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Election 2008 -- Candidates line up for two Nevada City Council seats
On April 8, voters in Nevada will head to the polls to elect two of four candidates to seats on the Nevada City Council. To help voters make an informed decision as to which candidates to choose, the Nevada Daily Mail sent each candidate an identical list of questions. The candidates responses, edited only for style and grammar, appear below.
Rick David
Manager at Skills Unlimited, Inc.
Why do you want to be on the City Council?
To give back to the city of Nevada, which has been a wonderful place to call home and raise my girls.
What makes you the best person to be on the City Council?
I believe concerned citizens should work for a better community and there is no better way to do that than to be part of the governing body. I think I will bring a fresh approach and a new voice to the council.
What previous elected experience do you have?
I have never run for any type of political position before, my only elected experience was being president on the local Jaycee chapter several years ago; however, I have belonged to numerous organizations and committees.
What are your goals if you are elected?
My main goal is to maintain a strong and growing local economy by working to bring in new business and industry, but at the same time helping to develop our existing businesses.
What would you like to see accomplished during the next three years if you elected?
Making a difference for Nevada, listening to the community to achieve their goals and keeping Nevada a great place to live and raise a family.
Are there any other issues that you would like to address?
I would like to make sure that the city keeps going in the right direction, which will hopefully create more jobs that will help maintain a solid tax base, and increase our population by giving more young people a reason to stay and raise their families here.
Jayne Novak
Why do you want to be on the city council?
I want to be on council because the economic and social growth of Nevada is important to me.
What makes you the best person to be on the City Council?
I have a lot of energy and work hard when I believe in something and I believe in the city of Nevada.
The citizens of Nevada have been very supportive by providing the city with the financial tools they need to improve the quality of life in Nevada. I will, as a council person, do my best to move forward with the improvements promised by sales tax funded projects.
I became interested in the City Council about three years ago when I attended my first council meeting.
Since then I have attended most council meetings and in the last two years I have attended at least 90 percent of the meetings. Besides council meetings, I attend park board meetings on a regular basis, I also attended the airport board meeting on March 21 regarding the terminal building and earlier in the year I attended a planning commission meeting when they were discussing the 2008 budget. There is no way any council person could attend all the various meetings by the numerous boards run by the city, but I do think that by occasionally attending those meetings the volunteer citizens serving on those boards would know the City Council is interested in the work they are doing.
What previous elected experience do you have?
I assume people really don't care about my grade school and high school experiences, so I'll just answer none.
What are your goals if elected?
It would be my goal to get the new wastewater treatment plant completed in a timely manner. I would also like to see the improvements that the park board has been working so hard to complete put in motion. As we have seen by the progress of the airport terminal building and the Davis Park shelter house, projects in Nevada, even though started with good intentions, tend to slow to slightly less than a snail's pace once started. That is not acceptable to me. As a council person I would expect answers as to why we cannot seem to move swiftly on projects.
What would you like to see accomplished during the next three years if elected? The capital improvements I would like to see completed over the next three years would be: the wastewater treatment plant, baseball, softball, and soccer field complexes and walking trails at Twin Lakes Park, a well for irrigation and repair of irrigation heads at the golf course, and continued yearly street improvements. Mainly I would like to see steady progress on sales tax funded projects. The community center project should also be started, but I don't feel it can be completed in this time frame. Due to what seems like daily increases in building costs, time is not our friend on any of these projects. I would also like to see an increase in small businesses in the way of specialty stores and restaurants. As a small business owner I understand these businesses need a thriving community to survive and I believe by completing capital improvement projects we may see this growth.
Are there any other issues that you would like to address?
I would just like to add that as a council person I would see my job as being a personal representative for the people of Nevada to the city of Nevada. We need to work together to make the quality of life in Nevada the best it can possibly be.
Tim Wells
Licensed Professional Counselor
Why do you want to be on the City Council? I have served on the council for one year and during that time I have tried to make sure that the city moves forward. I continue to work to make sure that all of the city's dealings are in the open and transparent. I want the residents of Nevada to know what is happening in their city government and I want them to believe that their city government is approachable and open to their comments and suggestions.
