Residents of two Poplar Bluff wards will have an opportunity Tuesday to choose the city council person who will represent those areas of the city for the next three years.
Seats held by Ed DeGaris of Ward 2 and Philip Crocker of Ward 4 are up for re-election.
Decisions that could be made by the next council could include a future location of city hall, the police department and city court.
Current council members have already decided to use a meeting room at the Black River Coliseum temporarily to hold city court and city council meetings.
An attempt to purchase a new building on Barron Road, Northwest Medical Center, was halted earlier this year after a majority of council members had concerns about the condition of the building.
The current council has also recently been approached about an effort by the police department to become part of a union, and with concerns about the condition of city neighborhoods.
Candidates were asked the same set of questions, and given the opportunity to discuss any other matters about which they are concerned.
Information is listed by ward, in ballot order.
Ward 2
Dylan Groves is seeking the Ward 2 seat against Ed DeGaris, who has held the position since 2009.
Groves
Groves is a Poplar Bluff native who says he wants to help make his hometown better for the future.
"I plan to live here the rest of my life," Groves said. "I just want to see the city grow and improve."
Groves will complete courses in May from the University of Missouri-Columbia as a pre-veterinary student. The remainder of his last term is being completed online, said Groves. He will apply to doctorate programs after graduation, but said he will be able to fulfill a three-year council term.
City finances are among Groves' top concerns, saying conservative spending will be needed for a while.
"The growth is really good and I want to support the growth," Groves said. "I believe that's what we need to dig out of the hole we're in."
The city has started to work together better, listen to its citizens and improved its management, he said.
"I'm for what will improve our city the best and will look at both sides," he said. "I'm not just for the most conservative side every time. I believe that's what we need at the moment."
He also believes his youth is an advantage moving forward with the council.
"I don't have all the answers, will never have all the answers, but I will do my best to research and get an answer for somebody," Groves said.
Groves would like to construct a new city building in a central location, saying, "I think not $4 million, but $1-2 million, just to get somewhere stable and that can function for the city."
It was good the city decided not to go to Northwest Medical Center, because of the cost and the state of the city finances, according to Groves.
Groves said he wants to listen to the citizens, but also feels a central location would allow the police department to better protect everyone.
"I think downtown was once something, but I think we're moving away from that, moving north," Groves said.
The police department is well managed, said Groves. He would support an effort to unionize if the majority of the department wants that, he said. The department's certification and record keeping are spoken of highly, he said.
Every city will have problems with keeping neighborhoods clean, Groves said, of recent discussions regarding code enforcement.
"You also have to take into consideration what parts of town you're trying to deal with because, not that we have a lot of poverty, but I just believe to each their own and it's kind of hard to enforce things that have been going on for years and years," he said.
The issue needs to be addressed, but slowly, he said.
Groves also supports being conservative with city spending, but is against cutting positions to do that.
"When you're this far in debt, one person, two people, three people even aren't going to change that," he said.
DeGaris
After nearly a decade on the council, DeGaris says that experience and that of being a retired Poplar Bluff police officer have prepared him well for another term.
"I like to listen to people," he said. "I like helping them solve problems. I love doing this job and making the city better."
If the city cannot fix something in the way a resident has requested, DeGaris believes it is important to explain that as well.
"Basically, treat people like you want to be treated," he said.
Poplar Bluff has strong growth with the development of the Eight Points retail area and the extension of Shelby Road that is currently under construction, DeGaris said.
DeGaris supports finding a financially responsible way to relocate city operations, but is against using the Black River Coliseum as a permanent base.
"The citizens voted for that, the bond issue for the coliseum," he said. "Just because the city council and the city government may have changed some since then, that's still something the citizens wanted.
"We have to try to do that until we can't anymore."
Regarding city hall, DeGaris has advocated for renovating a portion of the current Second Street complex used for city council meetings. He would like to save the portion of the building architects previously said could be improved, and constructing new office spaces around that.
"Some of it has got to come down and is in terrible shape," DeGaris said. "The other part, I think we could save money by revitalizing it."
He understands how important it is for the city to be financially conservative, according to DeGaris, because he was on the police force when more than 20 jobs were cut and pay cuts instituted in the 1980s.
City hall decisions need to be based on what the city can afford, he said.
"If we don't have a balanced budget, I don't think we need to be spending for something, when we've got the employees we need to take care of," DeGaris said. "They're our biggest asset, and do everything for us and the citizens."
DeGaris has mixed feelings regarding a police department effort to unionize.
The Fraternal Order of Police helps with legal defense, he said, and the union would allow for collective bargaining.
