Three candidates are vying for the Second Ward City Council seat.

Saturday, September 09, 2000

Three candidates are vying for the Second Ward City Council seat.

 

Roger W. Boughton

Incumbent (appointed in January 2000)

2205 10th Ave. SW

437-7331

Age: 59

Family: Married to Cheryl, three children; four grandchildren.

Occupation: Retired educator. Boughton moved to Austin 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. Boughton ended his career at Riverland as Vice President of Academic Affairs when he retired in January of 1999.

 

Peter J. Christopherson

Challenger

1002 Fourth St. SW

437-3103

Age: 30

Family: Married to Diane, expecting first child in March. Son of Bill and Mary Christopherson.

Occupation: carpenter and part-time firefighter with the Austin Fire Department. Also a high school football referee.

 

Garry E. Ellingson

Challenger

112 12th Ave. SW

433-2125

Age: 63

Family: Married to Sharon; four children; 11 grandchildren; one great-grandchild.

Occupation: Retired law enforcement officer. Ellingson spent 34 years in the Mower County Sheriff’s Department, working his way up from patrolman/jailer to civil department supervisor and on to chief deputy. He was chief deputy from 1979 until he retired in 1998. Ellingson also served in the Airforce four years and 20 years in the active National Guard. He was in the ready reserve National Guard forces for 12 years.

Q. How do you feel about the issue of public safety – police and fire – in Austin?

Boughton:

"The council members – me included – agree that we need to hire two more police officers – I believe that will happen.

"Right now I’m researching the issue of staffing at the fire station, so I don’t have a position yet. I’ve been amazed at the number of paid part-time departments there are across the nation. Another route a lot of communities have tried is "public safety officers" – where the police and fire duties are combined. There are a lot of options out there and a lot of things to consider."

Christopherson:

"Why did it take two murders to realize we need more police officers? Will it take Hormel burning down to realize we need more full-time firefighters to prevent the fires that do happen from spreading?

"I would like to see at least four firefighters on a shift, or 17 full-time staff including the chief and the inspector … They talk about prevention of fires, but where is the prevention during suppression, containing the fire? You have to have firefighters on the scene quick enough to contain a fire, right now they can’t go out on a truck without waiting for more people to show up.

"[City Administrator] Pat McGarvey is wrong when he says the part-time firefighters are not inferior to the full-time. We don’t have near the experience or training that a career or a properly-staffed combination department would have."

Ellingson:

"I don’t think just adding police will solve all Austin’s problems. The council was talking about topless dancing when prostitution was the problem. The city simply needs to enforce the state statutes on prostitution, not create any new ones. There are a lot of ways – sanctions against businesses that hired the women if they’re caught if they were here to dance – to tackle the problem.

"As far as not having enough numbers, the police can request help from the Sheriff’s department, the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Southern Minnesota Taskforce.

"As for the fire department, I’ve always felt that the people should have a vote if they’re going to do away with a full-time department. I do know that they’ve gone from a 3 1/2 minute response time to almost 15 minutes. I, personally, think with a combination department we should have the minimum number of full-time people to allow them to respond immediately. It’s always been nice knowing that the Austin Fire Department would be here almost as soon as you hang up the phone."

Q. What do you think the city should do about the flood problem?

Boughton:

"I don’t think it takes a genius to figure it out. If we get any money, it will be for whatever the Army Corps of Engineers recommends, so I would be in favor of adopting whatever they recommend. I’m guessing they will recommend housing buyouts; in reading previous studies – and not much has changed – that’s what they recommended.

"I know there are other opinions on the answer to the flood issue, but if it’s not a course of action recommended by the Army Corps of Engineers, they won’t help pay – their share would usually be somewhere between 50-90 percent."

Christopherson:

"Let’s get it fixed. Even if it’s really expensive, the problem still needs to be fixed. Moving houses out is just a band-aid. What about the businesses and the churches that were affected?

"I believe there is a solution to every problem: moving houses is a short term solution. I know the people of Rochester are glad they did what they did over there. Yes, it’s going to cost you, but what is peace of mind worth to you?"

Ellingson:

"You can’t relocate the whole city. We need to work with the city, county, townships, Corps of engineers – all governmental entities that could possibly be involved. We need to get the Corps to tell us what is the best plan, and, like Rochester did, we need to do it."

Q. Is the city on the right track with its use of Tax Increment Financing?

Boughton:

"I honestly think the city is on the right track. TIF is very difficult to understand, and I didn’t quite get it before I got on the council. It’s a good economic tool, but each project should be judged on its own merits. If we didn’t have TIF, there wouldn’t be much economic development in blighted areas."

Christopherson:

"I don’t care much for TIF. I say leave the money where it belongs. The city gets this money by taking it from the county and the school district, then they wonder why the district is broke and has to hold a referendum every five years. I also don’t think we should pay businesses to come into town. There’s a risk involved in setting up or expanding a business – that risk should be the business owner’s."

Ellingson:

"I think TIF is an excellent tool if it’s applied in accordance with the rules and followed. There are always gray areas in any law, but I think a city or county using TIF should stay with the intent of the law and not be creative – bending the rules to fit your particular situation."

 

Q. Why should I, a voter in the Second Ward of Austin, vote for you?

Boughton:

"Because I’ll represent my constituents well. I’ll do my homework. I’ll study the issues. I’ll make the best decision on their behalf that I can. I won’t be lazy. They may not like all my decisions, but I think the majority will be pleased with the way I study and react to the issue. As a voter, I would hope my representative would study and look at the issues fairly, because not every voter has time to do all that research."

Christopherson:

"Because I’m genuine – what you see is what you get. I’m an Austin native and I want to get involved because some of the stuff the city’s doing – well, it’s tiring to see. This is my home. I was born and raised here and the direction it’s going – I don’t think is very conducive to the whole community.

"We’re a very reactive community right now: something’s gotta happen before we do something about it. Let’s do something about the foreseeable problems before they become a problem.

Ellingson:

"I think some of the council members aren’t asking the right questions, they just go along with whatever is recommended by city staff. My job was asking the right questions and listening carefully to the answers. My job background – training, exposure to all different parts of society – plus more than 30 years of working with the County Board all give me an advantage. I’ve learned there are three sides to every story: the two people you’re dealing with and yours. You have to know how to sift truth from fiction.

"Also, after 31 years with the military, I’m a firm believer that if the city charter says that’s how you do it – that’s how you do it. You don’t make up the rules as you go along."