Print this story |
E-mail story |
This story has 24 comments Add your own |
iPod friendly | Bookmark this
What is this?
photo by Jessica St. James
Interested residents gather in the cafeteria at Dawson-Bryant High School to take part in a Meet the Candidates Night for candidates running for the Dawson-Bryant School Board and Coal Grove Village Council.
Appealing to Voters
Water rates, village budget highlight CG candidate’s night
Published Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Photo by Jessica St. James
COAL GROVE — A decision to increase the village’s water rates this past summer underscored an hour-long discussion on Coal Grove’s economic future as five candidates for village council took the time to introduce themselves to voters Tuesday night.
Hosted by the Dawson-Bryant High School Junior Advisory Program, their “Meet the Candidates Night” allowed the five hopefuls the opportunity to pitch their thoughts, criticisms and ideas to about 100 potential voters in the Dawson-Bryant High School cafetorium.
Attending the discussion were current incumbents Chris Brammer and Aaron Stewart along with hopefuls Juelda Collins, Kyle McKnight and former councilman Phillip Roush.
Candidates Bob Self and Glen Markins, who are also on the Nov. 3 ballot for village council, did not attend the forum. Moderator Sam Hall did not give a reason for their absence.
The seven are seeking four open seats. Each seat carries a four-year term.
All questions asked were selected and screened by the Dawson-Bryant High School faculty and had been given to the candidates prior to the forum.
No questions were taken from the audience during the discussion.
Hopefuls were given three minutes for their opening statement and one minute to respond to questions. They were also given one minute for a closing statement.
Candidates spent the first 10 minutes introducing themselves along with their backgrounds and experience for the position. Many took the time to answer why they wanted to be a part of council.
“I always wanted to run for council and now I believe I have the time to run,” said Juelda Collins, when talking about her daughter’s recent graduation for college. Collins is a long-time insurance agent.
“I want to work for the village residents,” said Phillip Roush, who had served on council for more than 13 years and is an assistant manager at Pittsburgh Paints in Ashland, Ky. “I know the areas of the city and all areas of council.”
Following introductions, the candidates did not waste anytime discussing their opinions on their village’s finances and water rate increase.
At issue is an Aug. 4 vote by council to raise the city’s water rates. Proponents of the increase say the raise was necessary in order to put the water fund in back into the black to secure nearly $400,000 in federal stimulus monies the village applied for and subsequently received.
That money will be primarily used to restore a contaminated 250 gallon-per-minute well that was capped years ago along with installing water shutoffs throughout the village.
Opponents of the increase said it was done as the village continually has had to move monies from their general fund to cover the shortfall of the water fund — a shortfall they say is created by the mismanagement of health insurance coverage for the village’s water department employees.
“This is hurting our senior citizens and people on fixed incomes in the village,” Kyle McKnight said when explaining the resulting decrease of village services that comes from moving monies from the general fund to the water fund.
McKnight serves as a teacher and head football coach at Notre Dame High School in Portsmouth.
Other topics of interest discussed by candidates ranged from improving communications within the village, establishing a recreation committee, securing federal grant monies to offset shortages in the village’s budget, purchasing limits and nepotism.
“We need strong, firm, laid-out guidelines for hiring the best people we can,” explained incumbent Aaron Stewart when discussing the village’s current hiring policies and procedures.
Stewart currently serves as a federal grant director at Shawnee State University.
Another topic brought to the forefront was the current status of residential blight throughout Coal Grove.
“There are too many eyesores throughout the village,” incumbent Chris Brammer said. “We need stronger ordinances towards property upkeep and rental properties.”
Brammer is a personal fitness and GED instructor at the U.S. Penitentiary in Inez, Ky.
Council’s “Meet the Candidates” session preceded a question-and-answer forum with Dawson-Bryant Board of Education candidates.
Election Day is Nov. 3.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE THIS STORY?
