisville, like E.ON, should invest in low-carbon energy generation, not coal burning facilities. Louisville should follow the lead of other cities world-wide in developing grid-tied photovoltaic solar systems. Louisville should partner with LG&E to change LG&E’s business model from that of a coal-based, sole source of electricity for Louisville to an electrical distribution firm drawing from many thousands of privately and publicly held photovoltaic plants and using coal only as an emergency backup.

VV: Louisville suffers from massive food deserts. How will you solve that particular problem, not just improve it?

JG: We must take two actions. We must stop greenfield development that destroys local farms and fields. Those farms and fields are the foundation of our local food economy (future, if not present). We must mobilize the community to grow food in community gardens in the many vacant lots available to us. Part of that community is comprised of youth who need activity and summer jobs.

VV: Name the last restaurant you visited. What did you eat? How much did you spend? How much did you tip?

JG: Santa Fe. Tacos & chips. I drank Louisville’s excellent tap water provided by the Louisville Water Company. I spent $8. The tacos cost $4.50. The low cost of the good food encourages one to tip beyond a 15 to 20% rule.

VV: What specifically will you do to eradicate anti-Louisville sentiment in the rest of the state?

JG: We will begin by partnering with our smaller sister cities of Kentucky – cities that were once connected to Louisville, Nashville, Cincinnati, etc. by passenger rail. We need to partner with them to redevelop passenger rail serving their needs as well as ours.

Now for Hal Heiner’s responses…

The ‘Ville Voice: Who are your campaign’s three most influential financial supporters and what are their individual positions regarding the construction of an East End Bridge vs. a downtown bridge?

Hal Heiner: Whether they are $1,000 contributors or $5 contributors no donor is more influential than the next. Regarding the bridges project, I can only speak for myself and that I support the record of decision which calls for completion of the east end bridge first.

VV: Who are Greg Fischer’s 130 campaign advisers and what are their areas of expertise? If you’re not Greg Fischer, who are your advisers and what are their areas of expertise?

HH: My advisors are the Louisvillians I meet at front doors, festivals and picnics. Over the course of this campaign I have listened to thousands of folks discuss what has worked and what has fallen short in this new government and I plan to take those concerns with me to Metro Hall in January.

VV: If you had to decide between extending $2 million in tax credits to a manufacturer to bring 200 new assembly jobs to Louisville or bring five new technology or medical start-up companies to town, which would you choose and why?

HH: Tax credits are only applied to new tax liabilities generated by companies starting up, relocating or expanding. So, it is not an either/or scenario. We could do both. Louisville’s manufacturing economy remains vitally important to providing good jobs and wages to the community. At the same time, these jobs are increasingly more difficult to attract and retain and therefore we must diversify our economy. With the current cluster of knowledge-based assets in the biomedical field within Louisville, targeting growth in that sector makes perfect sense for our job creation strategy going forward.

VV: Can you name five specific economic development ideas you have presented thus far during the campaign and provide references that illustrate how they’ll enhance Louisville’s economy?

HH: What must come first is leadership. I’ve built my life on growing and attracting business to our region. I want to take that experience into the Mayor’s Office, serving as the Chief Economic Development Officer for Louisville. Once there, I have made very specific proposals about how we can grow and attract jobs and investment in our city. First, we must update the jobs strategy that is guiding the strategic vision of our community to grow the economy. It has been fourteen years since Louisville put together a jobs strategy and it’s time to look forward to what is required of us to create jobs in the future. Second, we should create a “closing fund” that gives us a tool to help close the deal with companies that are looking to locate or expand in the area. Oklahoma City has a similar fund and it is an important component of their economic development strategy. Third, we must have a government that welcomes investment and eliminates red tape. The last thing we want is for procedures and a bureaucratic process to frustrate small business owners and entrepreneurs trying to get their businesses off the ground. Fourth, we should put into place a small-business friendly procurement process and provide enhanced local-vendor preferences to try to keep the local tax dollars we spend circulating through the community. Fifth, we must continue to enhance the area’s capacity to draw in research dollars, commercialize technologies and attract new convention and hospitality business.

VV: What is your position on the proposed demolition of the Iron Quarter block? Be specific, no platitudes.

HH: Louisville’s historical architectural splendor is something we must work to preserve. Historical preservation must be balanced with what is practical to accomplish and what is necessary to ensure public safety. As this relates to the Iron Quarter project, I believe that we can retain the architectural history of that block by preserving the facades of the buildings while allowing for new investment in the office, hotel and retail space that will house new businesses and create new jobs and vitality near the new arena.

VV: What will you specifically do to create a more open and honest government?

HH: Open and honest government has been a motivating force during my eight years in public service. Along with colleagues on the Metro Council, I was responsible for putting Louisville’s Checkbook online. It allows for Louisville’s taxpayers to see where their money is being spent. It was a good start but there is much more to do. That is why I’ve released a very specific ten-point plan to make Louisville a national model of open, honest and transparent government. Please visit my website at www.HalForMayor.com to download a full copy of the plan which includes items from a new system of performance measurements, to posting contracts linked to LouisvilleCheckbook.com, and more new ideas to let the sun shine in throughout our metro government.

VV: Will you visit every city-owned property during the first year of your administration?

HH: My management style is built around walking around and talking with employees. They are often the source of great ideas on how to make things work more efficiently and deliver services more effectively. So – yes, I will visit every location during the first year of my administration.

VV: How many paid spokespeople will you have? Who will they be? Why?

