On the issues

Karen Baxter, John Clark, Paul Sturtz and incumbent Almeta Crayton are competing for a three-year term as the First Ward representative to the Columbia City Council. Here’s a look at where they stand on some of the biggest issues in the campaign. The candidates are listed in the order they appear on the ballot.

THE CANDIDATE

KAREN
BAXTER

JOHN
CLARK

PAUL
STURTZ

ALMETA CRAYTON

MORE INFO
BACKGROUND
Age: 58
Licensed practical nurse. Former vice president of Ridgeway Neighborhood Association.
Age: 65
Financial officer for KOPN/89.5 FM. Longtime activist with North-Central Columbia Neighborhood Association.
Age: 43
Co-founder and co-director of Ragtag Cinemacafe and True/False Film Festival.
Age: 48
Three-term incumbent First Ward city councilwoman. Cafeteria monitor at Gentry Middle School.
opinion:
NUMBER OF WARDS
Favors increasing the number of wards. Baxter says the city has grown and the number of wards also should grow.
Favors increasing the number of wards to 12. Clark says smaller wards would help the council more effectively represent constituents.
Favors increasing the number of wards by two, thereby lowering the population of each ward. He says this would make city government more responsive.
Neither favors nor opposes increasing the number of wards, saying that though there could be some benefits with more wards, it also might cause problems.
opinion:
COUNCIL SALARIES
Says council members deserve payment, noting that other cities pay council members and that a salary might give members an opportunity to better serve citizens.
Favors a modest stipend, saying increased staff support for council members would make city government work better.
Citing city growth and council members’ workload, Sturtz favors a modest stipend. He emphasizes that future representatives should not run for financial gain.
Says a stipend would be nice to buy necessities such as a computer but says it’s not the reason she initially ran for council. Crayton says she would rather see money go to families in financial trouble.
opinion:
FIRST WARD BOARD REPRESENTATION
Says council members should simply ask people within their wards to fill vacant board positions and get more residents involved. She says low participation is not exclusive to the First Ward but spread across much of the city.
Says it is the responsibility of the council to encourage constituents to apply for positions. He would encourage neighborhood associations to communicate with citizens and encourage them to apply.
Would like to see more active encouragement of First Ward residents to apply for boards and commissions. He says it’s important that such groups reflect the make-up of Columbia.
Says that the reason for a lack of First Ward representation is the make-up of the ward and that working families do not have the time to work, spend time with their families and sit for hours in board meetings.
opinion:
DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION
Says she is pro-business and that the city needs to add interesting things downtown to attract people. She favors the use of tax-increment financing where appropriate, supports the renovations at City Hall and thinks a hotel and conference center would attract visitors.
Supports a conceptual downtown redevelopment plan such as that created by Sasaki and Associates. He says sound consulting and planning is the best way to get more people living downtown and in the central city.
Would like to use tax-increment financing to stimulate mixed-income housing downtown and remodeling of historic structures. He would like to boost the number of residents living downtown and supports the revitalization of Eighth Street.
Supports the use of tax-increment financing downtown but says it also should be used to revitalize surrounding neighborhoods to boost the quality of life in the First Ward.
opinon:
NORTH-CENTRAL COLUMBIA OVERLAY
Opposes the restrictions, arguing the city already has sufficient rules in place. She says more layers of restrictions would only add hardships to homeowners and businesses in that area. One of the primary architects of the overlay district proposal. He supports it and says the city needs more neighborhood planning to support rapid population growth. Supports the overlay district as a smart-growth strategy and supports the larger idea of residents planning for future development by establishing guidelines. Opposes the overlay district, saying the city has not done enough to relieve residents of hardships caused by the restructuring of housing codes. She says she has received feedback from First Ward residents who oppose the overlay restrictions.
opinion:
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Says education is key. She notes that the city and other organizations such as Habitat for Humanity have programs available that can help make homes much more affordable and that a concerted effort to tell people about those programs could make a difference. Says that the city needs a clear definition of affordable housing and that it needs to include a policy about it in the consolidated plan it assembles for the federal government. He says affordable housing for low- to moderate-income families needs to be spread across the city, not concentrated in the First Ward. Would encourage well-designed affordable housing with an emphasis on energy efficiency to decrease utility bills. He would like to see more mixed-income housing in the First Ward and downtown. Sturtz also said home ownership and current programs to help citizens purchase homes should be promoted. Says the city must be more up-to-date in the way it ensures affordable housing by taking a cue from strategies employed in urban city centers and ensuring new housing is built to accommodate residents’ lifestyles.