Comments
Posted by cg2009 (anonymous) on October 14, 2009 at 1:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)
My vote is Phil Roush and Aaron Stewart. The current council members have used the money over the past several years to help the village out of debt. They paid off a fire truck is one big thing and they DID remove the fire fee from the water bill as they said they would do. They bought a new stop light. I believe they had work done on the corners at the crosswalks (4way stop, at giovanni's and foodfair). We need better water services available to us, but it cannot be done for free. Just remember the coucil members will have increase rates too, they are not exempt.
Posted by itsallgood (anonymous) on October 14, 2009 at 3:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)
My vote is for Phil Roush also. He has the experience and he is fair to all. He has attended most of the council meetings in the last two years so he is up to date on all the village needs. I heard he rarely missed a meeting all the years he was on council. I hate it when someone runs for office and then never shows up to the meetings.
Posted by SomeGuyOnLaneStreet (anonymous) on October 14, 2009 at 3:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I didn't go to the forum but I heard that Chris Brammer is going to clean up these run down properties in Coal Grove. We desperately need that. The area around the old Monitor school building is terrible. I know there are a lot of rentals around there and someone needs to be responsible.
Posted by BubbyB (anonymous) on October 14, 2009 at 3:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Are the rumors true that Beth Rist is going to be the next police chief in Coal Grove? I think the current one is off ill or something like that? I haven't had a chance to talk to Beth to ask her. If she gets elected AND gets police chief then I think she is a shoe in for commissioner one day.
Posted by BubbyB (anonymous) on October 14, 2009 at 3:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Fireman...
You are voting for another guy b/c of his tan and hair style? What exactly do you all do at the ole' firehouse?
Posted by BubbyB (anonymous) on October 14, 2009 at 4:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)
One more question. There are 4 spots open for council. What 4 should I vote for?
Posted by bleedingheart (anonymous) on October 14, 2009 at 4:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Went to forum and have a couple of questions. Current councilman said we could not afford high tech methods of boil water advisories. What is high tech about calling wsaz? Could we not have a special fire siren to alert of water being shut off? We could draw enough water until service is restored.
Also current member said we need to hire a grant writer. In bio one current council member listed profession as "grant director". Different kind of grants??
Would like to see a copy of the e-mail where the E.P.A. said if we didn't raise water rates we could not get grants. Would like to see salaries and insurance compensations for city employees. (Should be public knowledge but I don't know how to find it.) Would like to know who voted for current contract with Rumpke. Any councilperson with enough guts to respond?
Posted by turbo (anonymous) on October 14, 2009 at 4:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Why doesn't Chris Brammer see Monitor School as an eyesore. Afterall his father owns it.
Posted by KelliAnn (anonymous) on October 14, 2009 at 4:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I know that Nick Miller and Debbie Fields got the e-mail about the grant.Other Council members were told the day of the meeting that if they didn't raise the water they wouldn't get the grant money. Mr.Miller, Mr.Stewart, Mr.Carpenter voted for the water raise. Mr.Ross and Mr.Wise voted against the water raise. Mr.Brammer was absent because he had to work.
As far as Rumpke I believe all the council members voted yes on that.
Posted by truthbtold (anonymous) on October 14, 2009 at 6:56 p.m.
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Posted by turbo (anonymous) on October 14, 2009 at 7:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Chris Brammer should ask his dad to donate the old Monitor School to the village for write off on his taxes and let Coal Grove get a grant to build a recreation center and park for the children. Their are bats and rats infested inside and one of the biggest eyesores in the village.
Posted by Guess (anonymous) on October 14, 2009 at 9:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Thats a great idea turbo... We should add extra tax to rental properties and maybe some of these slum lords would sale some of there rundown properties. When people rent they tend to not take any pride in the way their place looks but if a person owns that place they may fix it up
Posted by bleedingheart (anonymous) on October 14, 2009 at 9:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Thought junk yards needed to fences. One of the biggest eyesores is entering Coal Grove from 3rd st.
Right there for everyone to see.
Posted by KelliAnn (anonymous) on October 14, 2009 at 10:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Bleedingheart - If you are talking about Matney Trucking they have cleaned it up. Mr. Matney had a wreck and had a broken neck. He unlike others is trying to work for a living.
