Published: May 01, 2008 08:23 am      

Commission candidates face off in public forum

Consolidated 911, Camp Catalpa, smart growth, downtown revitalization and government transparency are some of the issues discussed Wednesday at a Richmond City Commission candidate forum.

The 11 candidates met for the first time in front of a standing-room-only audience at Richmond City Hall

All candidates, including the four incumbents, were seated in the order in which their names will appear on the May 20 ballot.

The order will be as follows: Incumbent Robert Blythe, Rita Smart, Cameron Scott Gibson, incumbent Mike Brewer, Richard Thomas, incumbent Kay Cosby Jones, incumbent Bill Strong, John S. McDaniel III, Michael Bryant, Doug Parker and Ian Ward.

Incumbent Robert Blythe began Wednesday’s forum stating that his role as pastor of First Christian Church on Francis and Collins and a mathematics professor at Eastern Kentucky University has given him the opportunity to interact with a variety of community sectors during his six years as serving as commissioner.

Rita Smart, who has retired from the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, highlighted her experience in building leadership, focusing on public policy training and problem-solving.

Smart now serves as Richmond’s Main Street coordinator.

Gibson was a student at the University of Cincinnati when the Iraq war began and he responded by joining the United States Marine Corps, working his way up to the rank of sergeant. He is an EKU student majoring in political science and will bring an “open mind to the table.”

Brewer, who has as a served as a Madison County paramedic for 15 years and a city commissioner for the past 10 years, said he knows the community and its needs.

“I do the right thing for the right reason,” Brewer said

Thomas, who is the retired chief executive officer of Pattie A. Clay Regional Medical Center and current member of the Richmond Planning and Zoning Committee, said his most recent endeavor, driving a city transit bus, has opened his eyes to several areas of the city that are being neglected.

Strong has served a total of 22 years on the city commission and referred to himself Wednesday as “the most experienced candidate running for this office.” He is now employed by the state Administrative Office of the Courts and has served one term as mayor and 20 years as a commissioner. He also served a four-year term on the Madison Fiscal Court. He returned as a city commissioner in 2006.

McDaniel, a homebuilder and developer, sees a need for the city to reach out to all resources available and take advantage of the “many opportunities” Richmond has to offer, he said.

“I would just like to bring some fresh, new ideas to the commission,” he said.

Bryant now serves as director of the Madison County CSEPP (Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program) and worked as a journalist for 10 years.

“I understand how government works from top to bottom,” he said.

His job with CSEPP already has allowed him to develop working relationships with those on a local, state and federal level, he said.

Parker listed his credentials as simply being “a concerned citizen.”

Making sure the public has input on decisions made for the city should be the top priority of a city commissioner, Parker said.

“Everyone should have a fair say in what happens in this city,” he said. “I hope to be fair and sensible.”

Wednesday’s forum should be used by the community as a “chance to get a feel for ideas and to get a feel for who is most able to work through the problems,” he said.

The city’s stall in moving forward with 911 consolidation, the deterioration of city sidewalks and the lack of proper street lighting throughout the city were stated as being some of his main concerns.

Mediator Lynette Noblitt, director of paralegal programs at EKU and member of the League of Women Voters of Berea and Madison County, asked the questions that were submitted by community members.

One of the more lengthy answering sessions was spent on the question whether or not Richmond should join Berea and Madison County in their consolidated 911 dispatching system.

Bryant, who has had several years of experience in the emergency response profession, said he has seen both sides of the story first-hand.

“I’ve seen them operated just as Madison County and I’ve seen them work combined,” he said. “I believe the city of Richmond should go in. It’s the least you can do to save lives, and in the long run, it’s going to save the city money.”

It would not be I the city’s best interest to wait another four years to consolidate, Thomas said.

“I don’t think we should keep putting it off,” he said. “I’ll be able to make a decision, and it won’t take two or four years.”

When it came to the question as to whether or not Camp Catalpa should remain an urban forest or be converted into a recreational vehicle park, all candidates, including incumbents who made the decision, agreed that the situation was handled incorrectly.

The commission took a vote and agreed to turn the area into an RV park without a prior public forum. The judgment was reversed after many community members voiced their displeasure.

“The community has never had a chance to discuss this issue,” Thomas said. “Voting for that particular contract was done at a city commission meeting and at the next meeting, it was overturned.”

Jones admitted the commission did not handle the situation properly, but defended her opinion that the RV park would bring in more revenue that the city could use to purchase other park land.

In a generation that is being encouraged to “go green,” more thought should have been spent on what importance Camp Catalpa, as it is today, has in the community, McDaniel said.

“Most cities fight for green space like that, so we have to look hard before we give away something like that,” he said.

Citizens can watch the entire forum, including opening and closing remarks and answers from each candidate to all questions asked, on local cable Channel 12 Sundays from 2 to 4 p.m. and on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 7 to 9 p.m. until the May 20 primary election.

Ronica Shannon can be reached at rshannon@richmondregister.com or 623-1669, Ext. 234.