"I know from being a policeman, and wanting to take care of the employees, if there's money there to give them a raise, then I'm going to advocate for that," DeGaris said.
It will be up to the police department to decide if they feel like they need a union, according to DeGaris.
"I think any of the council would give them a raise whenever they could afford to," he said. "I think all of them deserve a raise."
Poplar Bluff needs stricter code enforcement in all areas, said DeGaris, of cleaning up areas of the city. As an officer, he was once in charge of code enforcement. He said he also understands that people may have difficulty meeting certain deadlines.
DeGaris would additionally like to work toward a program that has been discussed previously by the council to forgive liens on vacant property if new owners make certain improvements.
Ward 4
Newcomer Shane Cornman is the challenger for the Ward 4 seat against Philip Crocker, who is seeking his second term.
Cornman
A lifetime living in Poplar Bluff has provided experience in what works and what doesn't for the city, according to Cornman, who said he was asked by friends to run for council.
"I've heard a lot from family and friends and neighbors and I thought this may be a time to try to get in there and make some differences," Cornman said.
Learning about some of the city's issues, and particularly an effort to purchase Northwest Medical Center, also helped him make the decision, he continued.
"My thoughts on city hall are, it needs to stay downtown," Cornman said. "I believe the process that got Northwest Medical Center involved was not thought through enough. It should probably have never made it as far as it did."
If it is fiscally responsible to maintain city hall in the historic area of the city, Cornman said he would support that.
"I think we kind of rushed into the Northwest Medical Center situation,' he said. "I don't think it was thought through properly."
He would like to take more time on serious financial situations, according to Cornman, and look at city hall after those situations are dealt with.
Cornman would like more information on city finances, believing the council may be able to find new revenue or other options.
Conducting city business is a joint effort by the council, to do what the residents want, he said.
"When you represent a ward, you're representing the people of that ward, not what you want to do," Cornman added. "You don't want to get too much of your personal feelings involved in anything."
The police department has a right to unionize, if that is what they want, he said.
He would like to talk to the police department and get more information about the situation.
"My thoughts may change on how I look at things, depending on talking to them and really investigating it," Cornman said. "I would want to talk to the public. I just want to be a voice for them."
Despite strong growth in the Eight Points area, there are some areas of the city that are beginning to look run down, Cornman said.
It is an issue that needs to be looked at, he believes.
"We've really got to find a way to bring those back," Cornman said.
Crocker
The past three years may have been some of the most difficult in the city's history, Crocker says he has been told.
He believes during that time he has learned council procedure and information about city issues that is very valuable in moving forward. Part of that is listening to everyone and their circumstances, Crocker said.
"I'm elected to make a yes or no vote, and I have to go on what I feel is right for the city," he said.
The job of city council representative can be very thankless, he said, but he would like to see some of the current projects finished.
A new city hall and the police department are among those projects.
Crocker maintains that Northwest was a good buy for the city, saying there was a lot more information discussed in closed sessions.
"We could have offset some expenses," he said.
The location of a new city building is irrelevant, if it can function and be achieved at a good price, Crocker said.
"One thing we can't say is, it has to be downtown or it has to be somewhere else. It doesn't have to be anywhere," Crocker said. "What it has to be is a functional area that can do business, economically. It's an office building when you really think about city hall."
There are many city budgets that must be kept separate, which can make dealing with shortages in the general fund difficult, according to Crocker. The general fund pays for many city operations, including police, fire and street departments. Money from the utility should not be used to support these efforts, and funds from tourism or a capital improvement tax legally cannot be used for this, he said.
More than 80 percent of general fund spending goes to personnel, Crocker said.
"That doesn't leave us with a lot of money to do a lot of things," he continued.
Crocker said he does not have enough information to know what he supports in regards to a police department union.
"I have a very high regard for our police department and every other department in the city," Crocker said, adding that the city has to be cautious when looking at raises.
"We have to make sure we take care of not just the police department, but all departments," he said. "Everyone wants to be paid fairly. ... I just want to be fair to everyone."
Developments like Eight Points help raise city sales tax collections, Crocker said. That also means if sales tax drops, it can make it harder for the city to operate, he continued.
If raises are given that cannot be sustained, it could force the city to make cuts no one wants, he said.
Crocker believes a residential housing committee that will be voted on by the council Monday will help with city clean up. It will help different sides understand each other better, he said, through a membership that includes city departments and residents.
"Ninety percent of the problem we have is self inflicted," he said. "We let the houses go down. We let trash sit in our yards. We don't cut our own grass. We don't take care of our own."
Crocker said at some point, "we have to start taking responsibility for our own city, for our own front yard, for our own trash service."