City Council Candidates Forum Brings Various Issues To Light
Osky News
Oskaloosa, Iowa- Residents came down to Smokey Row Wednesday evening for this year’s City Council Candidates Forum. The Forum was hosted by CRI and included a panel of moderators including Osky News Political Editor Charlie Comfort, CRI Executive Producer Jonathon Gregg, and Oskaloosa Herald Editor Duane Nollen. At-Large Candidates Joe Caligiuri and Jimmy Carter were present along with, Fourth Ward Candidate Jason Van Zetten, Second Ward Incumbent Tom Jimenez, and Incumbent Mayor Dave Krutzfeldt.
Each panelist was given 10 minutes of questioning to the candidates. All candidates had one minute to respond to each question. Audience questions were also accepted after the panelist was finished questioning.
Below we have included the questions asked by Osky News and the responses by candidates.
What will you as a Council Member do to ensure that all boards/commissions are full and have no vacancies?
Carter– Carter said that it is a question to address. Carter cited length of terms and proposed maybe some of the term lengths be shortened. “Everybody’s got a busy life,” Carter said. Carter also went on to address the Gender Balance issue as another issue to overcome in filling up boards/commissions.
Caligiuri– Caligiuri also cited term length as one issue in getting boards/commissions filled. He also proposed better advertising the vacancies to the public. “I think it’s something we need to look at. Some of these commissions [inaudible] are probably too long.”
Jimenez– Jimenez said that it is important people to be encouraged to apply for boards/commissions and for the public comes forward to apply.
Van Zetten– Van Zetten also agreed that the term limits on boards and commissions are too long. He went on to say how important it is for younger people to apply to get on city boards and commissions. He said that there is an opportunity for “new blood.” Van Zetten encouraged people who were interested in local government to find a board/commission and apply to be on it. Van Zetten hopes to see people step and get involved.
How would you settle an ongoing disagreement between two or more City Council Members?
Mayor– “Depends on the magnitude of the issue to begin with,” Kruztfeld said. Krutzfeldt said that if there is a “minor issue” he does not intervene. He also said that the city councilmembers “do a good job of separating issues from personalities.”Krutzfeldt said that he will approach a council member if they are making a decision based upon “a flawed piece of information.”
How would have recommended that the city raise funds to fix the streets if the franchise fee had not been raised?
Van Zetten – “one of the things I’ve talked about is how many people does it take to be on the road crew?” Van Zetten asked to start off his response. Van Zetten said that the city needs to make sure that every dime is accounted for in the budget.
How do you propose that you could bring change or influence to the rest of the City Council at the time of a controversial issue?
Jimenez– “That would certainly depend on the issue,” Jimenez said. Jimenez said there is a lot of discussion among other Council Members. He said that council members “do not carry a grudge, for the most part.” Jimenez said that he tries to speak his opinion and also discuss what his constituents would like to see done.
In an effort to save money, would you recommend cutting staff or salaries? Why or why not?
Caligiuri– Caligiuri said he wouldn’t want to cut personnel. He would cut salaries but would first want to cut back in departments before salaries.
Carter– Carter commented on the City Engineer’s position/salary and said he would to take a look at the qualification of an applicant for office before a hire is made.
