Jimmy Carter announces write-in campaign for At-Large City Council Position
Jimmy Carter
Oskaloosa, Iowa- Former City Councilman Jimmy Carter has announced that he will be running as a write-in candidate in this year’s municipal election. Carter will challenge Joe Caligiuri. Osky News caught up with Jimmy Carter’s office Tuesday afternoon located at Carter Manufacturing.
We asked Carter about his desire to run as a write-in candidate. “Carter said that people he knew well were urging him to run again. Carter said people were urging him to run because, “we [Oskaloosa] need somebody, to at least, kind of balance you know, ask some questions, find out why things are going this or that or the other, not a nay sayer as one might want to think.”
Carter said that he gave the idea some thought before making a decision. “I finally thought about it, prayed about it, and I agreed to do that. I really thought I will put my hat back in there and if I don’t get voted in, I don ‘t get voted in.”
Carter cited recent illnesses and deaths of friends as why he wasn’t able to make it onto the ballot. Carter said he found out about the passed deadline after be placed a call to City Hall. “I said well I guess I don’t have a whole lot of choice unless I decide to run as a write in.”
Carter also talked about some of the issues he stands on. He first discussed the Skate Board Park and the location where it is currently being built.
“After we give a property, which is tax owned property the taxpayers bought, the businesses that were setting in that locality, tore them down, paved the parking lot, and paid for 21 years on that parking lot. Now we give it away to be a skate board park. Now I’m not anti-skateboard. I’m not anti-basketball. I’ve got grandkids that play and do all those types of those things, but what I am against is the location that they chose to do that, especially when there’s some many other localities.” Carter cited a spot and the Lacy Complex and a spot east of M. Shrago and Son as alternative spots for the Skate Park.
Carter also expressed his concerns about the proposed passage of the International Property Maintenance Code.
“We’re not Chicago. We’re not Des Moines. We’re 10,500 people here in Oskaloosa Iowa and the same way with the landlords. The landlords have brought up enormous amounts of great points. I want safer living environments for tenants. I want so on and so forth, but all those tenants have got to do, we’ve got the laws already in effect, call up. You can get that fixed whatever you think is an unsafe situation or scenario to get it fixed.”
Carter continued, “If the light bulb or the garbage disposal or whatever it might be they got, they can call up and get you fined.”
The 2011 Municipal Election will be held on Tuesday November 8th.
