Roger Boughton, Pete Christopherson and Garry Ellingson are the only city candidates who will do battle at the polls in the September primary.

Tuesday, August 01, 2000

Roger Boughton, Pete Christopherson and Garry Ellingson are the only city candidates who will do battle at the polls in the September primary. The trio are battling for the most musical of the council’s chairs, the Second Ward seat.

Originally won by Dick Chaffee four years ago, over the past two years it has seen three different owners. Chaffee vacated it in January of 1998, after he ran unopposed for the At-large council seat which he now occupies. Todd Penske was appointed to fill the seat for the duration of Chaffee’s original term, but chose to resign citing conflict of interest after only a year on the council. Boughton was then appointed to fill the seat earlier this year.

Ellingson applied for the seat both times it was up for appointment. Now he’s taking the decision to the people.

Boughton applied for and got the position, but he wasn’t sure he would enjoy the work. He found he likes being on the council, and decided to run for election.

Pete Christopherson has been attending council meetings for about a year, although this is the first time he has run for a position on the council.

Following is a brief synopsis of each candidate’s background and issues important to him. The candidates are listed in alphabetical order:

– Roger Boughton, 2205 10th Ave. SW

Boughton moved to Austin from Michigan in 1976 to work as Dean of Students at what was then Austin Community College. He never left, although the name and the scope of his position changed through the years. He retired in January of 1999.

Boughton is married to Cheryl, they have three children and four grandchildren.

He was appointed to the Second Ward seat in February of this year. Although he said he wasn’t sure how he would like it, after six months on the council he has decided he wants a chance at a full term.

"The temporary appointment gave me the opportunity to see what needed to be done and what the issues were," Boughton said. "I know now that I have some skills that can be of value to the council, because its effectiveness depends upon how well we work together, and I’m a good team player, good at working with people."

He sees the most important issues facing the city as those of affordable housing, Austin’s increasingly diverse population, the sewer system and flooding, as well as prostitution and related crimes.

"I’m a builder," he said. "I worked to get the library built, the YMCA addition and the library at the college. I think that’s one of the strengths I bring to the council."

– Pete Christopherson, 1002 Fourth St. SW

Christopherson was born and raised in Austin, mostly in the Second Ward. He is a Pacelli graduate, a carpenter in Rochester and a part-time firefighter in Austin. He was married earlier this year, and the couple is expecting their first child in March.

Christopherson thinks he could bring a young fresh voice to the council – he is 30 – and a native’s perspective.

Part of the reason Christopherson decided to run was the most recently approved Tax Increment Finance district, opposite Oak Park Mall.

"Some of the stuff that’s been going on I don’t much care for," he said. Christopherson is philosophically opposed to giving money to businesses to relocate in Austin.

Other issues important to him are the policemen and firemen – he says there’s not enough of either – and the problem of flooding.

"You can only cut back so much," he said. "I feel we’ve been getting by with too little lately."

– Garry Ellingson, 112 12th Ave. SW

Ellingson moved to Austin from Osage, Iowa in 1964 to work in law enforcement. He ended up working 34 years in the Mower County Sheriff’s Department, working his way up from patrolman/jailer to civil department supervisor to chief deputy. He was chief deputy from 1979 until he retired in 1998.

 

He is married to Sharon; they have four children and 11 grandchildren.

He thinks his years in the Sheriff’s department as well as his military experience make him a good council candidate.

"I understand the process: how taxation works, the different units – why they do what they do – and I know how to deal with people," he said. "I would bring a different voice to the council; many of them now are from the college so we don’t have a good cross section of the community represented."

He sees the biggest issue facing the city as the possibility of another flood, but he added to the list the issues of law enforcement, the arena, the airport expansion and housing.

"My life’s experiences with people from all walks of life and different cultures gives me an edge on ability to listen and to help work out what the problem is and start solving it," he said.