Stan Wicks

Stan Wicks doesn't mind rolling up his sleeves.

His successful business on Independence Street started out as a way to make a little extra money about 10 years ago. All he had at that time was a few tools and a pickup truck. And most importantly, he says, a supportive wife.

Now Wicks, 39, runs Wicks Enterprises, Inc., a corporation that heads General Maintenance Co. and Helpers Moving and Storage. He also operates a U-Haul and portable toilet service.

That get-after-it, make-it-work approach is why he says he is the best candidate for mayor.

"I do a lot of work," he said. "I've got a lot of know-how. I know how to listen."

Listening to the people, he said, will be the most important part of his job.

"I think you have to remember, when you're elected, you're not really the boss," he said. "The people are the boss. I have to do what they want. If I do that, I can't go wrong. All I have to do is follow the directions."

Wicks said, if elected, he will focus on making sure residents know the issues.

"I think the mayor needs to be out in public a little bit more," he said. "He needs to find a way to address the public and keep the people informed."

Legal issues surrounding the River Campus debate are a prime example, he said.

Wicks said the largest issue he sees the city facing is bringing people together.

"One side wants one thing and another side wants something else," he said. "Neither side is willing to see the other side's point of view. We need to concentrate on getting the two sides together and somehow getting them to comprehend what the other side wants and meet a compromise."

Wicks and his wife, Debbie, have two children, Erica, 14, and Alexis, 12. Both are students in the public school system.

"I'd like to see the mayor position be like my marriage has been," he said. "The mayor and the people need to work together as partners."

--Bob Miller