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PrintCOLUMBIA – Glenn Rice and Raman Puri will have to beat nine other candidates to retain their seats on the Columbia Planning and Zoning Commission — and they've got some well-known people competing with them.
Columbia City Council members are narrowing the field of 11 applicants for the two seats on the commission to five. For now, each council member is evaluating the candidates on his or her own.
The Watchword, The Missourian's public life blog, is hosting an informal poll on which applicants should be chosen to fill the two seats. You can vote for your favorites here.
- This document, provided by the Columbia City Clerk's office, includes the full applications for each of the 11 people applying for a seat on the Planning and Zoning Commission.
"The future of Columbia is what we're looking at," Fourth Ward Councilman Daryl Dudley said. "We're looking at how the applicants mesh with our visions for Columbia."
Fifth Ward Councilwoman Laura Nauser said she is looking for professional backgrounds, for volunteer work and for a good mix of philosophies among commissioners.
Those interested in commission seats gave the city written rationale for why they'd like to be appointed. Here's who they are and what they said, in the order they filed their applications.
Glenn Rice
Rice, 44, seeks reappointment. He is an MU Internet administrator and wants to continue work on comprehensive planning. Rice lives in the Fourth Ward and is married to Tracy Greever-Rice, who lost a bid for that council seat this year.
Raman Puri
Puri, 39, seeks reappointment. He is vice president of the Hilton Garden Inn and wants to balance the ideals of proper development and environmental preservation. Puri lives in the Fifth Ward.
Julia Ames
Ames, 35, is a real estate agent with Remax Boone Realty. She said she understands how development defines the success of communities. Ames lives in the Fifth Ward.
Rick Buford
Buford, 39, is a network administrator at Carfax and ran for the Fourth Ward council seat. He said he can be "a fair and moderate voice." Buford lives in the Fourth Ward.
Maurice Harris
Harris, 24, is a Colony Apartments leasing agent. He wants to "make sure there is sustainable development in Columbia and that there is smart growth in residential and commercial areas." Harris lives in the Sixth Ward.
James Holman
Holman, 49, is the engineering manager for Coil Construction. He said the Planning and Zoning Commission fits his experience as city engineer and Planning and Zoning commissioner for the city of Sedalia. Holman lives in the Second Ward.
Steve Oslica
Oslica, 23, is a UM Web assistant and an MU graduate student in public affairs and nonprofit management. A former Missourian reporter, he believes his student perspective makes him a prime candidate with an objective opinion.
James Downey
Downey, 51, owns Legacy Bookbindery. He is president of the Country Club Estates Neighborhood Association, has been involved in zoning issues and has attended all the city's infill workshops. Downey lives in the Third Ward.
William Tillotson
Tillotson, 58, is a certified senior adviser for the Naught-Naught Agency, an insurance and financial services company. He says his experience as a business owner makes him "very adept at finding solutions to problems dealing with growth and finances." Tillotson lives in the Sixth Ward.
Paul Love
Love, 39, is a network administrator at Carfax and ran for mayor this year. He believes fixing problems in the planning phase "is significantly easier and cheaper (than) to correct the problems once they exist." Love lives in the Second Ward.
Karl Skala
Skala, 63, just lost a bid for re-election to the council. He is a former vice chairman of Planning and Zoning and served on the Environment and Energy Commission. He helped found Citizens for Timely and Responsible Road Infrastructure Financing. Skala lives in the Third Ward.
Council members will submit rankings of the applicants Wednesday. The top five will be interviewed Monday.
Show Me the Errors 
Comments
I hope the City Council will continue to make CHANGE in the City Government. We need new members to lead this City. Columbia has fallen as one as the best cities to live in the past few years.
One of the candidates helped make this city a "Chicken City". He needs to be removed. Another member's wife was a candidate for the Council and she lost because she was a supporter of Skata., He needs to be removed too because of the "click" trying to control the City Government.
Boycott Bo!
If you're sick of Larry "Bo" Bossaller aka "Dale Jones" continuing to:
1) Blather obsessively about a "Chicken City"
2) Bash hardworking former volunteer council member Karl Skala (the election is over, Larry)
3) Contribute to the same anonymous diatribe atmosphere that did terrible damage to candidates' reputations -- and their families -- during the last city council race
...then send Larry "Bo" Bossaller aka "Dale Jones" a message he'll understand by sending your real estate referrals to someone else!
After all, he's essentially flipping the bird -- figuratively and literally -- to over 75% of this community.
Larry Bossaller, aka "Dale Jones"
http://www.columbia-homes-relo.com
Remax Realty's Chicken Realtor
('Cuz he's too "chicken" to post under his real name.)
Well spoken, Mike. As if politicization of council races weren't bad enough, it seems "Dale" wants to start influencing volunteer appointments as well.
Mike Martin should flip the bird at all the people who voted for the winners...all the candidates Dale supported won..that's 100% Mr. Martin...therefore, you should flip the bird at all the people who voted for the winners....enough said..Dale is the WINNER!!!
"Dale" my five-year old shows more class when winning than you do. Go ponder that a bit.
Boycott Bo!
http://www.columbia-homes-relo.com
Fed up with bully politics?
Tired of local Realtor Larry "Bo" Bossaller masquerading under an assumed name, publicly dissing a large part of the community?
Wonder why he's bashing good citizens who spend money all over town, including citizens who supported the chicken ownership ordinance (which passed a majority of council members)?
Bashing citizens who buy houses and fix them up, often in First Ward neighborhoods that need interested, engaged property owners?
Bashing people like Ann Koenig, who built a cool custom chicken coop in her Grasslands backyard, buying local materials and paying local sales taxes in the process:
http://www.columbiabusinesstimes.com/775...
Wonder why Larry's dissing Columbia, calling it a "Chicken City" on search-able news sites that can be read and accessed all over the world?
Then next time you have a real estate transaction, think about taking it to a different Realtor.
Better yet, since Larry works for Remax here in Columbia, write to Remax owner and manager Elizabeth Mendenhall.
Here's Elizabeth's contact information:
http://emendenhall.homestead.com
Tell her that this continued harping by Mr. Bossaller is beyond the pale.
Though it's certainly his right to keep it up, it's our right to respond.
That's why I'm making "Boycott Bo!" my new battle cry.
PS: Read this story and the comments that follow it:
http://www.columbiamissourian.com/storie...