By Kellen Olshefski
SLN Staff
In the only other contested race for City of Elkhorn Aldermanic seats, incumbent Scott McClory and political newcomer Gonzalo Vega will be facing off for the city’s District 4 seat on the City of Elkhorn Common Council.
Staff at the Elkhorn Independent spoke with candidates Wednesday night to get a feel for why they’re running and their stance on several city issues. Their responses are below:
Reasons for seeking election
McClory, who has lived at 616 N. Washington St. for about the past 25 years, said he’s running again because there’s still plenty of work to be done in the city and projects the council needs to see to fruition, the biggest being the Northeast Water Treatment Plant.
McClory said if people are satisfied and confident of his ability to continue to serve them, it’s something he will happily continue to do; and likewise, he said if the voters choose to go with his opponent, it’s something he would respect.
Vega, who has lived in Elkhorn since 1997, said he has a deep passion for the city and its prosperity.
“I want to stand with hard-working middle class families and I would really love to see our downtown thrive,” he said.
Vega said he wants to make sure the community remains healthy and safe, especially for the children.
“Those are my top priorities, making sure the kids live in a safe place, they have a good education and they have some fun,” he said.
McClory said he feels the biggest reasons he is qualified to continue in his position includes his lengthy time on the council, noting he’s the most senior member of the council at this time – having served on the council since 2004 – and has gained invaluable experience in city government over the years. Additionally, he noted being elected City Council President by the council the past two terms by the standing members of the council.
“So, obviously, I have their respect and their confidence to lead the council and continue to work towards consensus building rather than work the opposite way and try to polarize people,” he said.
McClory said in his time, he’s not only served on every city committee, but served as chairman of every committee, invaluable experience his opponent doesn’t have.
Vega said his extended experience in management, networking and community involvement qualifies him to work with the council. As a result, he said his main focus would be community outreach, connecting with constituents to find out what they see as needs and concerns in the city.
Furthermore, Vega said it’s a critical election year and he hopes to be an example for young voters, to encourage them to become involved in the political process.
Revitalizing downtown
Vega said when it comes to downtown revitalization, the first thing is to support the local businesses that serve as cornerstones in the community.
Here, again, he said outreach is key, working with not the businesses to help them get their name out there and show their dedication to the community through working with youth programs and community events.
Along a similar vein of thought, Vega said to draw people into Elkhorn’s downtown, the city needs to work with outside businesses and individuals to help put Elkhorn a little bit more on the map through festivals, which would draw in outside companies and more.
“At the same time, we can reach out and bring some more money into the community,” he said.
McClory said he thinks the biggest thing the city needs to do is continue to maintain an open-door policy when it comes to businesses bringing their business or events to the city’s downtown.
“We need to be receptive enough, and smart enough, to let those people speak and let their voices be heard,” he said. “And if there’s a smarter way, a more efficient way, a better way of doing things, then we need to listen to those people.”
Capital improvements
When it comes to city spending, McClory said councilmembers need to remember they’re responsible to the taxpayers and constituents they serve.
“You have to strike a balance and try and serve as many people as you can, get the best possible out of what you spend without it negatively impacting your tax base,” he said.
“You have to make smart choices and unfortunately there’s always things that end up on the cutting room floor … I try to remember that no one walks away from the table getting everything they want for their district or their constituents, but everyone tries to make sure that everyone has voice or gets a chance to be heard.”
Looking at specific projects, McClory said the two biggest priorities are the water treatment plant – something that needs to be done as the city is living on borrowed time and faces a heavy toll if the Centralia Plant were to fail – and getting into a new City Hall.
As for parks, McClory said he’s pleased with what the city has done in revitalizing Tasch Park in his district in recent months.
Moving forward, he said Babe Mann Park still remains a priority as well in future years.
“I would love to see it reopened as a beach,” he said, noting there’s work to be done before that’s a viable option.
He also said the park needs some facelifts in terms of infrastructure, notably ball fields, piers for launching small watercraft and an updated concession and restroom facility.
“I would like to see that over the next several years,” he said. “It’s going to take several phases, but I would like to see Babe Mann improved too.”
Vega said he thinks the sitting council has done a solid development with city parks, something which he’d like to see continue.
However, Vega said if the city is going to be updating its parks, it also needs to be utilizing them, working with local businesses and organizations to promote them through special events.
Vega also noted there are still streets in the city that could use a little “TLC.”
McClory again noted seeing the fruition of the Northeast Water Treatment Plant as being a high priority, noting that while it’s something that’s been discussed for many years, there’s finally a council that recognizes it’s importance to clean water in the city. He also noted with the funds available and good financing, it’s important to make sure the project is completed and isn’t again abandoned in the coming months.
“This is the time to get it done, so I’m very interested in seeing that through,” he said.
Status of City Hall
McClory has been a strong supporter of finding a new location for City Hall over the years and with the backing of a council that backs his stance, it’s something he’d like to see finally come to fruition in the upcoming terms.
McClory said there are pros and cons for both rehabilitation and relocation. However, he noted the choice is pretty clear and was against and expenditure several years ago to pay a consultant to come in and determine whether the building was salvageable.
“The walls are little crumbling, the wall papers falling off, the ceiling’s are leaking, the people who work here are always complaining about their work environment,” he said. “Why would we try to rehab that building. That building is so old. There’s asbestos issues and there’s a lot of liability impacts in keeping us there versus going into a new building that’s up to code and doesn’t have potential liability for somebody having breathing problems for example.
“I have no desire to keep the current building and continue to force our employees to live in that kind of environment. It’s not safe, it’s not fair and they have begged us, literally, please get us out of here.”
McClory said he thinks the only smart choice is to find a new home for city offices, though he said that doesn’t mean he thinks the city needs to build a brand new City Hall either.
“There’s lots of buildings we could refurbish or put into a new design that are currently vacant in the city,” he said, noting it doesn’t have to be in Elkhorn’s downtown either.
“It doesn’t have to be right in the downtown area for it to be a successful place for people to go.”
Likewise, with the city’s infrastructure and technology aging rapidly, he doesn’t see the point in spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to update it when the city could start fresh somewhere else.
“I just think it’s a really poor use of our resources and a really poor use of our tax dollars and we should move,” he said. “I would really love to see us do that during my next term.”
While he’s not entirely up to date on the situation, Vega said he knows it’s a concern for the city at this time and he would like to see what can be done with it.
He said being a historic building, he would like to see it renovated than seeing the city spend a lot of money to purchase a new building and renovate, though he said he would be able to give a better opinion on the topic if elected and brought up to speed.
“It would be nice to keep the same building, in my opinion,” he said.
