Riverside candidates face off in forum

The three candidates in the Riverside City Council special election met to discuss city politics Sunday night in a forum at the Riverside Elementary School. The candidates are Christine Kirkwood, James Strabala and Samuel Torrey. The special election is Tuesday. The polls at city hall will be open from noon until 8 p.m. that day.

The candidates made opening remarks, then answered a list of prepared questions and finally answered submitted questions from the audience. Kirkwood, who was appointed to fill Betty Kaalberg?s seat in June, was the first to introduce herself. She said she lived in Riverside for 30 years. She graduated from the University of Iowa in 1971 with a bachelor of arts in education. She then worked at the VA Medical Center in Iowa City for 32 years. She said she was most proud of organizing and chairing the committee that created the Riverside Veterans Memorial Park.

Strabala spoke about his background and his connection to the area. Both of his parents grew up on farms a few miles from Riverside, but Strabala was born and raised in Iowa City. He graduated from the University of Iowa in 1970 with a bachelor?s degree in political science and a minor in philosophy. He said his two main areas of employment since then have been the medical field and casinos. He has lived in Riverside for the past year.

Torrey grew up in north central Missouri and moved to Riverside in 1993. He has served on the Riverside council and was the mayor of another town. He works full time for the Riverside Casino and Golf Resort.

The first question the candidates were asked was whether the city needed an administrator. Strabala said he hadn?t made up his mind but that he leans in favor of ?yes.? He also said that the city administrator?s position should not be combined with the city clerk?s.

?The work load would be too much, and it?s just not a good idea to have one person fill both of those positions,? said Strabala. ?What I want to know is what the administrator?s duties and powers are. And that is something I?m not clear on.?

Riverside?s former city administrator, Tina Thomas, was both the administrator and city clerk from 2007 to 2011.

Torrey said Riverside does not need a city administrator.

?We?re less than 1,000 in population,? said Torrey. ?As the town grows, and we all hope it does grow, we?ll probably have to get a city administrator. At that time, the council will need to come up with the duties ? what you want that person to be responsible for. The city administrator still needs to answer to the council. The council needs to run the town, and it always will.?

Kirkwood began her response to the question by listing the businesses that have been added to the tax rolls in the last five years. She mentioned several projects such as the new trail, the new stop light by the casino and the Veterans Memorial Park, all of which she argued went more smoothly because the city had an administrator than they would have gone without one.

?We?ve accomplished more in the last five years than in the prior 40,? said Kirkwood. ?The council voted to approve these projects but they didn?t write the grant or do the research. They didn?t coordinate the project. The mayor and council all have full-time jobs. This is common, even for larger towns such as Iowa City. No one is a councilor full time. That?s why we hire someone to do these jobs for us.?

Kirkwood said more development projects are on the horizon and that the city would benefit from having an administrator to oversee them.

The candidates were asked what they thought about the condition of the city?s infrastructure. Kirkwood said she has heard residents praise the quality of the drinking water in the city. She said Highway 22, on the other hand, is a ?disgrace to our town.? She said she would like to make the downtown more presentable.

Strabala said Riverside could be friendlier to pedestrians.

?I would rather see more emphasis on sidewalks,? said Strabala. ?The sidewalk that runs through Railroad Park is a good one except that it gets down almost to Highway 22 and it quits. I?m not sure why that is. It would be better if it were extended to the highway.?

Torrey said sewer and water lines will always need attention. He said the city could improve the way it handles water runoff.

One of the submitted questions from the audience asked the candidates if they thought $250,000 for a ?splash pad? was a good use of money. A splash pad is an aquatic play area for interaction with fountains without standing water. Earlier this year, the council approved a budget which included $250,000 for either a splash pad or a concessions stand. The council has not taken any action on either project since approving the budget.

Strabala said he was neither for nor against a splash pad. However, he said a community center should take priority over a splash pad.

Torrey said the liability insurance on a splash pad would be very high. He said the city should focus on a community center, and that he wants the community center to be downtown. He said he hopes the community center has a gymnasium, pool, racquetball court and library.

Kirkwood said she wants to look into a splash pad. She said there is a wide divergence of opinion on where the community center should be and what should be in it.

?I want to hear a lot more from citizens about this idea,? said Kirkwood.