Joomla Login LightBox powered by WowJoomla.com

Increased firefighter pay, staff numbers proposed

If voters decide to up the Smithville Area Fire Protection District’s operating budget, both firefighters and the public will be safer, according to fire district leaders.

Local woman’s story published

Elizabeth Cutting dug within herself to find happiness amid grieving.

And now others can learn from her story.

J.D. Nelson keeps Smithville demographic statistics within arm’s reach.

“The first question every company interested in Smithville Commons asks is, ‘What are your demographics?’” Nelson, Commons developer, said.

The Smithville Senior Citizens group hopes this time is the charm.

The group is applying for funding to construct its own building, and the seniors think they’ll know funding specifics within the next few months.

Smithville voters will decide three Board of Aldermen seats on Tuesday, April 6. A voter will be allowed to vote only on the candidates running for the seat in his or her ward. If you’re unsure which ward you live in, contact city hall at 532-3897.

WARD 1 CANDIDATES

Shannon Breckenridge

- Age: 30

- Occupation: Receptionist at Kansas City Trapshooters Association

- Web site or other way people can learn more about you: shannon4ward1.blogspot.com and shannonbreckenridge.com

- Why are you running for Smithville’s Board of Aldermen? “I’m running because I care about this community and the people in it. I want to do my part to be as involved as possible in helping Smithville continue to grow and prosper.”

- What past and present experiences qualify you for this position? “I’m the seventh generation of my family to make their home in Smithville. I’m an active member of the Smithville Historical Society, volunteered at Octoberfest and regularly attend Smithville Area Chamber of Commerce meetings. I’ve also had extensive experience volunteering for various political campaigns, and I studied politics while at Old Dominion University.”

- If elected, which topics will you speak your mind on most often? What will you say? “Infrastructure — We need to repair the city sewers in a timely and cost effective manner.

“Taxes — We need to find alternatives to tax increases that will generate revenue for our city.

“Promoting Smithville’s small businesses — Our local businesses are the backbone of our community, and I’d like to see City Hall and the chamber work together to find new and innovative ways to promote Smithville’s businesses in the community and beyond. Maintaining Smithville’s small-town atmosphere in spite of its growing population is also important to me. After all, Smithville’s small-town appeal is part of what makes it such a great place to live.”

Jake Hild

- Age: 62

- Family information: Wife Marsha, four grown sons

- Web site or other way people can learn more about you: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 532-0826

- Why are you running for Smithville’s Board of Aldermen? “I am concerned about our city’s financial position. I feel like I have done a good job for the past two years, and I would like the chance to continue. I am also flattered that several people have asked me to run again.”

- What past and present experiences qualify you for this position? “Since I’ve spent the past 15 years working in real estate primarily in Smithville, I’ve seen the population growth and the expansion of subdivisions, which gave me an early exposure to infrastructure concerns. It has also given me the chance to work with all of the city’s departments.”

- If elected, which topics will you speak your mind on most often? And what will you say? “I am most concerned with finances and controlling costs. We have many concerns with old sewer lines, water lines and streets that need to be addressed. Another concern is the city’s employees and their wages and benefits. With revenues down, we need to make sure we do the best we can for them while carefully watching costs at the same time.

“We also need to encourage both new business and the growth of existing businesses.”

Fred Wayne Moore

- Age: 62

- Occupation: Web-based financial programmer

- Family information: Married 18 years, one adult son

- Web site or other way people can learn more about you: fredwaynemoore.net/waynealder.html and fredwaynemoore.net

- Why are you running for Smithville’s Board of Aldermen? “To bring the voice of the longtime citizens who are constantly being asked to foot the bill for unnecessary growth expenditures to the board.”

- What past and present experiences qualify you for this position? “Sixty-two years of living in Smithville. Forty-five years working my way to a top position in my company. Education in various fields, including transportation law and a master’s in business administration.”

- If elected, which topics will you speak your mind on most often? And what will you say? “I am for a small-town atmosphere with a rich history, which has recently been ignored.

“I am against tax-increment-financing projects, which give tax incentives while citizens are being asked to provide more in taxes and service costs. I am against building new infrastructure at taxpayer expense while ignoring aging existing infrastructure.

“I am also against turning U.S. Highway 169, which thousands of people commute on daily, into a downtown street with traffic light after traffic light.”

WARD 2 CANDIDATES

Ed Holicky

- Age: 37

- Occupation: Meteorologist

- Family information: Wife, Michelle; three children in the Smithville R-II School District

- Web site and/or other way people can learn more about you: Through family and friends.

- Why are you running for Smithville’s Board of Aldermen? “I believe Smithville needs forward-thinking aldermen members to create strategic plans for the city to bring positive and passionate ideas. I want to turn a negative experience with city home inspectors into positive change. The city needs to build trust with its residents.”

- What past and present experiences qualify you for this position? “Finishing my second master’s degree in 2010 — this time in leadership and communication. Completed an 18-month executive leadership program in 2009. Volunteered in the Smithville community as one of several sixth-grade basketball coaches. Served as president and vice president of the Central Illinois American Meteorological Society chapter.

“I have spoken and attended several aldermen meetings.”

- If elected, which topics will you speak your mind on most often? And what will you say? “My overriding goal is to make Smithville a safe community. I would actively look for grant money to help meet our goals. Another way of having a safe community is getting Smithville reorganized by the National Weather Service as a “storm ready” community. I would also want to create a disaster contingency fund. I believe Smithville should ensure that city staff members have the resources to adequately do their jobs.”

Carl Rigoli Jr.

- Age: 63

- Occupation: Disabled veteran

- Family information: Married

- Why are you running for Smithville’s Board of Aldermen? “Because I believe I can and will make a difference on how government is run in the community.”

