City commission candidates speak their minds

Eight candidates vying for seats on the Fort Scott City Commission pitched their ideas and plans for Fort Scott at a forum on Tuesday.

The event, hosted by the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce, saw more than100 people fill Fort Scott Middle School to hear what the candidates had to say.

The eight candidates will be placed on the primary election ballot Feb. 27. After two are eliminated by the voters, six of them will move on to the general election April 3, where Fort Scott voters will elect three to fill the commission seats.

The following are a few of the questions moderator Mark McCoy asked candidates Thom Prue, Gary Billionis, Gary Bukowski, Mike Lancaster, John Keating III, Jim Adams, Dick Hedges and Josh Jones.

Question: If elected city commissioner, what would you like to accomplish in your first year on the commission?

Keating said he would like to continue with projects that are pending. Issues like trying to redevelop downtown, growing current Fort Scott industries, and improving infrastructure.

Billionis said he would like to see some type of development in block 88, or the lots affected by the March 2005 fire located along Main Street. He also would like for the proposed fire station on the east side be completed.

More community involvement is what Jones would like to see within his first year on the job, and that includes more interest in city politics.

Hedges said many projects are on the table but there's probably not enough money for each. He proposed making certain projects a priority and "get moving on it."

Prue agreed.

"There are a lot of things in the mix," he said. "But there's a pot hole right outside my driveway, and I sure would like to get that fixed. What's best for the most is getting these streets fixed."

Prue added that he would like infrastructure repair and improvement is highlighted when the budget is composed.

Question: What specific actions would you support to increase the availability and proximity of public services and protection to the east side of town?

Adams said there are efforts underway to accomplish this by building a fire substation on the east side. However he doesn't support the structure, saying the town's population is not big enough to support two fire stations.

He supports an overpass or a grade separation on the east side, which has been extensively studied by an engineering firm that proposed an overpass could be built at 23rd St. But the project's price tag is around $5 million.

"The funding is tough," Adams said, "but we're finding with some other projects...there's federal funding. It's hard to find, but I think we should really work hard for the ultimate solution, which is an overpass."

Question: Do you support mandatory turnover in the top employment position in city government?

Prue said if the question meant term limits, he's all for it. "If it means term limits for the commissioners, I would agree," he said. Prue proposed possibly an eight-year term limit.

Keating, who has served as commissioner since the early 90s, said he's for working with other commissioners to address the issue.

"I think that voters are probably going to tell me whether they want another term or no more terms," Keating said.

Billionis said as long as a politician can do the job there should be no reason why they shouldn't be able to serve the public.

"I think that voters are very intelligent and can tell us when it's time to go home," he said.

Question: How do you feel about city codes and keeping Fort Scott clean? (The question was posed to Bukowski and Hedges)

Bukowski said in talking to people from outside Fort Scott, there's two comments that are usually brought up when they drive into town.

"They'll say, 'these streets are lousy and it's not very clean here,'" he said. "It's unfortunate. We have a codes department and I know it's really hard for people to do things. It's something we have in place and we need to enforce them."

Hedges agreed with Bukowski, saying codes needs to continue to be enforced but sometimes it's hard to tell people they need to clean up their property.

Question: Are you in favor of the proposed aquatic center that will be on the ballot in April?(The question was posed to Lancaster and Prue)

Both candidates said they don't have enough information on the facility or the proposal to make an informed decision. Prue said he would like to know how much the ongoing costs and operation fees.

"There's a lot of questions that's going unanswered and I don't feel it should be going on the ballot until those questions are answered," Lancaster said.

Editor's note: More on the candidates' forum will be published in the Thursday issue of The Fort Scott Tribune.