Matt Watson, 36, Independent

Buyer/sales at Cohn Turner

District 11

Do you support or oppose the $989 million bond proposal, as voters will consider it in November?

No. As much as I would love to take my children to Audubon Alive, we can’t let overdue infrastructure repairs hang on the hope that taxpayers will part with a quarter of a billion dollars for a tourist attraction. Audubon Alive sounds great, but we can’t make it an ultimatum.

Should city government focus on bringing new businesses and attractions for tourists more than building infrastructure and services?

No. If we want business to come to Baton Rouge, we should be ready for it. If Baton Rouge was modernized, the government was an efficient steward of tax dollars and we had a school system that excelled, big business would need less convincing to locate here.

Do you think parish property taxes are too high?

No. But I’m not for raising them. A home in Baton Rouge with a value of $175,000 pays around $1,300 per year in property tax. An equivalent home in the Houston area pays about four times that. The injustice is in what is not done with that revenue.

Do you think the parish budget is too bloated? If so, what are your plans to solve the problem?

Yes. Travis County (Austin, Texas) had a 2007 population of 975,365 and ran things on a budget of $620.8 million. East Baton Rouge Parish had a population of 430,812 and couldn’t get it done with $678.2 million. We should be a modernized, nation-leading city with what we spend per capita.

What are your thoughts on the loop project? How do you suggest paying for it?

We need it, and it should be a toll road. A bypass is for travelers that aren’t stopping in Baton Rouge. Why not have them pay for it? Toll roads are all over the country and they are usually the best roads. Toll roads wouldn’t cause the sprawl of a freeway.

Do you think the parish drinking ordinances are too loose or too restrictive? Should there be a special entertainment district established downtown with extended bar hours, an open container law or sidewalk-patio drinking? Should it extend to bars throughout the rest of the parish?

The ordinances we have, though not overly restrictive, need some rethinking. There should be a downtown entertainment district. Bar hours should not be extended. Turning Third Street into a weekend evening pedestrian mall does make sense. A police storefront downtown, however, would be needed for the protection of the patrons.

Should Baton Rouge have at least a few Metro Council members who serve at-large rather than a geographic district? Why or why not?

No. The at-large members would still be from one of the districts and that would give the impression of double representation to that district. The money or celebrity that it would take to win their election would give an at-large member an immediate advantage with no specific constituency to which to answer.

The “One Baton Rouge” resolution fell short one vote last year. Is it up to Metro Council members to vote on such diversity issues? Where do you stand?

Why not? Apparently since “One Baton Rouge” failed, we do have tolerance issues in our city. Look at the description of the measure in the negative mailer smearing the mayor. Supposedly the “One Baton Rouge” was to make our city “a haven for homosexuals.” We need to put these prejudices behind us if we are to succeed into the future.

Children across the nation are getting mauled almost monthly by pit-bull dogs. As a Metro Council member, how would you vote on breed-specific ordinances?

It’s a shame that these animals are so often trained to bring out the worst in the breed. Yet, their aggressive natural temperament paired with their physical strength makes it necessary to do something to protect the would-be victims of a dog’s violent attack.

Name your top three goals if elected to the Metro Council.

1. Fix traffic flow, by just synchronizing lights and some construction. I would also expand the use of red light cameras, which would necessitate all vehicles having clearly visible exterior-mounted license plates.

2. Get the needed infrastructure repairs rolling.

3. Make a greener city without a high cost to the taxpayers. Bicycle lanes and crosswalks make it easier to leave our cars at home. Introduce Baton Rouge Recycling to more commercial entities; this would save those businesses money.