- What past and present experiences qualify you for this position? “Everyday life and just talking to people and what they expect out of government and the community.”

- If elected, which topics will you speak your mind on most often? And what will you say? “I think we should be talking about fiscal responsibility. I also believe sometimes government should be run like a business. There needs to be accountability; you can’t spend what you don’t have. Someone has to be in charge — city administrator, mayor and so forth.

“We also must be open to businesses in our community, not just ‘thank you,’ but actually sitting down and talking. That is how we find out what we can do to have people come to our town. Just plain old talk.

“Also, those in government must remember we work for the people. And we have a responsibility to listen, learn and most of all to remember we work for the people, not against the people.”

Cam Soper

- Age: 31

- Occupation: Software engineer

- Family information: Married to Michelle for almost 10 years; three sons, ages 5, 3 and 1; have lived in Smithville for seven years

- Web site or other way people can learn more about you: elect.camthegeek.com

- Why are you running for Smithville’s Board of Aldermen? “I love this community. My wife and I moved here before we had children because Smithville is the perfect community in which to raise a family. I am thrilled that my sons will grow up in a city that supports the local schools so enthusiastically. I would be honored to help Smithville maintain the traits that make it unique.”

- What past and present experiences qualify you for this position? “In my job, I work with clients to understand their needs and lead engineers on my team to deliver solutions. This entails a lot of listening, understanding and compromising, all skills that would serve an alderman well.”

- If elected, which topics will you speak your mind on most often? And what will you say? “I will support local small businesses by encouraging growth, but not at the expense of Smithville’s character, and certainly not by wasteful incentives to big developers.

“Voters should have a voice in tax-related issues.

“I will leverage my expertise to shape the role technology plays in city government.

“Smithville should have curbside recycling.”

Charlie Waters

- Age: 50

- Occupation: Retired

- Family information: Married with a baby on the way

- Web site or other way people can learn more about you: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

- Why are you running for Smithville’s Board of Aldermen? “I want to be involved in the leadership and decision-making processes that guide our community to become a better place to live for our citizens now and for future generations.”

- What past and present experiences qualify you for this position? “I spent 25 years of my life as a member of the Kansas City Missouri Fire Department. It was a goal-oriented career in that every day you had a responsibility to protect the lives and property of its citizens using the resources you had at hand. You had to achieve these goals while maintaining the highest level of safety for your crew that could be maintained under the most adverse conditions. In short, you had a task, devised a plan, implemented and evaluated periodically for success.

“In the past eight months, I have attended every aldermen meeting. I have observed how the elected officials are responsible for maintaining the overall welfare of Smithville and its citizens.”

- If elected, which topics will you speak your mind on most often? And what will you say? “I will speak about topics that concern the welfare and needs of the city of Smithville and its citizens, large or small. As he economy improves, it will bring new opportunities and challenges that will need to be addressed.”

WARD 3 CANDIDATES

Bob Foreman

- Age: 51

- Occupation: Manager, construction equipment dealership

- Family information: Wife, Karli; daughter, Lara; and grandson, Kylar. Out of the house: Landon, Dani, Kati and Christian.

- Web site or other way people can learn more about you: 769-9489, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

- Why are you running for Smithville’s Board of Aldermen? “I am running for re-election because I enjoy working for the citizens of Ward 3. Some say public service is thankless; I find it very rewarding and want to continue to promote and develop our community.”

- What past and present experiences qualify you for this position? “As an alderman, I’ve learned how our city operates. Visiting with citizens has given me the chance to learn first hand what concerns we need to address. I’ve managed a business since 1983. This responsibility has taught me to work with people and to understand the importance of financial responsibility.

“I have served as president of the Kansas City Associated Equipment Distributors. Also, I’ve attended numerous hours of training in best business practices.

“I’ve served on Smithville’s Planning and Zoning Committee, the city’s Salary and Benefits Committee and as a member of our Board of Aldermen.”

- If elected, which topics will you speak your mind on most often? And what will you say? “I’ll continue to encourage growth in infrastructure (good streets, a quality water system and functioning sewers). I’ll promote and discuss new ways to build and improve our parks and park facilities. I will continue to listen and learn.”

Wayne Orr

- Age: 41

- Occupation: Hybrid specialist at Ford Motor Co.

- Family Information: Married 16 years to wife Toni; two sons, Mitchell, 12, and Bobby, 10

- Web site or other way people can learn more about you: Facebook: Wayne Orr 4 Alderman Ward, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

- Why are you running for Smithville’s Board of Aldermen? “To assist with providing basic services to our citizens. I believe this basic function of government and city needs improvement.

“Getting our city’s finances in order. There’s too much wasteful spending at City Hall. During this downturn in the economy, families have cut back, so should our city.

“Providing tax relief. Many of our citizens have been adversely affected by the economy, and we need to help ease the tax burden on these families in any way we can.”

- What past and present experiences qualify you for this position? “Years of coaching in children’s sports has given me the privilege of giving back to the community. This involvement, with so many families, has been an inspiration to extend my community involvement. (I am a) Marine Corps veteran of Operation Desert Storm and Six Sigma trained in lean manufacturing and management.”

- If elected, which topics will you speak your mind on most often? And what will you say? “Changes I feel necessary to help our community for future prosperity. As mentioned, I feel our city needs help providing better services, tax relief and financial assistance.”

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon recently announced a new initiative designed to help preserve 85 “jewels” throughout the state.

Julie Skiles is just like nearly half of all adults across the country — she is living with a chronic disease.

The heart, a symbol of love, can be cruel when not properly cared for, particularly with women. Look no further than the fact that cardiac disease is the leading cause of death among women.