1 week Ago
Three candidates are hoping to be serve the Mitchell community, seeking one of two seats on the Mitchell City Council. As part of its election coverage, the Star Herald reached out to local candidates in contested races, asking them a series of questions via an online survey. Mitchell contenders Kyle Kakuda and Gary Martin submitted responses to the Star-Herald's survey.
Doug French, who is currently serving on the Mitchell City Council after being appointed to fill the post vacated by Angie Preston, is also running, but did not submit a response to the Star-Herald's candidate survey. •Gary Martin Q. Briefly, tell constituents about yourself.
(A brief bio, any information you would like to share with voters.) A. I have lived in Mitchell and been a member of the Mitchell volunteer fire department for over 35 years.
I am recently retired, so I have more time to devote to making my community a better place to live. Q. If elected as a council member, what qualifications or experiences do you have that makes you the best candidate to be elected? A.
I would be a voice for the residents of Mitchell. I would listen to their concerns and work toward implementing solutions to those problems. Q.
What do you feel are the top issues facing the City of Mitchell? How do you feel those issues should be addressed? A. Mitchell needs to have more housing and we need to update all infrastructure. Q.
City councils occasionally have to make tough decisions during budget discussions. What do you feel are the top priorities for Mitchell? Why A. We need to review and approve the cities annual budget, so that financially we can keep cost down for all city residents.
Q. Economic development is a key issue in many rural communities. What do you see as city government's role in addressing key economic development needs? A.
We need to clean up the town. There are vacant buildings that need to be fixed up in order for new businesses to come to Mitchell. •Kyle Kakuda Q.
Briefly, tell constituents about yourself. A. I have been a member of the Mitchell community for 40 years, born and Raised in a rural community west of Mitchell.
I participated in coaching boys and girls baseball and softball teams with the Mitchell Organized Baseball (MOB) for four years. Q. If elected as a council member, what qualifications or experiences do you have that makes you the best candidate to be elected? A.
I actively attend the Mitchell city council meetings to keep myself abreast of the issues and accomplishments. The citizens of Mitchell feel comfortable sharing with me their views on what they feel would benefit the community and what issues they feel need addressed. Q.
What do you feel are the top issues facing the City of Mitchell? How do you feel those issues should be addressed?* A. The Care Center, lack of residents: To address the issue, there should be advertising of the Care Center and assisted living on media. The Fire Department, where to store equipment: Add onto the existing Fire Department building, but ensure the addition is not connected to the old city hall.
Q. City councils occasionally have to make tough decisions during budget discussions. What do you feel are the top priorities for Mitchell? Why? A.
The Fire Department Equipment storage. Finding a place to store the trucks. Care Center.
Any maintenance pertaining to the building. Q. Economic development is a key issue in many rural communities.
What do you see as city government's role in addressing key economic development needs? A. The city government's role should be to improve the relationship with the public, listen to what ideas the public has for community improvements and issues they would like addressed. Stay tuned to the Star-Herald for more local candidate coverage or follow online at starherald.
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