The Lebanon Democrat
October 17, 2008.
Area races heat up at candidates’ forum
Craighead, Farmer go head to head on experience
By J.R. Lind
Both Craighead and Farmer continued to emphasize their experience as
their main qualification to hold the Cedar City’s top spot
– Craighead his business experience and Farmer his work in
public service.
“I love this town,” Craighead said.
“It’s a special town. It’s been good to
me and my family. I want to make sure it becomes that place for my son,
his children and on. I feel like I have the experience business-wise to
take care of this city. We will set our goals and work hard to achieve
them.”
Farmer said his education and experience as both an engineer and an
attorney, as well as his years spent in a number of positions in the
public sphere – including the city council and as city
attorney – put him over the top.
“I have the experience and qualifications to meet the
challenges before us and we have a great number of
challenges…to make Lebanon an even better place to
live,” he said.
The candidates were asked the five most important issues facing Lebanon
in the next four years. Both acknowledged that choosing five issues
– and then ranking them – was a difficult task.
Farmer said “first and foremost” he would review
city operations and eliminate waste and inefficiency, something he said
he has focused on in his time on the city council. He said he would
promote an economic plan to “increase the number of good jobs
in Lebanon.” He said he would focus on traffic problems,
protect neighborhoods with “fair and equitable”
planning and zoning laws and he would continue to fight for tax equity
for Lebanon’s citizens.
Craighead said his number one issue would be fiscal responsibility,
especially in light of “the economic uncertainty we have
right now.” He too said would work to encourage job growth.
“You need to think outside the box, and I’ve done
that for years,” he said.
Craighead also said he favored the revitalization of the historic
downtown and historic neighborhoods.
He said he also felt it was apparent to foster co-operation.
“It’s important for all governments to be on the
same page. Once we get our act together, tings will begin to
happen,” he said.
The second question for the mayoral candidates was about fire
protection in the county, especially Mt. Juliet, and what some local
leaders see as inequity, because Lebanon residents pay both county and
local property tax, funding both the Lebanon Fire Department and Wilson
Emergency Management, which also serves Mt. Juliet, a city without a
property tax.
“We need to get this election over with and then
we’ll know which way the city will take – a path of
co-operation or a path of ultimatum,” Craighead said,
referring to a resolution sponsored by Farmer and passed unanimously by
the council putting a deadline of April 1, 2009 for a solution to be in
the works. “This issue has been ongoing for years.
It’s an issue we never get solved…There has been
co-operation. We have a mutual assistance agreement. I do not believe
in drawing a line in the sand. We have to find something to secure the
safety of all and be equitable and fair for all.”
Farmer took issue with the implication he was not in favor of
co-operating with Mt. Juliet and the county.
“I disagree that I am not going to co-operate. What my
opponent said was it’s OK with him if we subsidize Mt. Juliet
with your taxes and then subsidize them again a second way by sending
our engines,” Farmer said.
Farmer said Craighead was following the position of Mayor Don Fox, who
vetoed the most recent council resolution.
“Mayor Fox is running for county mayor [in 2010] and he is
counting votes in Mt. Juliet. He changed his mind when he decided to
run for county mayor,” Farmer said.
Hipps then asked the candidates how Lebanon could work to attract more
retail business to Lebanon, especially since much retail growth is
headed across State Route 109 to Mt. Juliet.
“First I would explore to see why we failed to get the ones
scheduled for Hartmann Drive that ended up at Providence. We had
letters of intent….I’d work with the city council
to revamp our economic plan. It can’t be done overnight, but
it can be done, “ Farmer said.
He said he would work with city planners to identify retail centers and
would work to revitalize downtown.
Craighead said he would work hard to recruit retailers.
“We need to look outside for professionals who can bring more
eyes on our city. …We have a unique place of great future
for business. We need to make sure we are talking on a united front to
deliver what we are promising,” he said.
Craighead pointed to the interest of the Bible Park and Core-Tech
Industries as indicators Lebanon is attractive to businesses.
The final question for the candidates was about what they would do if
the city’s sales tax base did not increase, putting a strain
on the budget.
“Lebanon’s goal has always been to increase quality
of life. New sources have to be found if we are coming up short [on
sales taxes],” he said.
Craighead said he would look at “restructuring” the
purchasing system and seek grants to help pay for “quality of
life” projects like parks and walking trails. He said it
would be important to stay on top of the social situation as it
happened and not wait until the end of the year to catch up.
Farmer pivoted the question back to a focus on government efficiency.
“I’ll look very hard at the structure and
efficiency of government operations and try to cut government
waste,” he said.
Farmer said he would talk with leaders of other cities to see if there
was an efficient way to combine certain services, like animal control,
though he was advocating a metropolitan government for Wilson County.
He said he would organize weekly breakfasts or other lunches with
leaders of other cities and the country to “look for common
ground.”
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