Oskaloosa Council Candidates Take The Hot Seat
Oskaloosa City Candidate Forum – 2015
by Keith Fisher
As you walked into Smokey Row you’d notice the typical ambiance of a coffee house, but something was different. In the center of the room sat cameras, laptops, and audio equipment.
Before the debate began, citizens of Oskaloosa ordered their drinks, chit-chatted in the corners and some courageous few approached the candidates for pre-debate conversation.
The purpose of the debate is to determine where the candidates stand on certain issues that have been plaguing Oskaloosa for some time.
University Park Mayor George Toubekis was the moderator for the evening. Toubekis, along with Oskaloosa News, received and presented questions raised up by community members.
In Oskaloosa, the 4th Ward and At-Large seats are being contested. The Mayor seat held by Dave Krutzfeldt is uncontested.
The evening started with opening comments by each of the candidates. Jason Van Zetten, incumbent 4th Ward Councilman, and Steve Burnett, also running for the 4th Ward, were the initial two candidates to address the crowd.
The At-Large candidates of incumbent Joe Caligiuri and Jimmy Carter shared the second table with Mayor Dave Krtuzfeldt. Those three candidates then gave their opening statements, commenting about their backgrounds.
The first question asked of the candidates was: What is your vision for Oskaloosa? The group had a consensus that the main “Corridor”, the length of A Ave West to Market Street, needs improvement.
4th Ward Candidate Jason Van Zetten would like to see a comprehensive plan that defines what the city is going to do and to better prioritize issues. “Our priorities are backwards”, Jason announced to the crowd. 4th Ward candidate, Steve Burnett implied that the City Council should work closer with the City Manager and employees. Joe Caligiuri, At-Large Candidate, would like to see a better housing program for rental properties; perhaps proposing policies that set standards for rentals and assisting with landlords with meeting them. At-Large candidate Jimmy Carter sees the vision as a cooperative effort.
The hot button topic and third question of the evening was regarding Blue Zones and how the incumbent candidates felt about it.
Jason Van Zetten firmly took the stance that it wasn’t the city council’s job to dictate how the people of Oskaloosa should live their lives. Joe Caligiuri felt similarly to Jason in that it’s not the council’s job to dictate how individuals should live their lives.
Forum Moderator George Toubekis was about to move on to the next question when Steve Burnett asked if he could respond to Jason’s stance on the Blue Zones; George allowed him to. What followed was a few minutes of intense debate between Jason and Steve. Steve is a supporter of Blue Zones, in that he feels it offers an education platform for the citizens of Oskaloosa and that they always have a choice. Jason disagrees, and says that there’s not always a choice. Jason alluded to something being “taken off the table”. At this point, Steve challenged Jason to provide specifics. Jason provided the example of vending machines and how Blue Zones has taken away a person’s choice of choosing what they want to eat or drink. The two candidates cooled after they expressed their differences on the Blue Zones project and its impact on the Oskaloosa Community. Burnett ended with the comment that he wouldn’t apologize for supporting a healthier community.
The local option sales tax expires next year. The candidates were asked if they would support another implementation of the sales tax and, if so, where would they like to see the money go? Every candidate supported the sales tax. Most of the candidates agreed that it should be up to the voters to decide where the money should be spent. Jimmy Carter was adamant that it should be up to the people to decide what projects the money is spent on.
Several ongoing issues for Oskaloosa are attracting businesses, affordable housing, and wages. The candidates were asked what their plans were in addressing these issues. At-Large Candidate Jimmy Carter believes the Chamber of Commerce should be responsible for attracting more business. He added that communities have to be competitive in wages in order to bring in good help. 4th Ward Candidate Jason Van Zetten provided an example of an issue that he and his girlfriend are facing, that issue being Daycare. He says that we’ve hit an artery in Oskaloosa, and without quality Daycare it would be difficult to attract young professionals with families. Steve Burnett currently sits on a housing committee, which has submitted a list of 16 items for review that would assist with the housing issue in Oskaloosa.
Towards the end of the debate, Moderator George Toubekis took some questions from the crowd. One attendee asked how the City Council could promote the Lacey Complex. Jason Van Zetten and Joe Caligiuri both said that they would like to get the roads and parking lots paved.
The debate covered several key issues facing Oskaloosa today. All of them are very important issues, as it affects our quality of life and how Oskaloosa grows in the future. Be sure to reach out to the candidates to learn more on their stance on the issues.
The election for the City Council will be held on November 3rd. As always, each candidate would love your support and vote. Most importantly, take time to go vote.
Oskaloosa News would like to thank all of the candidates who participated in the debate, Smokey Row for hosting the event, and to the citizens of Oskaloosa for attending and listening to how the candidates will represent their interests.
To view the entire debate, watch the video posted below –
(Additional reporting by Ken Allsup and Editing by Ginger Allsup)
