July 12, 2024 |
Photo – Rawlins city council candidates – By Matt Copeland Bigfoot99
The Carbon County Higher Education Center hosted a forum featuring ten of the candidates running for Rawlins city council.
On Wednesday evening, ten Rawlins residents met to explain their policies and why they want to be on the city council. Carbon County Higher Education Center Student Services Specialist Cory Hudson moderated the event.
Hudson began by reading a letter from Ward One candidate, De Shann Schinkel. In her letter, Schinkel, who was unable to attend Wednesday’s meeting in person, said she is a former Rawlins grant administrator and parks and recreation director. Reading from Schinkel’s letter, Hudson said the candidate’s experience makes her an ideal city council member.
Hudson asked the ten candidates in attendance to introduce themselves and explain why they are running and what they hope to accomplish if elected to the Rawlins city council.
Ward One candidate Derek Elliott said he is a Rawlins native and loves the city. Elliott said if elected, he will work on important infrastructure projects and increase sidewalk access for residents.
Next, Ward One candidate DeBari Martinez said he has 40 years of city council experience. Martinez said he is running for council again because he isn’t done serving the public.
Ward Two candidate Stanley Bugg said he’s lived in Rawlins for 45 years. Bugg said as a council member, he will work to ensure Ward Two is properly represented.
Linda Ann Smith is also running for Ward Two. Smith said she is a two term Rawlins city council member and has more than 18 years of experience with city and county budgets. If elected, Smith said she’ll look for grant money to pay for water infrastructure projects and lower costs for residents.
Sitting council member Darril Garner is running for Ward Two again. Garner said the city’s declining population limits spending. Garner said he’ll increase the city’s business-friendliness and encourage young people to stay by creating more career opportunities.
Ward Three candidate Marco Dane Paschal said he is running because people in his ward want change. Paschal said he doesn’t intend to make any big changes, just help people.
Danny Rodriguez is also running to represent Ward Three. Rodriguez said he worked for the city for 23 years at the water treatment plant and oversaw the construction of the pretreatment plant. Rodriguez said he wants to be on the city council so he can have a say in how infrastructure projects are prioritized.
Current Ward Three council member Chris Weisenburg said as a member of the Rawlins Planning and Zoning Committee, he has invited several businesses into the city, including an in-home day care and an off-track horse betting parlor. Weisenburg said if reelected, he’ll continue to work on the water infrastructure projects.
Ward Three candidate Patrick Gonzales said he was the city’s grant administrator for five years. Gonzales said he wants to regain the public’s trust in the city council by being more transparent.
And finally, Ward Three candidate Terry B. Patterson said he served with the Rawlins Fire Department for 15 years and is currently on the Fire Civil Service Commission. Patterson said as a council member, he’ll try to engage more with the city’s youth.
Student Services Specialist Cory Hudson asked each candidate what assurances they’ll give to the voters about the water system and rate increases.
DeBari Martinez said the recent water rate increase was unpleasant, but necessary. However, Martinez said as a council member, he will try to find a way to reduce the cost of water for residents.
Stanley Bugg agreed that the water rate increase was long overdue. Bugg said if elected, he’ll look for grants to help offset residents’ water bills.
Linda Ann Smith said city staff are already addressing the water system problems. As a council member, Smith said she’ll direct more impact assistance funding toward the water projects.
Councilman Darril Garner said work on the city’s water infrastructure is almost ready to start. Garner said he wants to keep the momentum going.
Marco Dane Paschal said as a council member, he will encourage residents to donate money toward the infrastructure projects. Paschal said people shouldn’t rely on the government to fix all their problems.
Danny Rodriguez said the current council is prioritizing the wrong water system projects. Rodriguez said he will ensure the high-pressure line feeding the city’s water tanks is addressed first.
Councilman Chris Weisenburg said the governing body is already doing everything it can to address the water problems. Weisenburg said the high median income of city residents makes it difficult to find grants.
Patrick Gonzales acknowledged that finding grants is difficult. Gonzales said he will look at alternative funding sources, such as the federal government, to pay for the water projects.
Terry Patterson said as a level four water treatment plant operator, he has unique insight on the city’s water issues. Patterson said if elected, he’ll prioritize replacing the failing water storage tanks.
Derek Elliott said the increased water rates are hurting fixed income residents. Elliott said as a council member, he’ll seek advice from the older generation.
Moderator Hudson asked each candidate about their budget experience and what city services they will prioritize.
Bugg said City Manager Tom Sarvey has done a great job with the city’s finances. Bugg said he has extensive knowledge of the budgeting process and will ensure that money is set aside to repair and maintain the city’s roads and utilities.
Smith explained that the budget is made up of different pots of money, some of which are restricted and cannot be used for other departments.
Smith said as a council member, she will prioritize the health and safety of residents by making sure the police, fire, and streets departments are properly funded.
Garner said the budget is complex and thanked City Manager Sarvey for working on it. Garner said the city can save money by joining the proposed joint emergency dispatch call center between the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office and the Saratoga Police Department.
