3) What is your list of major priorities for the City in the next two years?
Mayor
James David (Pete) O’Geary (no incumbent in race): No response submitted.
Jeanne Hight (no incumbent in race): 1. TO MAKE SURE THE SEWER LINES ARE COMPLETED.
2. TO MAKE SURE THE WATER LINES ARE FIXED.
3. MAKE SURE THE POT HOLES ARE FIXED.
4. MAKE SURE THE STREETS ARE PAVED ACCORDING TO WHICH STREET IS IN THE WORSE CONDITION FIRST.
5. HAVE ALL THE STREETS WASHED AND SWEPT AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK AND HAVE STREETS LIKE GARNETT AND DABNEY DRIVE OR OTHER IMPORTANT STREETS COMING INTO THE CITY CLEANED DAILY.
6. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE 33 APARTMENTS FOR SINGLES COMPLETED ON MAIN STREET.
7. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A FOOT PATROL, BICYCLE PATROL, AND SEE THE POLICE DEPARTMENT STAY OPEN AT NIGHT IN CASE PEOPLE HAVE A NEED FOR THEIR SERVICES.
8. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOUTHERLAND MILL POND KEPT FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS, AND HAVE A PLACE FOR OUR SENIOR CITIZENS AND YOUNG PARENTS TO GO FISHING AND TAKE THEIR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN TO A BEAUTIFUL POND TO TEACH THEM HOW TO FISH. I WOULD NOT LIKE TO SEE MOTOR BOATS OF ANY KIND ON THE MILL POND.
Ward 1
Mary Emma Evans (Incumbent): No response submitted.
George W. King, Sr. (Challenger): My major priorities for the city for the next two years are more jobs to improve our economy and the safety of our people.
Ward 1 At Large
Bernard Alston (Incumbent): No response submitted.
Sara Coffey (Challenger): The City of Henderson needs to repair our sewer system to provide for safe and clean living. We need to make progress in decreasing crime through both police efforts and establishing community initiatives. My third priority is to encourage clean affordable housing and improve the quality of neighborhoods. We need to continue to prepare our city for economic development and prosperity.
Ward 2
Bobby Gupton (Incumbent): Provide the police with the tools needed to combat the drug problem, support the police in crime prevention. Reduce the tax rate by at least ten cents by correcting the injustice of the city taxpayer paying 80-85 percent of the joint ventures. Continue to seek grants for our sewer and water needs in addition to any other grants available.
Mike Rainey (Challenger): No response submitted.
Ward 2 At Large
Lynn Harper (Incumbent): My first major priority is a decent, safe place for every Henderson resident to live. Increasing home ownership goes along with this priority. Both will make people feel better about themselves, reduce domestic violence, improve children’s readiness to learn and therefore our school system, increase fire safety, improve public health, improve human relations, reduce crime overall, and improve the climate for economic development. The Superintendent of Schools says that the biggest problem in our schools is “hopelessness.” I believe this hopelessness starts when children don’t have a decent, safe place to live.
My second priority is a reduction in crime. To attract businesses and new people to this area, they must see a relatively low crime rate when they first check out Henderson on the Internet. Our new Police Chief has several plans to accomplish this goal that he is already working on. I am proud that the FAIR Committee, which I chair, did the research that led to wider use of the Drug Seizure Funds for all our new police cars for the past two years, Community Policing, the Volunteers in Policing program, the K9 program, as well as for overtime and training (The federal government oversees this program strictly to be sure that no basic police services are funded through Drug Seizure–just in case the program is ended). If elected, I promise to further study of the Drug Seizure Document now needs to be done to determine other ways that the funds can be used to reduce crime.
My third priority is repair of our sewage system discussed in detail in Question 1–another requirement for Economic Development and for the safety and livability of our Citizens. Further, repairing it will save the City money in the long run.
Michael Inscoe (Challenger): No response submitted.
Ward 3
Garry Daeke (Incumbent): 1. Better cooperation with the county, COG, and Henderson-Vance Economic Partnership. We need a collective vision of how to prioritize and efficiently spend the public dollar.
2. Housing, esp. putting together a group to promote home ownership.
3. Additional revenue(s), from outside sources, i.e. state, federal, and grant funds.
Frank Terry (Challenger): No response submitted.
Ward 3 At Large
Brenda Peace (Challenger): No response submitted.
Elissa Yount (Incumbent): First, I want the city to continue being financially responsible, paying down debt, and giving a dollar’s service for every tax dollar while at the same time addressing the issues of joint funding. Next, I want us to find financing for our infrastructure needs. A national infrastructure bank using government bonds to finance capital investment is one idea that is being floated nationally and we need to thoroughly investigate and support this and be in on the ground floor to garner money for Henderson. Third, I want us to build wealth in our city by offering home ownership plans to low-income citizens. Fourth, I want us to establish a clear understanding with the Embassy Foundation about the ownership, future expenses, and payoff on the library. Fifth, I want us to look at the ETJ for possible annexation.
Ward 4
Horace P. Bullock (Challenger): No response submitted.
Lonnie Davis (Incumbent): No response submitted.
Ward 4 At Large
George Daye (Challenger): No response submitted.
Lora Durham (Challenger): No response submitted.
Ranger Wilkerson (Incumbent):
1) Sewer
2) Joint Funding