FPS staff report
October 27, 2009
Six people are seeking four seats on Carrollton village council at the Nov. 3 election.
They include Wilma Lambert of 240 Butler Ave. and Luke Grimes of 41 E Main St., Apt B, whose names will both appear on the ballot. Seeking election as write-in candidates are Andrew Gonda of 120 4th St. NW, Frank Leghart of 352 Woodside Dr. SW, Scott Velain of 278 5th St. NW and John Yeager of 967 Thomas Ave. The board of elections was scheduled to meet Oct. 26 with Sharon Ott regarding her request for the board to reconsider her ballot petition.
In an attempt to assist voters in making their selections, The Free Press Standard posed four questions to each candidate, including:
1. Why are you seeking a seat on council?
2. Do you have any specific projects you would like to see council undertake?
3. How do you feel about the number of grants received and pending which the village is responsible for in providing local matching money?
4. Do you think we should have a full-time village administrator?
Following are the responses of the candidates:
Wilma Lambert
Q 1. I am running for council to play a more active role in my community. I have been a member of council since December 2007 and it has been a gratifying experience.
Q 2. I think maintaining, repairing and updating our infrastructure is very important. Having clean, safe drinking water and proper sewage removal are two critical factors for any community. Council has taken steps in this direction with the plan to drill new wells, the construction of new water tanks, upgrade and expansion of the wastewater treatment plant and replacement of storm and sanitary sewer lines. I would like to see more emphasis on the replacement of sewer lines in the coming years.
Q. 3. Without grant money, many necessary improvements could not take place. Many of the grants received do not require a match by the village. The money for some matching grants has been allocated and the money that is required is at a low to zero percent interest rate.
Q 4. Having a full-time administrator has been the norm. Right now the administrator is part time. That is an ongoing trial to see how it works.
Luke Grimes
Q. 1. I’m seeking a seat on council because I believe I can help the village as a whole. I would like to make sure all residents and employees are treated equally and heard no matter where they reside inside the village. The majority of voters I spoke with felt council is due to have some fresh faces so here I am, a fresh face on a political level, but a lifelong resident of Carrollton.
Q. 2. I would to see the village make public information more readily accessible to the common taxpayer via its website. I think it’s important for people to know what is happening at council meetings, how much money is being spent and how council members are voting on issues. Residents can log on at home or at the public library and read it on the internet at their leisure.
Q. 3. This brings me back to the last question. I went to the village’s website to find out information on the grants and found absolutely nothing. There is no information to be had. I e-mailed the clerk-treasurer and was told the administrator and mayor were the only people who had grant information. I e-mailed them both and have yet to receive an answer. Since there is no information available, I find myself in the same position as other village residents, waiting for information so I can form an educated opinion.
Q.4. No, it has not proven beneficial for the village. The village’s investment in the salary of a full-time administrator doesn’t seem to be paying off. Years when no village administrator was employed showed no less excellent work from our village departments. A part-time grant writer might more effectively assist our village, but a position that requires a full salary should yield more substantial results.
WRITE-IN CANDIDATES
Scott Velain
Q. 1. My family and I have lived here for the better part of 10 years. My son graduated from Carrollton High School and my daughter attends first grade at Carrollton Elementary. Our community has its own unique heritage and culture that needs to be protected and preserved to the best of our ability, especially in these trying times.
Q. 2. I would like to see an informative website constructed where people can go to for information on the mining project slated to begin in 2011 in the area. I would like to have an e-mail address available on the site were residents can ask questions and voice concerns.
I would like to see a water safety team put together to monitor the safety of the nine wells owned by the village before, during and after the mining. This team should be selected by and for the village of Carrollton only.
I would like to see the team consult with Rosebud Mining officials when they have questions as well as Environmental Protection Agency officials and local water department officials. We need to make sure we define safe distances away from the wells where mining can be done and set up regular intervals of water testing during the mining operation.