Guess - Just because someone has rental property dosen't mean they can tell their renters how to keep house, as long as they pay their rent there is nothing they can do to make them clean up the property. What if someone told you they didn't like the way your house looked, like the color of your house or you had to many flowers or trees in your yard? I don't think you would like it to well.
Posted by Guess (anonymous) on October 15, 2009 at 12:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)
My point KelliAnn is there a handfull of people that own as many as 10 or 15 homes. These people should pay a tax to the people of Coal Grove b/c there property is the one causing all the blight. Hopefully they will decide to sale there investment and go to Ironton or somewhere else And of coarse bleedinghaeart is talking about Matney and I am sorry about his wreck but that place has been a mess for years. He has kept a junk yard there of not only trucks and trailers but also cars and pick-up trucks. He can do what he want but he should put a fence up because it looks awful. I hope the new council inspires us all to clean up Coal Grove
Posted by Guess (anonymous) on October 15, 2009 at 12:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Just a thought:
Tax all rental properties $10 per month. This is a total guess but say 100 rental units(probably more) Thats $12000 a year we could use to hang flowers, landscape, donate to our wonderfull PP park, give some to the Betterment Club or any of the other groups that do good things for our community.
Worst case scenario peoples rent goes up $10 and they get fed up and move to another town
Posted by KelliAnn (anonymous) on October 15, 2009 at 1:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The landlords pay more taxes than anyone because they own property but they also give people on a fixed income a place to live. I think it would be a good idea to tax ALL property $10.00 a month if it would go to Paul Porter Park of The Betterment Club or to help people in need.
I Love living in Coal Grove and anyone who doesn't can move.
Posted by cg2009 (anonymous) on October 15, 2009 at 1:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
To Fireman-No it is not Roy Carpenter it is his brother Dee Carpenter.
To Bleedingheart-Have you ever attended a council meeting or just this forum period. And are you a village resident? At these council meetings they go over all of these issues. And they have a time to question the council members and voice concerns. This is not about having guts to speak up...the counci members have spoke up, at the council meetings.
Posted by truthbtold (anonymous) on October 15, 2009 at 1:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I agree that the Monitor area (along with several other areas) is an eyesore but there are no ordinances to do anything about it. Sound like Brammer wants to correct that whether his daddy owns some of the problem areas or not. Good for him! However, those rental areas are where most of the absentee votes come from. He had better not make the wrong person mad.
Posted by turbo (anonymous) on October 15, 2009 at 1:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Wonder why Bob Self and Glen Markins would not attend this
forum?? Why be a candidate if you can't face the public?? They must only have the interest of their own issues.
Posted by sugar08 (anonymous) on October 15, 2009 at 2:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I don't know Jim Matney, but I suspect he has worked long and hard for his living , Also not all landlords are slumlords. You can tell your renters what you expect and you have them sign a rental agreement, if they don't keep their part up you evict them.
Posted by itsjustme (anonymous) on October 15, 2009 at 5:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Sounds like a couple of you are tryin to down put Chris Brammer fo bringing this up b/c his daddy owns the monitor building and ect. but to me its sounds like he wants it fixed up regardless if his daddy owns it or not. And its not to hurt anyone its just to make our villiage a better place is all. I think Chris has done a decent job over the 4 yrs but sounds like he isnt finished yet. Dont down put people for just tryin to help us out! And I agree w/sugar08 on the last comment the landlords need to have the renters sign an agreement if its not kept then out they go or something along that line!
Posted by bleedingheart (anonymous) on October 15, 2009 at 7:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Hey CG 2009, Yes I am a resident and yes I have attended council meetings. I was there before the last increase in the water rates. While I was speaking the councilmen passed around papers and read and signed them then voted. If anything controversial comes up, they go into executive session and then tells everyone their decision. Here's an idea, why not post the minutes of the council meetings in the paper. That way we don't have to depend on the comments section to know our water rates are going up.
Posted by HuewertRules (anonymous) on October 21, 2009 at 7:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Who peed in your guys' Cheerios?
Post a comment (Terms of Use Policy)
(Requires free registration.)