Ward 1 city candidates take part in public forum
Published 9:34 am Wednesday, July 27, 2016
Three candidates for Albert Lea Ward 1 city councilor discussed their plans and qualifications for the position Tuesday in a public primary forum at City Hall.
Candidates Rich Murray, George Gillespie and Craig Havener attended the forum — Harold Kamrath was invited but did not attend.
The forum was held in advance of the Aug. 9 primary election.
The candidates were given an opening statement and a closing statement, and the majority of the forum consisted of the candidates answering written questions given by audience members.
Raquel Hellman of KIMT was the panel moderator.
Albert Lea resident Dennis Distad said he attended the event because the public forum is a major part of knowing who is up for election and deciding who he wants to vote for, noting that he thinks it is too early to decide what the candidates’ visions are.
“I think they were all honest and sincere about what they were planning to do or would like to see done,” he said.
The candidates shared their opinions and visions for the community on projects the city could soon undertake, such as construction of a new Albert Lea Municipal Airport arrival and departure building and parking lot reconstruction, a public works building project and a possible new fire station.
Gillespie said city officials need to pick the right time of the year to bid the projects out.
Havener said the city needs to have building production basics down, including the benefit the city would get back on the projects.
“What’s the payback for the building?” Havener said, noting he thinks the airport building project would only be worth it if the city can receive something from it.
The council rejected bids for the airport project Monday after bids came in significantly higher than the engineer’s estimate formed by Mead & Hunt.
Gillespie said he agreed with Ward 3 Councilor George Marin’s comments from the meeting, noting his belief that the city was putting the cart before the horse.
Murray said due diligence and prudent decisions are needed in the city’s planning process for the projects, noting his belief that each project needs to be individually looked at and that he does not want people to be taxed too heavily.
Gillespie said a Blazing Star community center with botanic gardens would be a nice addition to the community.
Murray suggested a public and private partnership be used to develop the site — with an emphasis at first on private development.
Tax competitiveness/economy
Murray and Gillespie suggested more business, jobs and workforce housing to increase the city’s tax base.
Gillespie said more technical jobs that pay at least $40,000 a year are needed in the city to retain and grow its workforce.
Havener suggested the city calculate each city department cost per hour of service and gauge that against other communities to increase efficiency in the city’s operation, and suggested leverage partnerships could be used to help the economy.
Community outreach
Havener said if elected, he wants to listen to what his constituents want and see more people attend city meetings.
“There needs to be a concerted effort,” he said, noting that he thinks City Manager Chad Adams and Assistant City Manager Jerry Gabrielatos’ door-to-door visits are providing good feedback for the city, and that he wants to see the outreach expanded.
Murray — a former state representative — said if elected, he will find out what is important to his constituents, noting his belief that councilors need to have coffee with residents and listen to the community’s concerns to find out what they are looking for.
Gillespie — a longtime bartender at Eddie’s Bar — said he has listened to feedback from bar goers, noting his belief that coffee shops and public places are good places to see constituents and receive ideas.
Watershed District
Though all three candidates said they support the Shell Rock River Watershed District’s plan to clean area lakes, Havener accused the Watershed District of wasting money and not being as open as they should be on the process.
“They are lacking accountability and so is our city,” he said.
City direction
Murray said the city has done a lot of great things over the last few years, but has a lot of work still to do in maintaining public safety and in other areas.
Havener said the city has to find a way to reduce costs, cut taxes and become more efficient, and Gillespie said the city is a service community and that more service jobs are needed.
Vision
Murray — a longtime investment adviser and an Albert Lea resident since 1983 — said he believes a citizen needs to be active in the community.
He said he wants to continue good things already going on in the community, but noted he believes the city needs to watch its pocketbook to ensure it is not taxing the community too much.
Gillespie — owner of Web Room Technologies, an Albert Lea-based computer service center — said he wants to create a city that respects longtime residents and welcomes young people.
Havener — a retired business executive — said city management needs to be held accountable and needs to remember that its customer is the taxpayer.