Q. 3. I found it interesting no one seems to know the answer to this question. This information should be public information so, being a concerned citizen, I tried the village of Carrollton website. No information there. I contacted Clerk/Treasurer Judi Noble and she didn’t know. I contacted Village Administrator Robert Fowler who told me, “The answer to your question is a very difficult one.” He said he had a partial list since his arrival and said he would have it by Sept. 29. As of Oct. 3, I had not received a response.
I have never run for political office, but it seems to me, as a concerned citizen, that if we don’t even have a general idea of where we are with these grants and what our responsibility is in providing local matching money this late in the year, how do we know if we are above or below the budget for the year?
Q. 4. Simply put, yes, I think we should have a full-time administrator and the administrator should have more of a stake in Carrollton than just a paycheck. However, before moving in that direction, I would like to know what the people of the village want. The most important part of being a council member is know what the people want.
Frank Leghart
Q.1. Members of council have a moral and ethical obligation to adequately and effectively respresent the citizenry of the village by legislating for the best interest of those they represent and using available community funds in the most effective manner to provide the best quality service possible.
With 24 years of previous public service, I believe I have the necessary qualifications to serve the residents of Carrollton in a manner that assures them their best interests are at heart and their concerns are addressed.
Q. 2. I would like to see all areas of public service within the village to become more pro-active. The best way to maintain and improve services the residents are entitled to receive is to institute a comprehensive preventative maintenance schedule. In that manner, residents will receive better quality service without additional cost. In fact, preventative maintenance can actually reduce the cost and free up existing funds to improve service. I would also like to investigate the feasibility of streamlining existing departments to increase service with reduced response time. I would like to see a concerted effort to bridge the gap between the village and county commissioners, state representatives and school boards in order to fulfill our obligation to the residents.
Q. 3. Grants can be a valuable tool in helping make needed improvements which otherwise may not be affordable. And all grants do not require matching funds. However, careful consideration must be given to ensure the grant and its reason are a necessity and not merely a desire or political agenda. There are often requirements attached that do not give full discretion of distribution at the local level. Therefore, all other avenues must first be explored so big government does not get more involved with local issues.
Q. 4. If the duties of the village administrator can be fulfilled on a less than full-time basis at a less than full-time salary, I believe it displays good fiscal responsibility to have a part-time village administrator. The money saved can be used to fund other needs without additional burden on the existing general or operating fund.
Andrew Gonda
Q. 1. I was raised in Carroll County and am raising my family in Carroll County. I’ve lived in the village the last eight years, own a local company and have served as a firefighter for the last nine years. I care about our town.
Q. 2. I don’t have an agenda. I would like to see council move forward in the aspect of trying to draw some commerce into our village.
Q. 3. Anytime we can receive grant money to improve our town is a good thing. Depending on the grant, we may only be required to match a low percentage of the project. This makes more sense than funding the entire project or not being able to do it at all.
Q. 4. Financially speaking, I’m not sure we need a village administrator. Looking at it from a business view, it may be in the best interest of the village to have a full-time mayor who oversees the day to day operations of the village and hire a grant writer who only receives payment if the village receives the grant. This could potentially save the village a great deal of money and help us obtain more grants.
John Yeager
Q. 1. To continue to serve the residents of the village to best of my ability.
Q. 2. We need a new rescue truck for our fire department, complete the new water wells project, install a turn lane at Moody Ave. and SR 43 intersection, upgrade the 12th St. and SR 43 intersection to allow large trucks to make the turn, replace the waterline to the Golden Age Retreat and update the old sewer lines within the village.
Q. 3. We need all the grants we can obtain! This helps keep our tax rates down.
Q. 4. A village today cannot function without an administrator. Prior to the current administration coming on board, the village was paying a consulting firm thousands of dollars a year to keep updated with federal and state regulations. A good administrator pays his or her way. This year we received $100,000 in a grant from the state for street and alley paving. We would not have received these funds without an administrator. We have been promised quite a sum in grants toward the construction of our new water treatment plant. Update of the plant is required by the EPA and we would be paying fines if the plant was not improved. |
