Election: Candidates for City Council talk about views

Brian L. Leonard

Brian L. Leonard is an industrial technology teacher and golf coach at Nevada High School.

Why do you want to be elected to the Nevada City Council and what would you like to achieve during a term on the council?

As a life-long resident of Nevada I want to give back to the community that has given me so much. Nevada is a GREAT place to live and I want to be a part of making it an even greater city. I have always done my best to stay knowledgeable about current issues and want to be a part of the solutions that make our wonderful city continue to grow and prosper. During my term on the council, I would like to see an increase in businesses and industries in Nevada. I would also like to see a continuation of the positive image that Nevada has and feel that growth in business and industry will help us achieve this goal.

What experience do you have that makes you the best person to elect to the city council?

I have hands-on experience. I served a three year term on the council previously (one year as Mayor) and I bring that experience to the table. As a life-long resident of Nevada I also bring consistency. I am not going anywhere. I have lived here all my life and have no plans to live anywhere else. I pride myself on my ability to research issues and look at all the facts to base my opinions on what I believe is best for the long-term of our community.

What do you see as the most important issues facing the city over the next three years and five years and what, if anything, do you think the city council can do to address them?

I think it is always an issue for a city to be looking at ways they can continue to grow and bring in new business and industry. I don't feel that we are any different. As a city council, I believe we need to stay informed about the current issues facing Nevada and continue to research possible areas that we can expand so we can improve our community. As a city council we should always be open to new business and industry that will bring more jobs and financial stability to our city.

What can the city council do to improve transparency?

There will be many challenges facing ALL cities in the future and the City of Nevada will be no different. Along with these challenges will come opportunities and ideas that have to be carried out. As long as these challenges are met with an optimistic viewpoint they can be overcome. I feel I bring an open-minded and positive attitude when addressing these challenges. I want to get to the issues and topics at hand and be a part of finding positive solutions. This optimistic approach can help ensure the positive image of our community so it can move forward and prosper as we all know it can.

I am PROUD to say Nevada is my hometown and I want to see this city continue to grow and prosper in the future.

Jeffrey Bloom

Jeffrey Bloom is a candidate for a seat on the Nevada City Council.

Why do you want to be elected to the Nevada City Council and what would you like to achieve during a term on the council?

I chose to run for city council because of what I believe. A: This city goes through money like we have an abundant supply of it. It seems to me that the city's decisions on spending money don't take into consideration the laborers out there in the heat and the cold working to keep this town we live in nice. Instead, the city would rather eliminate jobs, or contract outside resources to do what the city has done for many years. I believe that with my acceptance to the council that's one step closer to changing this city for the better. Keep our laborers out there doing the fine job that they are doing now, and keep in house help throughout the future.

What experience do you have that makes you the best person to elect to the city council?

I can honestly say that I don't have any experience in the political limelight, but everyone has to start somewhere. I feel that this is my town that I have lived in all my life, I don't like what is going on, so I am running for city council to try to make a difference for the better. I was once told that I was nothing but a little guy, so I want to take that next step forward by putting on bigger shoes.

What do you see as the most important issues facing the city over the next three years and five years and what, if anything, do you think the city council can to do address them?

I'm not God by any means, so I can't really see what is going to happen three to five years from now. What I would like to see three years from now would be more economic growth. We need more job opportunities so people don't have to drive out of town to work. We are a prime location for economic growth, but nothing seems to be growing. I understand that times are rough right now, but we still need to be pursuing to show others that we are interested in them. In 5 years, I hope to see the city budget in the black, debt lowered or even eliminated, jobs that are steady, maybe even in a hiring process with growth. I hope to see this contracted company for the water department head back north, and put our own people back in their places with the seniority they left with.

What can the city council do to improve transparency?

I think the city council needs to put everything that comes across them into the average Joe's terms. Think of the thousands of people in our town that are paying taxes, and put that tax money to good use and not useless/senseless things. This is a small town with lots of potential, but seems money is being spent with impulse buying and not a thought process put into it.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

I just want to thank everyone that takes the time to read each of these statements. I encourage you to get out and vote for the person you believe to be the best candidate. I again come from this town and have seen many changes for better and worse. I see this town in a downhill spiral, and I as the little man, would find it a great experience and challenge to do the best of my capabilities to turn this town back around to where people are proud to live here and not hang their heads.

Myron Damon

Myron Damon is a candidate for a seat on the Nevada City Council.

Why do you want to be elected to the Nevada City Council and what would you like to achieve during a term on the council?

* To keep the citizens of Nevada informed and look out for the welfare of all citizens.

* To ensure the task is understood and supervised and accomplished!

* Know myself and seek self-improvement to aid the citizens of Nevada.

* Help employ the city in accordance with its capabilities!

What experience do you have that makes you the best person to elect to the city council?

* Associate in Arts, Longview Community College, Lee Summit.

* Bachelor of Science in education, Tahlequah, Okla.

* Jones International University, Denver, Colo. Presently working on my internship class at Schell City and Walker, on my Masters in Educational Leadership.

What do you see as the most important issues facing the city over the next three years and five years and what, if anything, do you think the city council can do to address them?

* Drugs. Over 90 percent of all crimes are related to drug use. I have been involved in this problem for 15 years in different areas.

* Citizens taking a sense of responsibility and taking responsibility for their actions.

* Setting the example for our young people who are the future of Nevada.

What can the city council do to improve the transparency of their actions?

* Be tactically and technically proficient!