What makes you the best person to be on the City Council?
I am concerned about the future growth and economy of the city of Nevada. I try to be approachable to the public. My home phone is 667-2892 and I return all calls regarding the city. I have served for one year on the council and believe that I have more to give to the city.
I want the city to give honest, truthful answers to the public, and to be service oriented toward our residents. Nevada residents deserve friendly, cooperative and facilitative service from their city employees. The residents are the boss, and should be listened to.
What previous elected experience do you have?
I have served one year as an elected official on the Nevada City Council. I have been president of the Community Council on the Performing Arts and I am the current president of the Butler Area Chamber of Commerce.
What are your goals if you are elected?
I plan to continue working to make the city government open to the public and accountable to the residents of Nevada. I want to continue to improve the city's infrastructure and the parks system to provide a favorable impression to industries and retail businesses. I want to continue working on improving our zoning structure to facilitate growth in commerce and as we add jobs we will improve our population and our city. I also want to make sure that we are fiscally responsible to the people who live in Nevada.
What would you like to see accomplished during the next three years you are elected?
I would like to see all of the projects in our parks system that are to be paid for by the parks and recreation sales tax completed. I would like for Nevada to increase in population. I want our street and sewer system improvements completed and for our airport to continue to grow and become an important part of commerce. I want to see cooperation between the police, fire, and ambulance district. I want the citizens of Nevada to begin to take ownership of the appearance of the city, and to "talk up Nevada" as the best city to live and work in. That will mean we must increase the number and quality of jobs over the next three years.
Are there any other issues that you would like to address? The most important issue for me is ownership of the government by the Nevada residents. When the citizens care, and feel like their voice is being heard, the city will take on a positive "We can do it because we care" type of attitude. We have a wonderful city and many opportunities for improvement in the areas of growth, employment, city appearance, recreation and unity. As I stated when I ran for this office in 2007, there is no place in city government for a "good old boy network." If the people of Nevada know what is happening, if they know that they are welcome at the council meetings, and if they know that their elected officials are working to improve their lives, we will continue to grow and become the best city in the state of Missouri.
Joyce Lee Wilson
Retired: Secretarial/Accounting Clerk
Why do you want to be on the City Council?
I have always been interested in government at all levels. I started attending the City Council meetings several months ago and when two terms were expiring this year, being retired, I decided to run. I have no special agenda and do not I represent any special interest group.
What makes you the best person to be on the City Council?
I'm sure there are many Nevada residents who are more qualified than I am to be a council person. However, I do feel that I am one of the "best" of the current candidates. I have experience in budgeting, accounting and payroll. I'm very conscientious and detail oriented. Any job or responsibility to which I have been entrusted I take very seriously and do the job to the best of my abilities.
What previous elected experience do you have?
I have held elected offices in social and veteran affiliated organizations; however, I have no previous political elected experience.
What are your goals if you are elected?
If elected, I want to maintain, and if money is available, improve our Fire Department and Police Department's equipment and increase personnel so that all residents are protected and served adequately; and to ensure that tax dollars are spent within the city's means and for the appropriate departments and projects the voters and citizens of Nevada intended them to be used. I want to enforce the bid process with preference given to local businesses (money spent locally recycles within the economy seven times).
What would you like to see accomplished during the next three years if you are elected?
I would like to see the growth of our community through industry and businesses wanting to locate in Nevada. Due to the national economy being in its current state, I would like to see the city of Nevada spend wisely, frugally and not fall into deeper debt. I also want to see the laws regarding junk, junk vehicles, trash and weeds enforced. These laws are on the books for a reason. I feel we need to protect our property values as well as the appearance of our community.
Are there any other issues that you would like to address?
Just to say I will strive for a city government that is in the best interest of the majority of residents and voters of Nevada. I want to provide a positive, professional working environment with the City Council and city employees, as well as working for the growth and improvement of our community.