Here is a compilation of all the answers Patrick Duffy submitted to the “Council Candidate Q&A” series that the Surprise Independent ran over the last two months. Mr. Duffy is running against Greg Norberg in District 3 in the Aug. 4 primary election.

Why should voters trust you to serve?

During my three years as a part of the Surprise City Council I have been very engaged with our residents either through my meet n greets, HOA meetings, Social media, etc. I have also been very transparent to the questions and comments I receive from residents regardless of how well the answer may be received. I have always represented District 3 as a collective voice from my seat on the dias and will continue to fight for what is in the best interest of district 3 residents! As a homeowner and 10 plus year resident of Surprise I have made a long term investment for myself as well as my family to grow and flourish in this great city! Two years ago I was elected to be the voice for District 3 and when Re- elected I will continue to just that.

Rank your top three issues for Surprise voters:

Recreation, Public Safety and Infrastructure are the top three issues.

1. Recreation is a wonderful asset to any city and we have a great recreation department and sports programs, but we have outgrown our current facilities. We need to make recreation a focus and provide our youth with more fields for all sports, a second aquatic center and more park space for families to spend time together.

2. Public Safety is another very important piece of why Surprise is the great city it is and with the rapid growth the city is seeing we need to keep pace. Specifically to District 3 we need to plan for Fire Staion 309 and the police substation. With the addtion of Toll brothers and growth of Zanjero Trails and the newer communities soon to come in the westernportion of District 3 it is imperitive to not fall behind and keep response times and crime at a very low rate.

3. Infrastructure is another key issue especially pertaining to roads. We are currently in the process of completing the Waddell road improvents from Reems road to the loop 303 and then moving over to Greenway road for improvements from Sarival Road to Loop 303 but our needs do not stop there. By being engaged with our developers and Public works department we can be proactive in providing better roads and more access to areas west of the Loop 303. A great example of this type of teamwork is Peoria road from Cotton Lane to Perryville Road as we worked with Toll Brothers to have Peoria Road paved all the way through before they began work on Cactus Road to help our students get to Shadow Ridge High School and residents to get home in a timely manner despite all the Cactus Road contruction.

How do you keep a balanced budget with the uncertainties of COVID-19?

If COVID-19 has a long-range impact we will continue to take the steps we took when it first hit our economy. We took a very conservative stance and had all city departments reduce the expenses the could within there individual departments to help cut costs. We also have a great finance department who kept us all very informed and engaged on different strategies to make sure the budget remained balanced. We also implimented this stradegy in this upcoming years budget by staying conservative in spending but also allowing flexibility for the future.

How will Surprise stay as a tourist destination in a time of COVID-19?

Our Sports and Tourism department has been working very hard to bring events in the city within the given restrictions and have done so by adding baseball tournaments for the next 3 months in our city and providing direct revenue while also supporting the local hotels and restaraunts

What is the top issue facing your district specifically?

The top issue facing District 3 is providing families with things to do. Over 10 years ago in the Prasada Development a mall was supposed to be part of that development, but since a change in consumer shopping put that out of reach, we still have an incredible opportunity to create a Desert Ridge-type area and have retail with high-end restaraunts but also fun things for families to do. In keeping up communication with Prasada, I feel this is a very real possibility.

What is Surprise’s biggest recent missed opportunity?

I have been very vocal about the missed opportunity recreation faced as it was removed from the bond project vote. When the bond first failed as everything was lumped into one bond, recreation unfairly took the blame. When the bond was itemized for the second try, the recreation facility was left off. This was a very needed project for the families and youth in our city and has now resulted in the city falling behind in the amount of recreation facilities and fields per our population.

What is Surprise’s single biggest need?

The biggest need is going to mirror what I have already mentioned with that being more retail and restaurants as well as recreation facilities. One need I have not mentioned but have stated countless times is the need for a full hospital campus. With our population nearing 150,000 not one child can say they were born in Surprise. A full hospital campus will also provide our families with a much-needed pediatric attention.

What’s the best thing about Surprise?

The best thing about Surprise is the people. We have wonderful caring people in this city who are always willing to volunteer and help others. This was evident during my time working in recreation and seeing the countless hours moms and dads volunteered all year round as coaches. We are a city who genuinely cares about one another!