* Know ourselves and seek improvement!

* Keep the staff and citizens informed of upcoming changes in their local government!

* Train the staff and workers as a team!

* Employ the city in accordance with its capabilities!

Is there anything else you would like to add?

I would like the city to have a leadership credo on building excellence with four signs posted around the city limits on the four entries to the city! Soon U.S. Highway 71 will be Interstate 49 and traffic will increase at a fast rate. Let visitors know what Nevada is about and how the future is looking great for our city!

Sherry Steward

Sherry Steward is a project manager.

Why do you want to be elected to the Nevada City Council and what would you like to achieve during a term on the council?

I have been on the council since November 2009 and feel like we, as a council, are making decisions to head the city toward a more stable economic condition, while continuing to offer the level of services to which this community has become accustomed. I have been looking out for the best interest of the taxpayers and attempting to cast a vision of Nevada's future -- of what we will be! I would like to continue serving the community and making it a great place to live and work. While other cities struggle, the current council has worked to bring great things to the city to poise Nevada as a regional hub for industry, retail, education and technology.

What experience do you have that makes you the best person to elect to the city council?

I believe my understanding of infrastructure and the financing that supports it has been instrumental to my service on the council. I understand that no one will invest in a city that can't guarantee quality water, reliable sewer, and good streets etc. This understanding comes from the 12 years I spent working for the city of Nevada in the engineering, grant administration and project management areas.

What do you see as the most important issues facing the city over the next three years and five years and what, if anything, do you think the city council can do to address them?

First, redevelopment of city-owned property to provide a new police and fire station is vitally important. The current facility is not a healthy building and does not provide the space needed to carry out duties appropriately. Rural development grants and loans would be an appropriate funding mechanism to assist in providing the funds necessary to complete this redevelopment. While we need to use the facilities we have available to us, to the extent possible, to reduce additional capital expenditures, we must also evaluate their ability to meet the needs of the users. I also feel it appropriate to look at changing the parks and recreation sales tax that will be up for vote in 2014 to ask voters to allow half of this tax funding to be used for parks and recreation maintenance and half to be used for public safety improvements. This tax revenue could be used to assist in providing whatever funding we are not able to secure as grants or low interest loans. The last payment for the community center will be made in 2014, which will allow us to reallocate funding to address this priority.

We must also prepare for the impending changes to wastewater treatment regulations that will become effective in 2014. The EPA has already begun tightening the noose around several southwest Missouri communities and we must work with Alliance Water Resources to be proactive in preparing for these changes. We are currently meeting our debt service on the state revolving fund with sales tax revenues. We must work to determine another way to pay the revolving fund debt to avoid failure to meet these payments and still make improvements to comply with regulatory changes.

We also need to get the water treatment process in line to deal with the sulfur smell and scaling issues, as well as look at the needed updates in equipment at the plant and determining the funding mechanism for it. Alliance Water Resources is already attacking the chemical imbalance issues that the staff said were irreconcilable. The problems with water quality, I believe, could be one of the reasons we have not been successful in attracting nice chain restaurants. Local restaurant owners can attest to the scaling and taste problems they have with our water. This is an issue with which we should not be dealing when we have one of the most sophisticated treatment plants in the state. The management firm we have hired can teach our operators how to run this system without these issues. Funding for capital outlay should be based on solid data collection and analysis. We have never had this information available in the past, but hope to begin this year with our contract with Alliance Water Resources.

We need to stabilize the city's finances. The key to keeping water and sewer rates as low as possible with the smallest increases possible is based on efficient operations and well- informed spending decisions. The council took a big step in the 2011 budget by exposing the transfers from the water and sewer fund so that we could clearly see how these funds were being expended. We need to continue analyzing expenditures and determining necessary capital spending in order to make informed decisions.

We need to increase the efficiency of construction operations and direct construction crews so that the needs of the water, sewer and streets are all addressed, instead of using all our resources in one area and the others being neglected. Because of changes made by our management team, beginning with 2011, for the first time, we will know exact costs in labor and materials for construction of our street projects, as well as any water and sewer construction projects constructed with our city crews. This information will be vital in determining the proper course of action in the future for construction projects and improved efficiency.

We must begin a sewer main replacement in the city similar to the water line replacement completed in the past years. We have lapsed into a "wait for a disaster and then fix it" attitude. It is vitally important we take a proactive approach.

We must deal with the interceptor issues to the wastewater treatment plant to determine needed improvements and allocate funding for these projects. These interceptors are deteriorated and must be addressed. If we develop a plan to meet our debt service on the state revolving fund loan other than sales tax revenues that have been declining, we could use the remaining $2 million we have remaining on the current State Revolving Fund loan to fund these improvements

What can the city council do to improve the transparency of their actions?

The city council made a tremendous step toward transparency with the way the 2011 budget was laid out to show actual costs of line items rather than hiding some of the costs behind interfund transfers. The city manager also provides a report to the city council that is provided during council meetings. It is my understanding this information is also provided to the press after the meeting. Perhaps this information should also be placed on the city's Web site. Citizens can gain a lot of knowledge and have their questions answered regarding issues if they would attend council meetings. As a city council, we encourage attendance and participation.

I would sincerely like to thank the citizens of Nevada for giving me an opportunity to serve you during my time on the city council and would like to ask that you give me the opportunity to serve you for another term. I would encourage your questions or concerns regarding the business and operations of the city of Nevada. I also look forward to you sharing YOUR vision for the city with me and allowing me to personally share my vision with you.