Lela Panagides
www.lelaforcarlsbad.com
Facebook: @lelaforcarlsbad
Twitter: @lelaforcarlsbad
Instagram: @lelaforcarlsbad
Why are you running for office?
I’m running for City Council because I want to safeguard the quality of life that makes Carlsbad a wonderful place to live, work and play and create the best outcomes for our future. The people of Carlsbad want a Councilmember who is accessible and who is in line with their community vision. I will support our small businesses, protect our open spaces, prioritize the safety of our community and help our seniors age in place. I’m committed to working together with all of our citizens — to listen to their needs, represent their values and deliver results for our residents.
What does a strong local economy look like to you? How would you encourage it and promote it?
Over the last 23 years, I have held senior leadership positions at some of the world’s most admired global companies, and at non-profit and community organizations. I’ve worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, Johnson Controls and Microsoft. What I’ve learned working for some of the most successful companies is that a strong economy always starts local and is citizen (customer) focused, is adaptable to changing conditions and is collaborative through a strong network of partners working together to innovate and grow. Carlsbad has the potential and capability to be a leader in clean energy technologies, creating local jobs and strengthening our economy for decades to come. Diversifying our tax base can provide much needed revenue during uncertain economic cycles.
What are you going to do to encourage the creation of affordable workforce housing for businesses?
We need to address our housing/jobs imbalance and ensure that Carlsbad firefighters, police officers and teachers aren’t priced out of their homes. It is a disservice to our public servants and educators that they cannot afford to live in the city they work in. There is no silver bullet to solving the housing affordability problem but it’s critical that we liaise with experts and get creative by looking at the ways our local policies can help facilitate a mutually beneficial outcome. Recently, thousands of Carlsbad residents responded to a housing survey asking for input on where affordable housing units should be built. The number one response was “at vacant industrial sites that have been converted to residential use.” I agree that this is an important opportunity we need to seriously consider. I also want to bring best practices and innovation from across the globe that provide viable solutions to building affordable housing such as modular design and construction.
Identify 3 unique problems that your district is facing now.
The top three issues in district 2 are: supporting small businesses and investing in the local economy; protecting our open spaces from further development; and, mitigating traffic congestion and promoting road safety, especially around schools.
What are ways in which you will collaborate and work together with neighboring cities?
It is imperative that we work together with our neighbors to collectively support a strong quality of life across all of North County San Diego. I am honored to be endorsed by the Mayors of Encinitas and Del Mar. While each city has its own distinctive features, I have started to build critical relationships and have initiated discussions to exchange ideas and focus on priority issues where collaboration is critical to success such as climate change and mobility. More than ever, it is time for leaders to ‘lead forward’ by proactively engaging with other decision makers to collaborate, innovate and move our communities forward toward a sustainable future.