City’s 4th Ward candidates set goals
 No comments posted.
By ROD STETZER rod.stetzer@lee.net
Wednesday, March 26, 2008 10:10 AM CDT
Jason Anderson and Chuck Hull have simple goals if they win the April 1 election for the Fourth Ward seat on the Chippewa Falls City Council.
“One of my biggest goals is to not raise taxes,” said Anderson, 31, who is making his first attempt at elective office.
Hull, 54, is seeking re-election to the council. He wants to make sure planned expansion in the city does not drastically alter the flavor of Chippewa Falls.
The Fourth Ward covers portions of the city’s West Hill and downtown.
Both candidates expect Chippewa Falls will see much growth in upcoming years. The city is planning on redeveloping the entrance to the downtown area, a major development is planned along Highway 178 (Seymour Cray Sr. Boulevard), and several housing developments have already been built.
“There’s things that are going to cause growth. It’s just a matter of when,” said Hull, who wants to retain the small-town atmosphere that attracts people here.
He said the city has done a good job of anticipating growth, but keeping what it has is also important.
“It’s not always the best thing to spend all of your time trying to attract people,” Hull said.
He says the city needs to be inventive in finding sources of revenue, such as grants, to help existing businesses.
Anderson, who has served on the city’s Plan Commission since 2004, said he wants to work with the council to handle growth as it develops.
“We don’t want the growth to swallow the community so that people don’t talk to each other,” he said.
Anderson said the city should streamline all of its supporting systems as much as possible to handle growth.
Much of the Fourth Ward covers the city’s downtown area, and Anderson said it’s important for Chippewa Falls’ downtown to remain strong.
Anderson said other wards have attracted housing developments. But the Fourth Ward is an older ward, and he wants to make sure the area continues to be appealing to prospective homeowners.
Hull wants to maintain the level of service the city is providing residents, while keep tax rates at a reasonable level.
“I’ve decided to run because I’ve learned an awful lot my first term and it’s been rewarding to be part of the process,” he said.
Hull said the current council has a good mix of personalities who are working for the community and he wants to continue being part of that.
|
Archives