2 Jackson Board of Aldermen incumbents face challengers

Jackson voters will be asked to fill four seats on the city’s Board of Aldermen next month, one from each of the city’s four wards.

Matthew Ellison

A pair of incumbent board members, Wanda Young of Ward I and David Hitt representing Ward II, are unopposed in their reelection bids. Also unopposed is Jackson Mayor Dwain Hahs, who is seeking another two-year term in the April 6 municipal election.

Tommy Kimbel

However, Ward III board member Katy Liley, a civil engineer and project manager, is facing a challenge from Matthew Ellison, marketing director with Vintage Software in Jackson. Meanwhile, Ward IV Alderman Tommy Kimbel, a retired Jackson police officer, is running against Steven Lee, a 25-year employee of Procter & Gamble.

Steven Lee

The Southeast Missourian asked the four candidates in the two contested races — Ellison and Liley from Ward III and Kimbel and Lee from Ward IV — to complete a brief questionnaire about their candidacies, with their responses to each question not to exceed 100 words.

The questions, and their answers in random order, are below:

Why serve?

• Why do you wish to serve (or continue serving) on the Jackson Board of Aldermen?

Kimbel: I take pride in serving the community of Jackson. I have raised two boys who graduated from Jackson (High School), I have lived in Jackson 45 years and served on the police department almost 20 years (but) I feel my job isn’t through just yet.

Lee: Although I think our current group of aldermen and women do a fantastic job, most of them have been on the board for years and I think they may have forgotten about the people of the city when they decide on how to deal with issues that face the city on a daily basis. I feel in order for the city to grow and expand we need to have new leadership and get more people involved in their community.

Liley: I feel I can make a difference with my experience and love for the city of Jackson by serving on the board of aldermen.

Ellison: I believe in the idea of neighbors helping neighbors. When we focus on serving each other, we can do great things as a community. Finding ways to help better the lives of my neighbors in Jackson is why I want to serve. I don’t take the responsibility lightly and understand that serving on the board of aldermen is an honor. As a member, I would have an obligation to answer tough questions, face challenges, work for the people, be approachable, accessible, and listen intently. I am ready for the opportunity to serve my community.

Qualifications

• What do you consider to be your qualifications for service on the board?

Ellison: I learned the importance of community by serving in churches. Early in my career, I worked in customer service, helping people solve problems. It taught me the importance of listening. As director of marketing at Vintage Software in Jackson, I have faced tasks that required tough decision-making and working with a team daily to solve problems. Above all, I have a servant’s heart, and I am dedicated to my neighborhood, my ward and the city of Jackson. I believe these life experiences have helped shape me into a great candidate to serve on the board.

Kimbel: Like I said, I served on the police department almost 20 years and I drove a school bus 30 years for Jackson R-2 and St. Paul Lutheran School. I was always in the public eye by attending my boys’ scouting events and sports.

Lee: I have served on the board of directors for Big Brothers and Big Sisters in Pennsylvania and also a local ambulance and rescue company. I have worked with youth baseball and scouting for years while my two boys were active in those organizations. Although I don’t think they compare to an alderman position, I have had several leadership roles before and know the strain that they put on you and what it takes to do them impartially for the benefit of all parties.

Liley: My upbringing rooted in faith, community, and family along with my professional experience in design, construction and development make me qualified to serve on the board of aldermen for the city of Jackson. I previously served on Jackson’s park board, enhancing my current service as alderwoman. I also have over 24 years of experience as a professional civil engineer and project manager through local design and development as well as heavy highway construction. My family and I have invested in the development and preservation of Jackson through real estate, home construction, rentals, and volunteering in the community we love.

Challenges

• What do you see as the biggest challenge (or challenges) facing Jackson and how do you believe you can help the community meet/overcome those challenges?

Liley: The biggest challenge the city of Jackson faces is how do we grow to be a balanced, thriving residential and commercial area, while also preserving our “small town” heritage. The city has already taken great strides with our cooperative agreement with the (Jackson Area) Chamber of Commerce to further commercial development. We support the efforts of the Uptown Jackson Revitalization Organization to hold events and bring awareness to uptown merchants and the Cape Girardeau County History Center. As we continue to support these efforts to bring our existing and new residents together, our community will grow together around our strong roots.

Ellison: Jackson is growing fast; this is a really exiting time to live here! But this growth will affect our community in a variety of ways, including city infrastructure, housing, school resources, poverty, keeping our current businesses, and attracting new businesses. We need to foster growth while preserving the community we know and love. If elected, I will meet with the various people, businesses, and organizations that make Jackson such a great place to live in order to develop a calculated plan with lots of community involvement. Listening constantly is the only way we can properly address and overcome these challenges.

Kimbel: Number 1 is to create new business and employment. I said that the first time I ran for the board of aldermen and that is still my goal, even though I am only one vote. I will work to meet this challenge by staying informed and being available to those who live in my ward.

Lee: Jackson needs to find more revenue streams that don’t raise taxes or add new taxes on the people of the community. The people of the community are tired of taxes that come on the ballots every couple of years with new wording but the same purpose. We need to find more businesses that we can get into town and collect sales tax. We have a couple of strip malls that are partially full. If they were filled, we would get more taxes! Some ways to do that is to help new businesses with tax breaks for a couple of years to help them establish and get the public enthusiastic about their presence in town and help them advertise as they are going to be part of our revenue stream. That advertisement can be as simple as using the city’s web page or app to get the information out to people.