(KRON) -- Oakland voters are set to elect a new mayor in less than two weeks, following the recall of former Mayor Sheng Thao and her subsequent federal indictment. The upcoming election comes at a turbulent time for Oakland, as the city faces significant challenges including public safety, homeles sness, and financial instability. Former Congresswoman Barbara Lee and former City Council Member Loren Taylor are leading the race to become the next mayor. KRON4's Terisa Estacio spoke to Taylor about the challenges facing Oakland. This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. KRON4: Why now? It's not the first time you've run for mayor. TAYLOR: Right now, Oakland is broken. You ask any of local residents and they will give you a laundry list of the flaws, what's going on with public safety, the homeless... potholes. If we don't get on top of our issues with the urgency they demand, then we are going to continue losing residents, losing revenues, businesses, driving us closer to bankruptcy. I love Oakland, I know how amazing this place is. That's why my wife Erica and I are raising our kids here and I'm not ready to give up. KRON: You've been in the building before so what makes you an asset? TAYLOR: Well, I am the most qualified candidate in this race because of my experience at the city level because, I am unencumbered from the political machine... I haven't been entrenched in the political establishment to where I'm unable to do what I know is right for our city. That's absolutely critical for what's needed to move forward, especially at this time. KRON4: So how do you do that? You've got city staff not fully back, right? You've got unions very entrenched in there. You've got People coming in as financial consultants that have ties to unions. There is a lot going on even behind the scenes. TAYLOR: Absolutely, and that is why it's important to have somebody with city experience, with a connection to community on the ground, an anchor to what is needed, versus just what's being advocated or lobbied for. We have to be singularly focused on outcomes and results. That's why I have pushed for department-level performance, so that we can create the transparency, the accountability that is required so residents see what we're doing with their tax dollars. KRON4: So, it sounds like you are more interested in a business approach? TAYLOR: Absolutely, it's more important now when we're at this point of crisis to understand the details of what's happening, the nuances, and how to maneuver within that in order to drive results. We are going to continue to see the same problems time and time again and not make any progress. So yes, absolutely critical, it's something that you have to understand be able to hold people accountable and now and that's something that I'm uniquely prepared to do given my experience on the ground, a actually navigate the budget process, helping to make progress on public safety where we have reduced the amount of violent crimes in my district over my tenure when the rest of the city was increasing. KRON4: Let's talk about public safety. TAYLOR: Look, we have to prioritize public safety in not just words, but actually these decisions and budget allocations. I have a plan to increase the police force, 800 officers within three years, three academies per year. I'm not going to just settle for the bare minimum when it comes to keeping our community safe, making sure that our kids are able to get to school safely, that our business owners can keep their businesses open without being fearful. KRON4: What about talking to the police chief? Do you have a relationship? TAYLOR: I have talked to the chief, and I am pleased with how he's operating now. I also have the support of former chief, LeRonne Armstrong who has endorsed by campaign, and so there are a number of public safety professionals that I engaged with in developing my public safety plan and I will continue to lean on and build those relationships as we implement to make sure that we avoid the pitfalls that we had in the past and actually get through this public safety crisis. KRON4: What about the budget crisis? TAYLOR: Yes, well, we have to acknowledge that at the root of what's going on with a budget is mismanagement, corruption and a basic dysfunction where elected officials, those in charge, have avoided making the hard but necessary choices to put us on a better trajectory. And so number one, we have to be upfront and honest with our residents, with Oaklanders as to where we are. So being fully transparent, not simply telling folks what they want to hear or what will give us social media likes. I'm committed to making sure that we tell the hard truths. KRON4: What do we do about homelessness? TAYLOR: It is painful to see our residents our neighbors, you know family members on the streets. We cannot accept that as normal and we must acknowledge that it is not compassionate, nor is it progressive to allow these conditions to fester within our city. While on the council, I brought forward the encampment manager policy and it's secured full adoption, unanimous adoption by the council for how we would ensure safety and dignity in and around these encampments. There are some high sensitivity areas where we will not allow encampments to exist, in front of schools, in front of businesses, in our parks, along major thoroughfares, waterways... While there are some lower sensitivity areas that do work and will require us to allow the encampments to persist until we can effectively move people to stable housing KRON4: You've got the endorsement of San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan. How do you think that that helps having such an endorsement? TAYLOR: Well, first of all, I deeply respect and appreciate Mayor Mahan’s endorsement. His support means a lot, especially considering that he is actually making meaningful progress on the issues that matter most to his residents and that's what's driving me forward as a third-generation Oaklander raising fourth-generation Oaklanders. We're deeply invested in this city and its future. As residents, I'm committed to actually solving these problems, these tough problems, as opposed to simply playing politics, business as usual in city hall. KRON4: Are you going to bring back city hall staff in person? TAYLOR: Oh, absolutely. I held a press conference maybe six weeks ago now, stating my intent to make sure that city hall is open for business, meaning that our staff will come back at least four days a week, meaning that during normal business hours, the doors of city hall will be open. Residents will no longer come and see a sign on the door that says, "please schedule an appointment," or you know, "come back later." KRON4: Anything else you think that is pertinent for the people to understand? The clock is ticking, the election is April 15. TAYLOR: It boils down to leadership. Leadership sets the course and we in Oakland, given the urgency of our situation, given the complexity of our issues, we need a leader who is able to hit the ground running, has experienced operating at the city level, knows where the pitfalls or roadblocks are in order to navigate, and also one is unencumbered by the political establishment, is unwilling to allow certain decisions to be made even if they are in the best interest of Oaklanders and Oakland's future. We cannot save this city at 50,000 feet up. We've got to get in big and we got to roll up our sleeves. That's what I've been doing and that's what I look forward to continuing to do as Oakland's mayor. ...read more read less