Paschal said residents should contribute more for the services they want to see. He encouraged people to organize a fundraiser with the purpose of collecting funds to repair potholes.
Rodriguez said as a former water treatment plant operator, he was responsible for ensuring the money set aside in the budget was used properly. Rodriguez said as a council member, he will use city workers over contractors whenever possible to cut costs.
Weisenburg said the Chokecherry wind turbine project will bring a lot of tax revenue into the city. The councilman said he would like to set aside $1 million each year for road repairs.
Gonzales said he has experience working with budgets from his time as the city’s grant administrator. Gonzales said he will look for additional grants to supplement the city budget.
Patterson said water must take precedence over all other aspects of the budget, including police and fire. He said the city can’t have a functioning fire department without a reliable supply of water.
Patterson also said he does not support closing the Rawlins Family Recreation Center.
Elliott said he doesn’t know a lot about the budget. However, Elliott said he will meet with the city manager and see if there are areas that can be cut.
Martinez said the finance director is responsible for creating the yearly budget.
Moderator Hudson said tourism is critical to the economic development of Carbon County. Hudson asked each candidate how they will attract more tourism to Rawlins.
Smith said the city lacks the national presence needed to draw out-of-state visitors. She said Rawlins must emphasize bringing tourism-related businesses into the city.
Councilman Garner said Rawlins is perfectly located to draw visitors off Interstate 80. However, Garner said the city needs to advertise its amenities and businesses more, such as the Rochelle Ranch Golf Course.
Paschal said the city should promote the golf course in the same manner as old Route 66 roadside attractions.
Rodriguez said more people would be tempted to visit Rawlins if there wasn’t so much negativity on social media. He also suggested making the city more visually appealing.
Councilman Weisenburg said additional businesses will attract more visitors. However, Weisenburg said the water problems need to be addressed first.
Gonzales also said the city needs more businesses. He suggested creating new events, such as a Big Nose George day, to draw people to Rawlins.
Patterson also said Rawlins needs additional businesses to attract more visitors.
Elliott said the city should do more to encourage residents to open businesses. He suggested creating a motocross track, inviting more celebrities to play at the golf course, and allowing people to stay overnight in the Old Pen.
Martinez said the Bureau of Land Management is working to revitalize Rim Lake. Once that happens, Martinez said people will be attracted to the city.
Bugg said the city needs to beautify East Ceder Street. He suggested using inmates from the state penitentiary to pick up trash and cut weeds.
Moderator Hudson then asked the candidates what they will do to reestablish the public’s trust in their elected officials.
Councilman Garner said four years ago, people trusted the city council more than they do today. Garner said the council needs to be more transparent and polite to residents to regain that trust.
Paschal used the opportunity to remind residents to be nicer to police officers. He then said speed bumps should be installed on West Spruce Street to slow down motorists exiting Interstate 80.
Rodriguez said the council is doing a great job and blamed negative social media comments for the distrust of the governing body.
Councilman Weisenburg agreed that negative comments are not helping make the community better. The councilman said he would like to see the tight streets in Ward Three widened.
Gonzales said the online negativity comes from the attitude of the governing body. He said the council needs to be held accountable for their actions. Gonzales also agreed that Ward Three needs wider streets.
Patterson echoed Weisenburg’s comment about the narrow roads in Ward Three. If elected, Patterson said he’ll vote for better sidewalks.
Elliott said Mayor Terry Weickum welcomes public comments during every city council meeting. He encouraged more young people to attend the meetings.
Martinez said only a small percentage of the population posts negative online comments. As a council member in the past, Martinez said he took two hours out of every day to drive around the city and engage with voters.
Bugg encouraged residents to attend the city council meetings, either in person or online. He said having firsthand knowledge of what the council is doing helps fight misinformation.
Smith suggested asking for more feedback from the community about certain issues. She also said the council needs to focus more governing and less on bickering.
Moderator Hudson opened the floor for final remarks from each candidate.
Paschal said he is a recent Wyoming transplant. He said he fell in love with Rawlins and wants to make the city better as a council member.
Rodriguez said he has remained current with his water and wastewater certifications. While Rawlins has plenty of water now, Rodriguez said the city must be prepared for future drought conditions by making use of the pretreatment plant.
Councilman Weisenburg thanked the public for electing him to represent Ward Three. The councilman asked to be reelected to the Rawlins city council.
Gonzales encouraged voters to embrace new ideas. He said the old way of thinking has caused the city to miss out on economic opportunities.
Patterson said he hasn’t participated in government in the past. As a retiree, Patterson said he now has the time to serve his community.
Elliott encouraged young people to vote for him.
Martinez said he will continue to work with the other members of the governing body to affect change, just as he did during his previous 40 years on the council.
Bugg said he is always available to talk to constituents and will work to make residents proud.
Smith said she loves the city and wants to make it better.
Councilman Garner said he was proud of the number of citizens running to serve their communities.
On August 20th, Rawlins residents will choose one candidate from each ward to represent them in the primary elections.
