Mayor, commissioner candidates seek votes at forum

Candidates for Kimball mayor and county commission answered questions at a forum last Thursday hosted by a Kimball High School civics class.

The forum was put on by one of Jeri Ferguson’s civics classes. The students spent time researching different issues that would be on the ballot, as well as making visual aids that were displayed on the windows and of the walls of the KHS Student Center.

The students first recognized unopposed candidates and then talked about different issues on the ballot. Issues on the ballot include a potential minimum wage hike, and local funding for the Ag Society and Plains Historical Society.

The first two candidates to take the state in the debate were John Morrison and Keith Prunty, who are both running for Kimball mayor.

Prunty highlighted his time on the city’s board of public works as one of his qualifications for office.

“I have been on the board of public works for four years. I see that a lot of the citizens of Kimball have a negative view of how things are going. I am here I think I have a new perspective to offer. I’m a fresh face that can see things that need to be addressed that maybe have been overlooked,” Prunty said.

Morrison countered with a list of his qualifications and why he thinks there need to be changes.

“Being a member of the city council for a little over a year now, I have learned about how things work, how government works. This year we passed the lowest property tax in five years. We only had two people show up to our city budget meeting, and that is something we need to change. I believe that my experience with city matter will allow me to make a difference in the community,” Morrison said.

The next question asked the candidates’ vision for the city and how they plan to accomplish it.

Morrison said his vision included a need for more housing and retail businesses, and the need to develop the area along the interstate.

“We need to grow, not too much, but enough to get us the needed retail and housing,” Morrison said.

Prunty’s vision for Kimball after his 18 years in the community is one of an economically beneficial place to live.

“I don’t want to burden our citizens. We have a $24 million budget. I don’t want to put the burden on our community. We need to make more cautious investments and make sure that people want to come here because they can be financially sound here,” Prunty said.

Due to the demands of the office, the candidates were asked how they would handle the time required to be mayor.

Morrison said he is retired and would be available “all the time.”

Prunty holds a full-time job in Scottsbluff, but said he is confident in his ability to serve.

“Being mayor isn’t a directly hands on position. It is a position that provides direction to those who work at the city. I believe that by working with the city administration and delegating responsibilities I can fulfill all the duties a mayor would see to,” Prunty said.

The candidates were then asked about the experience budgeting.

Morrison highlighted his 21 years the Coop, and the experience of having a hand in working through the city’s current budget.

“You have to plan for anything you might spend, that doesn’t mean you have to spend it. That’s why have a $24 million budget. It doesn’t mean that is what we are spending,” Morrison said.

Prunty’s approach to budgeting involves heavy inquiry.

“I might not know everything there is to know about budgeting, but I ask a lot of questions and I expect it to be clear in layman’s terms. I want everyone to be able to understand what’s going on, and if that’s the case, then maybe we can get more people involved and showing up to the budget hearings,” Prunty said.

In the final question for the mayoral candidates, they were asked how they planned to work with the county.

Morrison acknowledged the need for the city and the county to work together and highlighted communication as an important factor in that.

Prunty said that Kimball is a small community and that requires everyone to work together.

“We’re a small community, there should be no edges and we need to remember we’re neighbors and we need to lend a helping hand,” Prunty said.

Following that answer, debate began among the three county commissioner candidates began. Larry Engstrom, Shaun Evertson and Daria Anderson-Faden are running for two positions. Engstrom is an incumbent, while Evertson and Anderson-Faden are challengers.

The three were first asked about their qualifications for office. Engstrom highlighted his years as a county commissioner, and added that he is a property owner and a tax payer.

“You have to be willing to ask tough questions and talk to people, but you really have to be willing to listen,” Engstrom said.

Evertson highlighted his property owning and tax paying past and present, followed by his list of qualifications

“I grew up in the area, was in the Navy, involved in local agriculture, and I worked with the newspaper which made me attend several meetings where I learned all about the process for getting things done,” Evertson said.

Anderson-Faden expressed her love of the community and her willingness to devote time to learning.

“I teach American government and I am a quick study. If I don’t know something, I do research to make sure I do know it for next time. I love this community and I want to help it be better,” Anderson-Faden said.

The next question asked of the candidates was how they would handle the time commitments demanded by the position.

Evertson raises cattle in addition to working as the county’s veterans service officer.

“A lot is done outside of meetings, not official business but other things. What’s important is the communication and that takes time and you have to ask yourself if you are willing to put in that time,” Evertson said.

Anderson-Faden mentioned previously that she teaches American government in Potter. She will retire in May, and will have an open schedule after that.

“I know there are a lot of meetings and while I will be teaching I do have some time saved up that I can take off from work as needed. That’s how I’ll get through until May. I want the people to know that I will be dedicated to what I do,” Anderson-Faden said.

“I’ve already been doing it for several years, quite well, I think, so I won’t have a problem keeping that up,” Engstrom said.

The candidates were then asked what they envisioned for Kimball County.

Anderson-Faden said that her door to door campaigning has given her insight into what this community has to offer.

“I have spoken to several members of the community and I believe that the people of this county have a lot to offer. We need to progress with who and what we have and appreciate the talent already inhabiting our community,” Anderson-Faden said.

Engstrom believes that with the right attitude, Kimball County is halfway to what needs to be accomplished.

“I think that if we start off with the right attitude and work on doing our best at one project at a time we can really go places. Case and point, the tourism director, that position and the Welcome Center has reaped what we sowed times over,” Engstrom said.

Evertson pointed out that a lot of people expect just to see things get done without putting forth an effort.

“They think that Washington hands you a pile of money and you can do whatever. The truth is we have to get people involved. We’re a grassroots community and we need to get invested in our community,” Evertson said.

Looking at budgeting, Engstrom and Evertson both said they are qualified from having to work out budgets for their businesses. Anderson-Faden, while not explicitly familiar with budgets, plans on putting in hard work to study budgets and how they work so she can fully serve the county.

The candidates were also asked how they can better work with the City of Kimball.

Engstrom pointed out that while the idea of better communication seems to be a go-to response for the question at hand, one must take into consideration the statutes that must be followed.

“We are limited by statutes. Sometimes in order for the county to do something, the city can’t do the same thing. So I think that is a very tough question and I’d say there’s a lot more to it than just talking,” Engstrom said.

Anderson-Faden also acknowledged the statutes and her familiarity with them due to her background in government.

“There are laws that must be followed, and knowing those laws and abiding by them is important. We just have to see that we can work together while still following those laws,” Anderson-Faden said.

Evertson used an analogy at this point comparing the city and the county to a married couple.

“Even though we might get cross, we still have to be adults and figure how to work things out. It’s for the good of the community,” Evertson said.

Election day is Nov. 4. Polls will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.