Half of mayoral candidates will advance to general election
QUESTIONS
1. What qualifications do you have that would effectively serve and benefit the City of Grant if you are elected to this position?
2. What sets you apart from your opponents?
3. Where do you see the City of Grant in 10 years?
The mayoral candidates were asked more in-depth questions at the mayoral debate held on April 4. The answers to those questions can be found in full by clicking here.
* Candidates appear in the order they filed and appear on the ballot.
Lisa Schmitt
1. I have served as an administrative assistant for over 15 years, in the US Navy, and in the private sector. I served on the Red Cross board as the volunteer liaison for three years in Naples, Italy. As the liaison, I coordinated volunteers to their job assignments, sat on the advisory board which hired the Red Cross staff and trained Red Cross volunteers. I have an associate’s degree from Mid-Plains Community College.
These experiences have given me the ability to work with different groups of people, helping me attain the ability to think outside of the box, look for solutions until the issue can be resolved for all sides, and to compromise for the good of the whole.
2. I have volunteered in our community for the last two decades. When I first moved to Grant, I was the leader of two Girl Scout troops. As a troop leader, I helped shape the young people of Perkins County, teaching them about volunteerism, reaching out to the elderly in the nursing home and giving back and taking care of their community.
I have sat on the Thrivent Financial Chapter Board, organizing and hosting fundraisers. I am the co-secretary of the Grant Lions Club and have volunteered at many of their projects, and fundraisers.
I hold the position as treasurer on the Hastings Memorial Library Board, assisting the library with their programs and supplies. I volunteer at my church and I am the president of the PC Pool Committee.
I am in the community working for the community. I have ideas on how to grow our community, to keep it a viable place for people to live, work and raise a family.
3. Grant has all the components it needs to be a successful city. There is a regular source of revenue from the utility fees (electricity and now water) and in part taxes, there are long standing businesses, smart industrious citizens and most importantly, the desire to be successful.
A community-based comprehensive plan to carry out the needed ventures and plans will grow our city and will add in the growth of Grant. Many times through the years different groups, mayors, council men and women and individuals have identified what the City of Grant should/could do. Visions of new housing developments, revitalizing the downtown, enticing new businesses, an automated weather station, updating or maintaining our precious amenities, maintaining our infrastructure, and shopping locally, just to name a few.
I envision different groups of people (foundation boards, CRA, city staff, YDC, Rotary, chamber, churches, Lions Club, etc) joining forces so the City of Grant is even more successful in 10 years.
Matt Greenwood
1. I have run projects that have dozens of people doing many different jobs all at the same time, and they came in at budget or under. I have been involved in transportation for the last 35 years, with construction being a subset for the last 25 years.
2. I feel that I make decisions based on what is fair and not on what is politically correct or what is easiest at the time. Some of the ordinances were written for what is most convenient for the city and not on what is fair to the residents.
3. I would like to see a lot of things done in 10 years. First, I would like to have all of the curbs and sidewalks along with the light poles in the downtown area completely rebuilt.
Second, I would like to see all of the rough intersections rebuilt.
Third, I would like to see the pool project completed.
Fourth, I would like to see building lots available for all types of housing from apartments to high-end housing. These areas need to be properly planned and not just thrown together.
We have the money for these ideas in the budget, but for this to work the mayor, the council and the city staff have to work together and not push ideas that only benefit one or two people. Mostly I would like our town to be known for its friendly people and respectful and courteous city and staff. And not for what it is known for in many parts of the state.
Bryce Anderson
1. I am a self-motivated and result-oriented professional driven by my 14+ years of experience and leadership within the United States Army. My training and accomplishments in the military have greatly assisted me in my day-to-day duties and responsibilities as a general manager for the Nebraska Kansas Colorado Railway (NKCR), an OmniTrax owned property.
I have been employed by OmniTrax since 2003. My responsibilities include but are not limited to, compliance of all related federal requirements to include: implementation of policies and procedures, overseeing daily operations, establishing and maintaining the annual budget and control of all expenses.
I believe this will be beneficial in managing the city’s budget / taxpayer’s money that needs to be spent accordingly. I also feel I can provide sound leadership and guidance to any of my employees.
2. During my numerous years in the military I have learned and developed my leadership skills and abilities to work with people and adverse situations. This has helped me in developing my work force ranging from four to 100+ employees.
Given my tenure with OmniTrax I have been able to assist or take charge in managing minor to major projects ranging from thousands to millions of dollars. For example, the Holyoke rail crossing projects of 500k and the Hudson Bay Railway track rehabilitation project that took place over five years and at a cost of 65 million.
I have always maintained an open-door policy with my employees and believe that honesty and integrity are the keys to success.
3. I see a great working relationship between the city and the community, both working on solutions to increase housing, improvements to the park and swimming pool, maintenance of curbs, gutters and streets.
I also see the City of Grant bringing in new businesses or possible expansion of existing businesses. We can do these things by being transparent and researching all avenues that would best suit our community.
Tim Pofahl
1. I have the ability to make sound decisions based on input from community members and my personal experience. My duties at work allow me to work with the public on a daily basis, this experience has enabled me to strengthen and hone in my people skills.
I am approachable, I feel this will make patrons comfortable getting involved in city boards, meetings and discussions.
2. I have been involved in city government previously by serving on council for eight years, six of which I acted as the council president.
I am a people’s person and will make decisions in the best interest of the city not myself. I am open minded and conservative by nature. The first and most important aspect for the city is to continue maintaining and improving our infrastructure but at the same time maintain the financial stability of the city.
3. My visions for the City of Grant are:
1) First, I see respect for the city council and city office restored. I understand this will be a large undertaking and may take some drastic changes. I look at change positively and view it as an opportunity for improvement.
2) I want all citizens to feel they are part of the community and have a say in how it functions. I understand there will be disagreements, I look at these as only opportunities to improve and grow our community.
3) We have a great community with many positive things happening. I want to celebrate these successes and use a unified effort to improve in areas that are in need of attention.
4) Finally, I see the continued improvement within our community being one step at a time with the involvement and input from our citizens.