City council candidates list concerns, reasons for seeking office

By BROOKS TAYLOR

Mt. Pleasant News

New London, Salem and Wayland have the races in Tuesday?s (Nov. 8) city elections.

Meanwhile, the write-in vote in some communities will be significant. In New London, Ron H. Sadler is the only ballot candidate for mayor, but current Mayor Mike McBeth said he was persuaded by a number of New London residents to serve if elected by a write-in vote.

Through a write-in vote, Mt. Union will elect two city council members; Olds will elect three council members; Rome will elect its entire city leadership team (mayor and five council persons) and Westwood will seat two council members.

Mt. Pleasant Mayor Steven K. Brimhall is unopposed for another two-year term while incumbent council members Tim Gray, Matthew D. Crull and Stephen T. Engberg also are unopposed for re-election to four-year terms. Mt. Pleasant voters also will be voting on a public measure (needing a simple majority for passage) to reduce the number of library board members from nine to seven.

Three incumbent Wayland City Council members ? Kevin Fort, Josh Miller and Greg Rich ? are seeking re-election to four-year terms.

In Hillsboro, incumbent Mayor Jim Tomson is running for another four-year term. Jane A. Mulford and Nick L. Reiner are the lone candidates for the two four-year council seats.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Nov. 8 for the general election.

Recently, the Mt. Pleasant News sent questionnaires to candidates running in contested elections in the county. Following are snapshot biographies of candidates returning their questionnaires.

WINFIELD

Newcomer Chris Finnell is the only announced candidate running for mayor in Winfield. Both council members elected also will be newcomers. William David Good, Roger E. Sharp, Kelly Smith and Jill Woodsmall are the candidates for the two council chairs. Incumbent Jan Walter (appointed to the council earlier this year) is running to fill a two-year term. Originally, she was being opposed by Scott Jennings. However, Jennings has decided not to run, according to the Winfield city clerk, but made the decision too late to be removed from the ballot.

Roger E. Sharp previously served a term on the Winfield City Council and is hoping to serve again. A former banker, he retired in 2005 after a 43-year banking career in Winfield. He is a member and serves as general treasurer of the First Baptist Church of Yarmouth. He also has been a member of the Winfield Chamber of Commerce.

He said his personal goals if elected are to make good, unbiased decisions for the good of the whole community. ?Everyone is important, regardless of their socioeconomic status.? Sharp also said he would be well-informed and knowledgeable of the problems and successes of our community and pledged to listen to all opinions and be open-minded while listening and considering ideas.

He also listed three long-term goals to be realized through a joint effort of the citizens and city council.

?Our city government comes to the people,? Sharp said.

?This means that city council members are engaged in many conversations with its citizens to listen to their concerns and aspirations. This might mean setting up a ?coffee with the council? where conversation might begin.?

?Encouraging people to get involved with their neighbors and neighborhoods as well as city government,? he stated. Sharp said that could involve helping the senior citizens do things they no longer can do. It also could mean looking out for the property of neighbors, especially when they are gone. He commented that families can volunteer to host small, informal gatherings to share concerns.

?Fair, unbiased representation for all citizens? was Sharp?s third long-term goal.

He said a council member means looking at the community as a whole and determining what the needs are and what the goals of the community are. This is a process, he added, that requires teamwork as a council.

?I would hope that our community goals would include being a safe and nurturing community where citizens feel there are many others in the community who care about them and their family,? Sharp remarked. ?I feel that city hall can encourage a small-town feeling, allowing for dialogue before problems begin.

?Citizens of the community need to communicate the gals they feel are important for our community so we can work together to accomplish common goals,? Sharp said. ?My job as a council person is to assist in this process.

The candidate and his wife, Linda, have six children and 12 grandchildren.

Jill Woodsmall said she is running for council ?because I decided I wanted to be a part of the decision-making in the community I grew up in, and now where my children and grandchildren are now growing up.?

Woodsmall is a self-employed licensed massage therapist. She also substitutes for her massage instructor in Iowa City.

The largest concern facing Winfield, Woodsmall said, is ?maintaining and growing as a community. We also face challenges bringing families to this area and growing small businesses in this area.?

She and her husband, Nathan, have four children and three grandchildren. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her children and grandchildren, family and friends. ?I feel very blest living in the community I do,? Woodsmall concluded.

SALEM

Linda Ward is the sole candidate for mayor. Four residents are vying for three council seats including incumbent Charles Kramer. Other council hopefuls are Bruce A. Eltrich, John C. Wagner and Bill Wixom Jr.

Bruce A. Eltrich is a newcomer to city politics, quickly adding, ?I am also un-polluted.?

He explained that he is running because he has the time to serve and wants to become involved in the community.

He sees nuisances, sidewalks and a limited city budget as the major concerns in Salem. ?I?ve had people ask me what I am going to do about sidewalks and barking dogs, etc. I know that with a limited budget you can only do so much. Where the ordinances are being violated, they will be enforced.?

Eltrich and his wife are ?empty nesters? with two children, three step-children and 10 grandchildren.

NEW LONDON

In addition to the aforementioned candidacy of Ron H. Sadler as mayor and the potential candidacy of current Mayor Mike McBeth, three candidates are seeking two four-year council terms.

Kirk Miller is a 42-year resident of the New London area, having lived in New London for 30 years.

?My roots run very deep in New London,? he began. ?My mother taught first grade in our school, my brother and I both worked at the (New London) utilities and my sister worked at the care center.?

He said he has been eyeing a council candidacy for several years ?and the timing just seems right this year. I am in a position now in my life where I have the time to commit doing the job.?

The most important of the job, Miller listed, is to be good stewards of the taxpayer?s money that they are entrusted to oversee. He added the money is to supply the services and infrastructure of the city.

Concerns in the community are many, Miller said, just like in other similar-size communities. ?We need to make sound long-range, common-sense plans that address these issues. I would like to be a part of this planning process and help take New London into the future.?

Miller and his wife, Deb, have three children, nine grandchildren and are expecting their first great-grandchild.

Ronald Osborne, 66, is a 1970 graduate of Iowa Wesleyan College and has been involved in the community by serving on the phase III committee of the New London School District; Little League baseball coach; high school speech booster; Meals on Wheels driver; and advocate for preservation on Mud Creek Recreational area.

Osborne said ?concerns about the focus of our current mayor and council with regards to spending patterns and community goals,? was one of the major reasons behind his candidacy. ?I also have concerns about open government (transparency) and proper procedures in the conduct of meetings and city business.?

The New London resident is a member of the Henry County Board of Adjustment and has attended New London City council meetings for the past 18 months. Osborne also attends many other public meetings. He retired from a 32-year career with various railroads (including the Burlington Northern) in 2005.

What concerns face his community? ?The biggest concern is the inattention to maintenance and upgrading of city infrastructure,? Osborne said. ?Also, whether or not, the city should develop a ?free lot? giveaway. City revenue flow dictates that a choice must be made between infrastructure investment or economic development (free lot program).?

Osborne also said that government must become more user friendly and more inclusive.

He and his wife, Karen, have three children and two grandchildren.