HH: All of my time and energy is focused on laying out my vision to the voters of Louisville. I’m not making any decisions about staffing or personnel during the campaign.

VV: How many deputy mayors will you have? Who will they be? Why?

HH: My administration will have 1 Deputy Mayor. I will not make decisions about staffing or personnel during the campaign.

VV: Why do you love Louisville? What is it about our city that makes you passionate enough to want to sit in the mayor’s office? Don’t answer with the standard B.S. no one cares about. Please provide an in-depth, solid answer that won’t put us to sleep.

HH: Louisville has a reputation of attracting people for a lifetime. Louisvillians often times have given up the relocation promotion or new job opportunity to spend their life here because they love Louisville so much. We certainly have great arts and park amenities in addition to growing attraction of sports venues, but this is not why I love Louisville. I love Louisville for its people; people that are helpful, kind, generous, caring and loving. People that left their arrogance at the coast and have time to say hello in our big city with small city friendliness.

So for me, I could give you a chapter on why I love our Parks system, but what drives me is a passion for the people of Louisville. Its job opportunities allowing someone to better utilize their abilities in a more fulfilling way. It’s a job opportunity for their children so they can watch their grandchildren grow up nearby. It’s putting boarded up houses back into service providing affordable shelter and restoring pride on the block. It’s about spending 7½ years on the Metro Council and seeing firsthand how remarkable our city is and also experiencing the frustration of missed opportunities to improve Louisville for its people. The most rewarding purpose in life is helping others, and I want to help move our city forward for its people.

VV: Have you ever ridden a TARC bus? If so, how recently and why?

HH: I’ve ridden the trolley several times in recent years for special events. I relied on public transit for a year to get home from DeSales High School. It’s been a great way to get where I needed to be.

VV: Would you serve on the Kentucky League of Cities board? Why or why not?

HH: The Kentucky League of Cities is a long way from getting where they need to be in terms of restoring trust and credibility in their organization. I do want to see them succeed in righting the ship and think that the best way I could promote that effort is to have my Chief Financial Officer represent Louisville on their board. That would put someone at the table to push for sound fiscal management, financial integrity and an open, transparent approach toward conducting business.

VV: What specifically will you do to improve the West End and bring it into the fold with the rest of the city?

HH: Bringing vitality back to these areas is a multifaceted problem that will require a multi-pronged approach. The most important thing we can do for the West End – and any other area of the city that has fallen on hard times – is to encourage local investment, new businesses and jobs. In order to get there we must first ensure that crime is under control. People and businesses aren’t going to move into areas that are under assault from crime. Next, we need to focus on cleaning up the blighted properties that are incubators of crime and potent symbols of decay. Then we must create incentives, like the Neighborhood Empowerment Zones I’ve proposed, to revitalize these areas through new residential, commercial and retail investment.

VV: Assuming that you support some form of rail transit in Louisville’s future and that we might have to start small, where do you think the first mile of track should be laid? Where will we get the biggest return on investment?

HH: Connecting the Ft. Knox area in Hardin County with southwest Louisville utilizing existing rail lines should be the priority for targeting investment in commuter rail.

VV: Do you support the Fairness Ordinance as it stands? Why or why not?

HH: I fully support the enforcement of the Fairness Ordinance and would not work to overturn it.

VV: Would you consider underground power lines?

HH: We must realize that it is very expensive to bury existing power lines underground. The price tag to do so would likely reach into the billions of dollars and those would be costs that ratepayers would be expected to pay on their monthly bills. That being said, we can do more to promote underground utility lines, especially during new construction, and that is an objective that I would like to promote. Utilities in other cities have a different lower cost approach to burying lines that result in a much higher percentage of new lines being placed underground. We need to investigate these new ideas to minimize unsightly wires and maximize reliability.

VV: How do you feel about city-owned utilities? (I.E., buying LG&E)

HH: I was in favor of a serious evaluation of buying LGE. In recent years, there have been several cities that have purchased their local electric companies and converted them into municipal utilities. I believe that, although the concept of local ownership of LGE is intriguing, it could be prohibitively expensive to pursue the option. With so much concern about the levels of debt being accumulated by all levels of government, moving forward with that type of acquisition would need to be approached with great caution.

VV: Louisville suffers from massive food deserts. How will you solve that particular problem, not just improve it?

HH: I’d like to expand the neighborhood farm program that I began in my district. Also, my Neighborhood Empowerment Zone proposal is intended to bring new residential and retail investment to areas that are currently lacking retail options. With new homeowners and local businesses, it is natural that groceries and fresh markets will follow to meet the new demand.

VV: Name the last restaurant you visited. What did you eat? How much did you spend? How much did you tip?

HH: I had lunch at the downtown Bristol Friday. I spent $9 on a tuna salad sandwich and left a 20% tip.

VV: What specifically will you do to eradicate anti-Louisville sentiment in the rest of the state?

HH: Overcoming the anti-Louisville sentiment would not only be good for our area but, I believe, would be good for the state as a whole. Given the distribution of tax revenue from Louisville to the rural areas of Kentucky – a frustrating reality of our state politics – it is clear that a rising tide in Louisville raises all boats throughout the state. Much of the same is true about the other urban areas in Kentucky. To address this, I will work toward building an urban coalition that will focus on ensuring Louisville and Kentucky’s other engines of economic growth get the resources and investment we need to grow our economies and create jobs. I believe that as the other areas in the state join the effort and realize the benefits of a vibrant Louisville, they will begin to understand that our success will help enable their success.